No. 193: What is Opera Organically? An Omnipresently Power-Full Community

When we begin to create Community

based not upon one person's tyrannical ideas of "correctness"

but rather on Voice's suggestion of Mystery and Expansiveness,

Intangibility and Elusiveness,

SomeThing magical begins to be sung:

We resonate the Truth of the Ecstasy

of what it means to be nestled in the arms

of omnipresent Beauty, of omnipresent Love.

THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 192: Student as Teacher Series Part 1: "Faith, on Music"

When we acknowledge that Voice Itself is the true authority in learning to sing, and also in teaching, a curious thing happens: teacher and student are both swallowed up in the sound of authenticity they have the honor of celebrating together.

This is my first chance, and it is a very exciting one, to set the words of an Opera Organically student/teacher upon this blog, like a diamond with many sparkling facets, for you all to see.

Please enjoy the heart thoughts of Faith, 17, on music:

Music is the only thing that has sustained me through the long years of my life. It's been my one true companion, never wavering or leaving my side. I've nursed it and given it life, and it's never shown me grief over anything. It's said exactly what I've needed to hear, or listened when I've required that also. After all that I've been through, it's the only place I can call home.

Is music a place, then?

Yes, I do believe it is. It's everywhere and nowhere all at once. It's in the air we breathe, and in the chatter of strangers nearby. There are very few people who can hear the music as I do. Most call it noise, but I recognize it for what it is: music. I can hear the music in every fiber of every living thing. None of it escapes me. It runs through my veins; it's a part of me—of everything! But I've already explained that.

Since I've already explained that music is a place, theoretically, one can visit it. But how would one go about getting there? The answer isn't as difficult as you might think, getting to a place that isn't physically there. All you have to do is close your eyes and be aware of everything and nothing all at once. Listen to the birds trilling, or the laughter of a child. You have to listen to the music you have been given and embrace it.

Even unpleasant things are music, for not all melodies are happy or joyous, now are they? No, they are not. We all are aware of such things. And yet, we seem to shy away from the sad melodies that music plays, in favor of lighter ones, save for when we are in the lowest pits of despair ourselves. All music is beautiful, but not everyone can see it.

We've trapped it and conformed it to help ourselves comprehend it, but it cannot be fully comprehended. Nothing so large ever can be completely understood. But we've attempted to do so, and in trying, we have stripped it of its former glory until it is a fraction of its former self.

Yes, the modern definition of music is quite simple, isn't it? This is how the dictionary defines it:

noun

1.

An art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions insignificant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color.

2.

The tones or sounds employed, occurring in singleline (melody) or multiple lines (harmony), and sounded or to be sounded by one or more voices or instruments, or both.

3.

Musical work or compositions for singing or playing.

4.

The written or printed score of a musical composition.

5.

Such scores collectively.

It seems so basic. But what most have failed to recognize is that music is so much more than that. It's a living thing that we can only contain for so long before it breaks free of the bondage we have put it in and reveals its true self. And when it does, it will come in such a rush that none will be able to ignore its wild, primal sounds… or its soft, refined ones. Music is complex, and yet utterly simple, but it's incredibly transfixing in its own way, is it not?

Music has the power to hold sway over your emotions, and provoke feelings from you that you never thought possible. It can bring you to cloud nine every time—all you have to do is listen. Music doesn't ask much of you; it only asks that you really, truly listen to it. And once you learn to truly listen, you can hear it in everything.

So, then, what precisely is music? By attempting to explain it, I'd be imprisoning it again, and I won't do that, not after I've set it free. But music is everything you want it to be, nothing more, and nothing less. I cannot turn your music into my music, and you cannot turn mine into yours. The definition of music is something deeply personal for everyone, and it's not something that can be given as a gift, or even earned, because it can't be taken away.





Thank you Faith!  THIS is Opera Organically! (: 


~Becca 

No. 191: What is Opera Organically? Freedom from Arrogance

When we know and understand...

when we can even just imagine,

that we are not teaching and learning Voice

but rather,

IT IS TEACHING US

suddenly we are set free:

like stars set amidst the skies 

by the Creator of Light

we vibrate as Singers set upon this Earth

by That Which Sounds

of the very stuff From Which We Came

In Which We Are

and Which We Always Will Be.

Thank God for that,

Thank God for that.

THIS is Opera Organically.

 

No. 190: What is Opera Organically? "It's" enough to stun us into silence

When the singing student realizes

it is not her Voice which needs to change

but rather 

She

who needs to change, to stretch, to grow,

to house 

IT...

then...

 then the true magic begins

and She sees she is not merely learning "singing"--

she is learning the language

of Love.

IT is her greatest teacher.

IT is her soul's siren,

her vision just behind sight,

her singing just beyond silence.

THIS is Opera Organically.

No. 189: What is Opera Organically? Acknowledging "The Observer"

There is an Observer of all Singers

which

when we are brave enough

will tell us Who We Really Are.

It sees completion,

ecstasy, warmth, honesty, beauty,

perfection, in each moment,

and at every phase of discovery.

When we learn to sing

in the embrace of this Observer

suddenly we are safe enough

to be in awe of the universality of Voice.

Then, what was once a torturous struggle

toward "technical proficiency"

becomes a deep, joyful dive

into the Heart of what it means to be alive.

THIS is Opera Organically.

 

 

No. 188: What is Opera Organically? The search and discovery of life-giving truths.

Along the pathway of never-ending vocal discovery

I have found

that Voice LOVES

to hear the truth about Itself.

As when we celebrate a young child

or an animal in unconditional Love,

 Voice jumps for joy when we have the courage

to see It, and honor It, deeply.

THIS is Opera Organically.

 

No.187: What is Opera Organically? More than just "staying on"

In my years studying classical dressage horseback riding, I learned a valuable phrase for riding, for singing, and for life:

Ride every stride.

 

When a rider is truly in tune with the horse, when s/he listens to the horse with mind, body, spirit, ear, eye, and every other sense at every moment with paradoxical simplicity, she becomes like a part of the horse.  Her intention is the horse's intention.  The energy in her body matches the energy in the horse's body.  A rider can LIVE to experience the moments when "all is One", and what was once so effort-full becomes suddenly, naturally, effort-less.

This kind of connection with horse is not possible without riding every stride. To ride every stride means to know as much as possible about the horse you are with.  It means to do what it takes to be comfortable, for both horse and rider to feel safe and free.  It means doing what it takes to allow both rider and horse to remain in the moment so they can create magic together.

In what sense is this important for the singer?  For anyone who has watched a beginning rider, the experience can be anything from comical to terrifying.  The objective for the beginning rider is simply to "STAY ON".  Many of us sing like this, which is neither good nor bad, but can set us up for some rocky singing experiences.  In order to keep ourselves safe as singers, we must know the dangers inherent in being a beginner, in not knowing the things we need to know in order to "ride every stride" or "sing every note" of our voices.  

What are the dangers of not "being at One" with Voice?  Functional challenges can come up.  The voice is not strong enough and trips under us... Emotional bucks and kicks can come from outside and inside sources when we are not prepared to understand.  Even what we hear from our most supportive teachers can make us want to "get off" and never get back on the singing animal again. 

If riding is challenging, I would say that singing is even more so.  The Voice is just as wild-at-heart and earthy as a horse, and yet we cannot see it, touch it, or feel it in the traditional sense.  We cannot calm it with our hands or groom it with our brushes.  There are mysteries that surround this "Vocal Beast" that are hard to wrap our heads around.

Which is why we must let go of our heads and drop into our hearts when we are learning about Voice.  When a rider first experiences the magic of Oneness with a horse, it is her heartstrings which are teased, not only her logical brain.  For there is an element in this balance between wo/man and horse which goes beyond logic.  There is no escaping the pure wonder of an animal so powerful as a horse willingly merging with the rider in movement.  It is the deepest honor to experience, and it is what keeps the torch burning for many equestrians around the world.

What I propose for singers is that we begin to re-learn how to merge with our Voices, to see them as natural expressions of pure power and love, pulsing with life.  These Life-form-voices are ours only with their permission!  And when we are allowed to join with them in the pure, joyful moment of what it means to be alive, we can experience the ecstasy of true connection with a force greater than our individual selves.  When we approach our studies with even the imagination of what it might be like to ride that wave of singing passion, we find the strength and reason to carry on.