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When I signed up for Musical Improv class, I simultaneously signed up for voice lessons. Because why not dive-tackle this super-scary insecurity head on, right?
Eeeeek. Right.
I scheduled a lesson with a voice teacher who came highly recommended by a friend. KB teaches out of her home in Astoria, so I snuck out of work a bit early one Friday afternoon, hopped the M-train to Queens, found her house, drummed up all my courage and rang the doorbell.
KB was every bit as friendly and disarming as my friend had promised. We exchanged brief get-to-know-you pleasantries, then KB sat down at her piano and said, "Ok, now I'll have you sing a vocal warm-up."
Sing? Just like that, she wants me to sing? I mean - sheesh, buy a girl dinner first, am I right?
I would have been happy to continue talking about singing for awhile longer, to discuss in detail how I'm not a good singer, and how I have no singing experience, and how singing in front of people rather terrifies me. But apparently KB actually expected me to get down to the business of it. So I reluctantly, fearfully, hesitatingly sang a scale. And then KB said the sweetest words to me:
"You're not tone deaf."
Phew! Huge sigh of relief. Huge. The lesson proceeded and I learned about proper breathing techniques. And practiced projecting. And then, towards the end of the hour, I got to sing an actual song! (!!!)
KB asked if I knew "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" (sure do), so we sang through that a few times. "A kiss on the hand may be quite continental..."
My Improv coach has been wanting me to work on accents for awhile (my best attempts all end up sounding Israeli, so I usually just avoid accents entirely in scenework). I mentioned this to KB, so she had me sing through "Diamonds" while practicing various accents.
"A kiss may be grand, but it won't pay the rental..."
"Now do Southern Hick."
"On yer humble flat, or help ya at the autahmat..."
"Now Brooklyn."
"Men grow cold, as goyls grow old..."
"On yer humble flat, or help ya at the autahmat..."
"Now Brooklyn."
"Men grow cold, as goyls grow old..."
"Mary Poppins!"
"And we awll lose our chahms in the end..."
"Eliza Doolittle!"
"Bu' square-cu' oh pear-shape, d'ese rocks won' lose d'eir shape!"
"Dihhhmonds are a girhhl's best frehhnd!"
Super fun. I like voice lessons. :)
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