Featured musician - Spiritual Enrichment Center, Bainbridge Island

Rev. LeeAnn gave a great talk today on 'inspiration'. I especially loved one concept that she brought up, about being inspired to live life fully. She said 'there's no such thing as failure; so you try something and it doesn't work out; SO WHAT????' Isn't it so true?? There really are no risks in life, so we really have to go for it so that there are no regrets. there's nothing worse than not trying; not living with passion, not going after your heart's desire. So do it! If you want to sing, sing; if you want to play guitar, play guitar; if you want to dance, dance!

Here's a pic of Me, Rev. LeeAnn and Music Director for SEC, Bainbridge, Kathryn LaFond. And how about this great view from 'The Public House' grill; can you see Seattle in the distance??

Tomorrow, Songshop Master Class in Seattle.

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

Unless you've been here in Mt. Vernon, Washington to experience the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, it's hard to describe. There are fields that seem to stretch forever, filled with blooming tulips of every hue. They fill the horizon, where all around are snowcapped peaks and green valleys!

These are photos from today, April 28th, the last weekend of the festival, which begins April 1st each year. There was no lack of late bloomers in every variety. As I looked at each flower, I couldn't believe the miracle of nature; every tulip was different, with swatches of color variation unique to each blossom. It should remind us all that we, too, are unique. Each one of us has our own variation in looks, personality and innate talents. So just as we celebrate the beautiful tulip, we should celebrate the differences in each other! What a wonderful world that offers so much diversity.

In my Diva Training weekends and workshops, we do lots of exercises and processes that lead us to this same conclusion. What we may see as a 'fault' or outside what our culture determines is the 'norm', is really a lovely variation that makes us unique in the world. How special we all are! So I say 'let's celebrate the variations!'

Marymoor Park, Redmond, WA

Is this place great, or what??? Here I am in Marymoor Park yesterday, where the entire 170 acre park is WiFi ready! So you can sit by the river, take a stroll through the park, or check your email before a soccer game! This is great!

It was in the low 70's yesterday and so green (well, I'm pretty green, too; unfashionable in my green jeans and T!). I'm awestruck by the beauty here. Everywhere you look there are streams, rivers, lakes, and trees, flowers...everything's in bloom. It is lush and peaceful.

On to Mt. Vernon and the last few days of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival!

Portland P'nai Or Choir Workshop

What a fun group here in Portland! (There's me in black in the middle!) Tonight's workhop for the P'nai Or Choir was really exciting, and attended by about 24 eager participants. We worked on several of the foundational concepts of The Integrated Voice method; active/conscious breathing; 'the pyramid'; opening the vowels; linking words and proper voice placement.

Everybody liked the concept of the 'pyramid', as it helped them think 'down and wide' rather than high and pinched on their octave jumps and ascending lines. It's really an effective concept, as it helps open up the voice and take mental control of that fear of 'high notes'. Singing is 90% mental, so when you take charge of the mind you free the voice to soar as it was meant to.

I really appreciate the warm welcome I received here in Portland, and thank Bruce Morris for inviting me, and Eric, the P'nai Or Choir's illustrious leader!

Portland - Seattle trip

Here I am at the Bitter Creek Alehouse in Boise; first leg of the Portland Seattle trip! You may notice a frosty Hefeweizen in the picture, (served by perky, darling waitress, Lee!). What would you expect after a long day on the road with my two pups, Levi and Chevette? Boise, downtown is really cute. They've completely revamped and gentrified it. Tomorrow, on to Troutdale/Portland where I'll be leading a choir workshop in Portland. 'Joyful Singing!' is spreading around the world!

Panache Soiree with Pungent Lily

Kristin Lish, Nyle Steiner and I had a great night at the chic downtown club Panache. We provided 'ethereal jazz' for their posh Soiree featuring the art of Diane Cliff and the gourmet artistry of guest chef Jonathan Ruppert of Simon's in Midway. To the right you can see the place setting with all the various wine glasses at the ready!

There were 7 fabulous courses each with a special wine paring. John Engen enlightened us about the alchemy of wine, while Shauna Engen, also co-owner of Panache, was an elegant host for the evening. We even had an English Butler dressed in red tails who would announce each course in very proper English, and even began the evening with "Ladies and Gentlemen, Dinner Is Served!" Almost otherworldly!

The food was fantastic and it took over three hours to complete the meal! Nyle Steiner, inventor of the EWI (electronic wind instrument), and EVI (electronic valve instrument) has been all over the world and worked with the likes of film composer Maurice Jarre, joked about his dining experiences while in France. He said "the more expensive the restaurant, the worse the cheese is!" Evidently he was referring to 'stinky cheeses' which I personally love!

Our trio, now called Pungent Lily, had a great time doing standards that always take on a twisted life of their own! We love doing improv and get on these musical jags that lead us into some pretty interesting territory. We're always a bit stymied when asked what our 'genre' is, so we've decided that we do 'ethereal jazz'. It's beautiful, evocative, evolving and arty. I love it. It's so fun to just let the music take you on a moody journey. Nothing about Pungent Lily is linear; we're definately outside the box!

My article in the Park Record

The Park Record in Park City, Utah picked up my article "Sound Healing - Not Just For Britney Spears!". If you haven't read it, here's an exerpt:

Recently, the press was all over a story about Pop Diva Britney Spear’s visits to a Los Angeles Sikh Yoga Master for ‘sound healing’ sessions. Does Britney know something we don’t?

Reportedly, as part of their session, clients like Britney are exposed to sound vibrations as they lie on a special couch. Sound like weird, Hollywood hocus-pocus? Not really, say experts who see alternative health medicine, especially sound healing, gaining wide acceptance in the medical community. “Sound and voice healing are really becoming an accepted means of therapy,” says Beth Lawrence, sound therapist and CEO of Viva La Voice in Midway, Utah. “Sound has been used since ancient times by medicine men, tribal shamans, and figured heavily in the medicine of ancient Egyptians and Greeks.” Lawrence, talking about her upcoming Chakra Tuneup Workshop states, “I want
to make sound healing accessible to everybody. It’s not just for Pop Divas, it works for the common man, too!”

Please go to my website: vivalvoice.com and email me for the complete article, or sign up for my monthly Voicegram,which will feature this article next month!

Brush Up Your Vocals Class #1

What a great class we had tonight! I get so energized when I can help people open up and 'find their voice'. In my 'Brush Up Your Vocals' class there were seven students, which is a really good size; everyone can get lots of personal attention. There were several students who had told me before class that they were 'terrified' to sing in front of others. How amazing that everybody sang solo lines tonight, and by the end of class everyone was volunteering to do more!

We worked a lot on 'releasing' the voice, and everybody had great breakthoughs. When you are able to trust that the body and breathing mechanism is going to support you, you're free to let the voice relax and place it naturally. It was really difficult for a couple of the gals to get the concept of 'soft belly'; they were breathing just the opposite of what they should be doing. Most folks have spent a lifetime 'sucking in' when they inhale, breathing high in the chest and even raising the shoulders. So it's hard for them to soften the belly, open the chest and allow the diaphragm to drop down. I liken correct breathing to 'filling up a balloon'; when you inhale, you fill up, the inbreath is relaxed and low. When you exhale, your abdominal area 'deflates' or slightly flattens. The concept is like a bellows; the ribs expand, the area opens up. It gives you such incredible, relaxed support. That's when the throat can open up, relax and allow the warm, natural, easily produced voice to soar.

I love seeing how excited everyone is after the first class. It's like a collective sigh of relief when they face their fear and anxiety and see that they CAN sing, and sing well! I work really hard on helping them lose their negative, limiting thoughts about singing, so that the whole class becomes positive with lots of positive reinforcement to get them over those old tapes that are running in their heads. It's very rewarding for me as I see the students growing in confidence right before my eyes!