im alten Güterbahnhof in Berlin-Zehlendorf, Anhaltiner Str. 7-9. You are cordially invited. Teachers and students of the School Of Voice will give a free concert on the occasion of the "World Music Day" at the Fête de la Musique in Berlin-Zehlendorf. Every year on June 21, we celebrate World Music Day to honor musicians and singers for the gift of music. On this day, originally called Fête de la Musique, citizens and residents are encouraged to make music in their neighborhoods[...]
We feel it in our heartbeat, our footsteps, and our breath. We are rhythmic and cyclical beings. We have our own inner "drum" going on all the time. Well, at least I do. There is a pulse even when I am sitting for my daily meditation or deep-diving into my morning songwriting sessions with Mr. Steinway. On some days, my heart is moving quicker than usual, and on other days, there is a slowness, a "hey, take it easy, it's a rainy fall day. There's no need to rush, only a need for deep hush" as [...]
Outside my studio windows, the red geraniums are laughing loudly. After 6 months of Berlin lockdown, we made it through. Terrace restaurants and little street cafes are open. The sailboats are back on the Wannsee. Markets are being frequented. And yes, the Berlin SCHOOL OF VOICE studios are there to welcome you back to “IN-PERSON” classes. Do you sense a bit of relief? I do. I put “in-person” class in quotes because our school was open throughout the [...]
On the podcast, we regularly hear from upcoming artists. Don't get me wrong: there are some interesting, compelling stories there. I love them all. But what we don't hear all that often about is how to become a better musician - what pros are out there to help you tap into your potential. One of these true musical guardians is Kara Johnstad, a talented, inspiring voice and music coach. With over 30 years experience, as well as her own stocked back-catalog of releases, Kara comes to BPM Pod to [...]
There are many surprising benefits of SINGING. Some of you may have been singing for years, but others may have held your self back. NOW is the time to strengthen your immune system, increase oxygen to your blood cells, expand your lungs and SING! Sing beautiful melodies, sing words of hope, sing prayers, sing love songs, singing utter silliness and nonsense. The more you sing the stronger YOUR immune system is, the stronger your immune system is the stronger our collective immunity is. Now is [...]
Her voice trembled. She sounded very hoarse and spoke in soft whispered tones. And she’d say,It’s crazy, I can’t even make a tone, and yet I always dreamed of singing like I used to. I’m probably too old now.It was Wednesday afternoon and I was speaking with a new client. She had my number from a friend and her intuition told her, before she goes into surgery on her vocal cords, she should try to ask one last time someone who might be able to help her regain her voice. She was scared of [...]
Tina Malia is a visionary musical artist. Her sonic creations span sacred chant, world, dream pop, and folk music genres. A prolific singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and sound engineer, Malia expresses her radiant inner landscape through song. Tina’s mother, a renowned concert pianist and opera singer from South Korea, was the driving force in Tina’s classical musical education. It was her father, however, who bought her a guitar when she turned 15 and encouraged her to follow [...]
"I learn by going where I need to go" - Theodore Roethke. I sit at my desk and listen to the cars move by as small birds chirp at my windowsill. This is the beauty writing and listening. It is linking things together. The deep flow when we name things as they are. “Traffic moves underneath the old pine where birds chirp and next to me my dog lies snoring.” Our writing life can not be separated from our lives as a whole. We are not separate from it. Our writing is our [...]
Thanksgiving is around the corner and we have so much to be grateful for. Our health, our families and friends, and yes, of course music. Many of you have shared with me that you have a dream of playing the piano, but don’t know where to begin. Some of you even spent years learning piano as a kid, but dropped it. Yet the dream persists, mixed with hesitation. You want to sit and play for hours in “flow.” Inspired. As a songwriter, I totally get you. You want piano as a [...]
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All these beautiful and magnificent small and tall giants of many forms, so rich in variety, with wisdom of centuries and millennia, with a language that only sounds in stillness. When the aromatic and captivating fragrance they emit hits my senses something magical happens within me and I can only describe it as a feeling of homecoming, total rejuvenation, and peace. I remember reading an article about a man who’s been planting trees every single day for nearly 40 years in his home [...]