musings of a songstress

Let’s Go Into The Bedroom…

Friday night I had an awesome show in L.A. with Kiadisa, an amazing group of 5 performers who are professional singers, master teachers & awesome vocal improvisers.  Not only was it a great show for us, but I had a few moments of sheer ecstasy – only comparable to a few other delightfully intimate things on earth…

So Saturday night at a party, I was standing with a group of male musicians + a few of my best friends networking and bonding, and telling them about my improvising excitement.  They all seemed into it, and because the party was so loud, I said with innocent enthusiasm:

“Let’s go into the bedroom and improvise!!”

The bedroom was the only quiet place in the house, and I meant musically improvise.

I’m not one to get embarrassed, but man, did I set it up for them!!!
They all laughed at me and then actually let me off pretty easy, which was unfortunate.
If I were them, I’d have given me a much harder time.

I just love music so much.
I love being in the moment with music so much.
I LOVE IMPROVISING.

And at times, Music DOES = Love Making = Outstanding Food = PURE JOY

=

ALL experiences that give me that ecstatic feeling (and come on folks, you too, right?)

It was a very innocent weekend, mind you, but I have to be careful about the way I say things!!!!!

On another ♬:
I’m going to be blogging more, and I NEED YOUR HELP.
Calling all artists who TOUR, or those who TRAVEL a lot.
I need to know:
-The strangest places you’ve slept
-The oddest shows you’ve played
-The strangest food you’ve eaten

You can leave a comment or E-mail these to me, please and thank you!

One Song

“One Song”

Every war and every conflict between human beings
has happened because of some disagreement about names.

It is such an unnecessary foolishness,
because just beyond the arguing
there is a long table of companionship
set and waiting for us to sit down.

What is praised is one, so the praise is one too,
many jugs being poured into a huge basin.
All religions, all this singing, one song.
The differences are just illusion and vanity.
Sunlight looks a little different on this wall
than it does on that wall
and a lot different on this other one,
but it is still one light.

We have borrowed these clothes,
these time-and-space personalities,
from a light, and when we praise,
we are pouring them back in.

~RUMI

You my friend, CAN SING!

How is your singing voice these days?

If you immediately thought, ”I don’t sing!” I am here to remind you that we’re ALL singers.

This is not something I’m saying to cheer you up.

It’s the truth.

Every single person has a voice, and therefore every single person can create tones with it, and sing.  All cultures around the world (at one point in time, and many still today) know this, and for some reason in our culture, people started to judge voices as “good” or “bad.”  People started labeling themselves as “singers,” and as “everyone else.”

Well friends, let’s CHANGE this!

Yes, your voice will crack. Yes, your pitch may be a little off sometimes, or you may think you’re the last person on the face of the earth who can and should sing.  But with a little practice, positive reinforcement, and confidence, you’d be AMAZED that you are a singer.  It’s not a gift you are given.  It’s a gift you are born with- your own unique, beautiful voice.

I’m not discounting trained singers – I am one of them.  There is definite technique and skill that goes into singing certain types of music, and performing powerfully.  But something went wildly wrong when we started thinking technique is what it is all about.  Some people even withhold from their human birthright to sing because of fear they will break glass.  I promise you, none of you are going to break glass with your voice.  It’s not possible.  And don’t argue with me. 

What I’m getting at is that your voice is simply an extension and expression of who you are -  all of you – and that’s why it’s sometimes scary to sing, and why we feel so vulnerable doing it.   But it’s also what feels so damn good when we allow ourselves the freedom to sing, the freedom to sound.  Music can move you when you listen to it, right?  Well, imagine how it feels when you freely use your voice to create it.  It is freeing!

“If you can walk, you can dance.  If you can talk, you can sing.”  (African Proverb)

I’m getting ready to launch my new website, where you’ll be hearing more about my vocal empowerment opportunities offered to meet your needs and tailored to your musings- both practical and fantastical.  These offerings will offer guidance to enrich your voice.  Some will apply to those who’ve taken singing on as their profession, and some to those who feel they don’t have a voice.  We’re all dealing with self-consciousness; just at different levels.

I’ll leave you with this:  I’d much rather hear a singer who has passion behind their song- a drunken gypsy who sings with everything in his or her being, to share a tale of wit and emotion, than a famous trained singer using all the right technique at the world’s best concert hall, tired, and not truly interested in performing that night.

What about you???

Please leave a comment, and share this with someone who needs to hear it.

Seeking: PR INTERN for Ariella’s Newest EnterPrise!

Authentic Voice Campaign:  PR Internship
Can be in L.A. or anywhere in the U.S.

Do you love inventing new ways to surprise people?  Do you feel the deSire to have YOUR VOICE HEARD, and at the same time MAKE A DIFFERENCE?  Then read on.  This is a fun, once-in-a-lifetime kinda opportunity. Because this kind of Campaign has never existed before:

Seeking an organized, sharp, deeply passionate Public Relations Intern/PR Guru looking for more hands on experience to be trained by me in a new system of AUTHENTIC marketing.

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

You will be entering this position for a startup company at a major time of creation and expansion, and have the opportunity to become a major personality stirring up the excitement.

-You will be on the front lines of -The Authentic Voice Campaign-  giving you immediate contact with the public as they cross paths with our exciting material. -You will be supporting and co-creating multiple streams of marketing including social media networking, video, public speaking support, public singing support (you do NOT have to be a singer for this position), and new marketing we will devise together!

TO BE CLEAR

This is a non-paid internship, to start.

You will receive a constant flow of vocal empowerment and confidence building knowledge and technique.  You will learn a great deal as we utilize and create new and authentic marketing strategies.  And it just so happens that the work we do will be interesting and fun!

You would only need to be available for 5-15 hours per week between the hours of 10am-6pm.  The MINIMUM commitment will be for 3 months. After that time, we will evaluate if there is a bigger role for you in the company based upon our results together and your ability to run with projects.

You will also get free attendance to all workshops and seminars.

HOW TO APPLY

If you are interested in applying for this one-of-a-kind opportunity, follow these instructions.

1) Create a 1-3 minute video telling me why you would be the greatest intern for this Authentic Voice Campaign. You can either post it on youtube, Facebook (with appropriate privacy settings) or https://posterous.com/ Then share it with me.

Be bold, and most importantly, be authentic.

2) E-mail me a short letter sharing your past PR experience, and what you hope to gain from this internship (Ariellaapproach@gmail.com).  Be creative.

If this is a good opportunity for you, TAKE ACTION NOW. If you know someone who might be perfect for this, please forward it to him/her.  Thank you very much!

______________________

Authentic Voice Campaign:  Street Team = Vocal Advocates
Can be in L.A. or anywhere in the world

Seeking enthusiastic friends who want to share the message of getting comfortable with one’s own VOICE and in one’s own SKIN!  We all have so much to share with the world, and you’d be surprised at how many people are scared their voices power.  The campaign’s invaluable Vocal Advocates will share the videos and posts that the Campaign produces on their Facebook/Youtube/Twitter/etc. pages (2-3x month).  You get to decide what you share…

If you’d like to be more involved, you can submit video to be a part of the campaign based on our criteria, and you’ll be part of getting the MESSAGE out!  There’ll also be future Vocal Leadership Training.  Basically, you can be involved as little or as much as you’d like. Sign up for the street team at:  AriellaApproach@gmail.com

Thank you,

Ariella

Confessions

Dear Friends,

I am excited about the expansion of my vocal empowerment business…
I’ll share more on that shortly!

For now, I’m going to ask you to do something kind of unique, and only if you want.

I ask you to step outside of your normal E-mail patterns - if you are willing -
and share some of your deepest and darkest confessions.
Not about just anything.  But about your voice.

Maybe you don’t think you have anything to share, or maybe you really don’t want to. 
And I respect that!

But, if reading the questions below inspires any will to confess, please do, my friends.
I promise, you’ll feel better afterward!

Confess:  ariella @ earthsounds.net.

Your heartfelt confessions will help me with the expansion of my upcoming vocal programs, free tele-seminars on vocal empowerment, videos & more!

And then look out for my new blogs which will include remedies to healing your vocal woes:

Confessions of a Closeted OR Outed Singer

*Do you want to sing, but you’re too shy?
*Are you only comfortable singing Karaoke after a drink or two?
*Do you only sing freely in your car with the windows up, or in the shower?

Please confess:
-How do you REALLY feel about singing/speaking in public?
-What, when and where you would LIKE to be able to sing or speak freely?
-Your voice embarrasses you most when it ______.
-If you could change one thing about your voice, it would be _______.
-Anything else singing or speaking related that you just need to get off your chest.

Your E-mailed confessions will be kept confidential and only seen by me,
unless you include written permission to use them in my vocal program promotion.
You may also ask that your confession be kept anonymous, or E-mail me anonymously.

Confess:  ariella @ earthsounds.net.

You may also share things you’re confident about when it comes to singing and speaking freely.

With gratitude for your confessions and confidences,

Ariella

Personal Training

As my 29th birthday swiftly approaches – June 6th – a few things are becoming shamelessly apparent:

1.  When I am living my dreams, I am the happiest and healthiest person I know.
2.  I must lovingly live a life of BALANCE to keep this beautiful reality mine and growing.

A combination of the way I was raised (mostly wonderful, with some kinks) mixed with society’s “GO-GO-GO, PRODUCE, and BE INDEPENDENT” mentality helped make me into the 28 year-old I currently am.  And I have realized in the past few months that though I am doing really great things, I have been moving at a pace that isn’t right for my body-mind-spirit.  What a grand realization!  I figured now that I know this, it’ll be easy to change my ways.

Easy?

HA!  Maybe to conceptualize, but we’re talking 28 years of patterns deeply embedded not only into my physical body, but also into my mentality and psyche.  Changing some of these patterns of self is not an easy task.  Yet, I start my own “personal training” program, because if I want to go on fiercely living my dreams, I must change.  And I am proud to say I have come to this realization myself.

I have the blessing of being an incredibly sensative human.

-To sunlight (I turn into a beet if I’m out too long w/out sunscreen) -To smoke (it’s tough for me to walk into a Midwest casino without my eyes watering so much I’m blind) -To musky perfume (the lady I sat next to on the plane yesterday could have made my ride much better by wearing only half the bottle) -And to sugar (a sad, but true fact).  I’m also sensitive to things that make me mentally fatigued.  Certain past jobs that didn’t resonate with my soul’s purpose/life’s passion made me tired, and I ended up getting sick, physically.  I see this sensitivity as a blessing, because my body literally won’t LET me do things that aren’t in alignment with my artistic self.

So, what will I PERSONALLY TRAIN myself to do?

1.  SLOW DOWN:  Maybe it’s my East Coast blood, or that many of my role models – all amazing people – don’t often stop to take care of themselves.  But whether I’m grocery shopping, walking to the post office (unless I’m exercising), or sitting at my computer working, I must slow down my pace and become fully present to my task at hand.  Just a few days of this and I’ve found many “tasks” much more enjoyable.
2.  MOVE MY BEDTIME DOWN A NOTCH:  That means from 1-2 AM to 10PM-12AM.  I can do it.  It’s really not that tough.  Of course nights I’m out performing or socializing are the exceptions– the really fun exceptions!
3.  LISTEN TO MY BODY:  She gives warning signals all the time!  It’s so easy to ignore a headache, or a wave or tiredness.  And I admit to being an expert at ignoring her.  So sad to admit, but what a relief to finally understand and acknowledge this.  Those signs exist to help me.
4.  EAT WELL:  I already have a kick-ass, clean, organic diet.  I’m just putting this on the list for anyone who may not, and want to do their own personal training… if so, click HERE.
5.  HAVE FUN:  I’ve worked being playful into my life quite a bit.  Time always exists for more fun.  Clean fun.  Dirty fun.  Responsible fun.  Loving fun.  Irresponsible fun, even, sometimes… FUN.  What’s the point of living without it?
6.  MEDITATE:  OK, I know I’m spiritual, and you may not be, and I totally respect that.  But this doesn’t have anything to do with spirituality.  Or, it doesn’t have to.  I’ve always had trouble clearing my Neurotic-East-Coast-Jewish-Woman-Mind.  But when I do– when I enter a loophole in the universe that allows my mind to “let go,” those few minutes are like a daytime at the spa.  Or for my point of reference, my amazing month-long trip to Hawaii.  Those moments are more healing than anything else.  And so I’ve started a meditation practice and will soon be studying Kriya Yoga.  It, like all the other components of my personal training are not easy to start, but will get much easier with time and dedication.  They are worth it.

And I am determined to prove it to you.

What have you personally trained yourself to do or become?  And how has that training changed your life?

It’s personal.

Singing is personal.  As I experienced in the Soul Singing Circle I facilitated tonight, singing isn’t just a voice, or an instrument.  Rather, it’s an extension of you (yourself and your soul).  And that’s why so many people are scared to do it.  And why so many others are only comfortable singing songs that have already been written, and with some alcohol in ‘em – i.e. Karaoke.

Nothing is wrong with Karaoke.  As a matter of fact, if it gets you singing, by all means, do it and enjoy the hell out of it!  If you need a little buzz to sing out, have a drink and sing out!  But don’t hold back and not sing.  Sing in the shower, the car, on a walk, at the gym (what?  at the gym?).

OK, I know that’s extreme for some but guess what?  We store excess, negative and blocked energy in our voices just as we do in our bodies.  So imagine working out tensions in your body on the treadmill or lifting weights and at the same time releasing tensions in your voice!  I know, it’s personal, and probably not easy in front of those buff gym dudes.  Though, have you ever heard one of them grunt or moan whilst lifting weights?  That’s exactly what they’re doing!  Letting out the tension in their voices to go along with the workout of their bodies (they’re just not thinking of it that way).  Be like them.  But smell nicer. 

I share this thought process because I’ve built a business around helping people discover their most authentic voices, and from this experience – in addition to my own – I know we all need the reminder that our voice is part of us.  It IS personal, and because of that, we must let it out and express ourselves!  We are each a gift to the world, and if we think we are any less than that, we are wrong.  Our voice is the main vehicle of self-expression of this gift.

How does this music-being-personal issue affect me as a vocalist?  I’m currently recording music for a short film and rehearsing for tour.  There are times I let out a vocal line that feels so damn good that it’s as if I just got to the mountain peak after a long hike and see the view.  Just as I take a deep breath, the recording engineer or music director says; “That sounds good, but I’d prefer it another way.  Try it like this.”  Not only is it a buzz kill, but it actually hurts my feelings… for a second.  And then I remember I am a hired professional and though I may sound great, they’re looking for a different sound.  So I adjust.

And so for me, that singing cannot be my only outlet because it is not my own.  Singing is SO personal that I must create my own music and my own vocalizations in addition to those that I’m hired to create.  And, I invite you along!  We all have a song (at least one) and whether we’re a business executive, a gardener, a fisherwoman, or a trucker, we all have a voice.

So let’s get personal people!  Express yourself.  USE your voice!

Please share:
How is your voice is personal? What fears do you have around singing? And, how do you express yourself?

And, if you’re interested in attending a Soul Singing Circle in Los Angeles, or booking one in another state, be in touch at EarthSounds.net

Excited about Jorane!

This journey as a musical artist is more real now than it’s ever been.  Valuable information about projects I need to be in, and projects I don’t need to be in – for my highest good – is seeping its way to the surface.  I am so inspired, and am currently making necessary changes to reach new heights as a vocal musician.

This shifting isn’t always easy.  But ultimately necessary, and to someone who lives with her soul on her sleeve and in her voice, VITAL.

During these changes, I’ve discovered something that is as rare as a piece of untouched land; an artist that I haven’t heard of yet that inspires the hell outa me!  Her name is Jorane, and she’s a French singer/cellist.  WOW.  DAMN.  HOT DAMN.

I am excited to study her, see her live, and perhaps one day – soon – make music with her.  It’s a discovery like this that keeps me moving forward, makes me understand the world of music and the world at large in new ways, and lights my fire to create!

Thank you Jorane!  I love and laud you!

On FiRe!

This journey as a musical artist, and pursuing my art in the big wide world with huge entrepreneurial vision and unlimited passion, started to take a toll.  I was down.  Not out, just down.  And was really feeling drained.

And then I met a woman with whom I became fast friends.  Together we attended a business seminar and decided to hold one another accountable on our paths of creation in art and business.

Then an old friend whom I’ve loved a long time, rose to the challenge I presented her with years ago; to work with me to create a powerful workshop.  In one fell swoop she invited me to dinner, acknowledged where I’ve been, where I’m at, and where I am going, guided me to rise above my funk, and rose to the challenge/pleasure of creating something wonderful with me.

Then my mother told me to continue, for, she knows this is going to be amazing.  My mother!  I am so blessed.

And the culmination of this re-ignition of my fire was today when I watched “Julie and Julia.” Not only do I love foreign films, and films that take me on a journey, I also love world cultures and traveling. Not only do I love all of that, but I also love FOOD! And to top it off, I love being inspired.  Other than food, sex, and nature, I’d say being inspired is one of the most amazing experiences we can have as humans (and afterall, food, sex and nature can be ultra inspiring).  Both Julie and Julia let the journey of cooking and writing about cooking lift them up.  They persisted when it was tough.  They kept cooking and writing when it seemed impossible, and their lives were so much better for it.  For me on this day, the movie had it all (except sex, and that’s OK).

This took me back to my journey in music and landed me on the exact spot of my path that I needed to be. This path feeds my spirit, and I will stop at nothing to create and teach music that inspires and feeds souls worldwide.

I also acknowledge that I’ve accomplished worlds already.

And so, with a steady foot, and a stubborn, yet attentive burning passion, I forge ahead.  My ambition is even stronger than it was before.   It’s as if I was singing at the top of my lungs, “come on baby light my fire…” and my new and old friends, Julie & Julia, and my own inner knowing got out a match to light it, and then poured lighter fluid on top….

How’s your inner fire?  Glowing, or does it need a light?

Momo!

Today I’m sharing with you my friend Momo Loudiyi.

He is a true magician of music, artist of soul, and mixture of worlds:  Moroccan, American, African, theatrical, other-worldly.

I cannot speak highly enough about his musicianship and artistry so I’ll stop and let the music speak for itself…

If you like what you hear, buy a CD> I cannot stop listening.

Thanks for the inspiration, Momo!