Yanik Giroux - Stage & Studio

Being an artist means a constant search within ourselves or at least a constant re-evaluation of who we are and what we do and this is where Julia comes to the rescue!

Julia Cameron is the author's name and I just love her! A few years ago, I discovered her master-piece "The Artist's Way", a 12-week very intense program into renewing your creativity and finding inspirations in all aspects of your life through a specific program of readings, writings and tasks to complete every week. The book was recommend by a teacher in College and I have actually completed this very powerful and life changing 12-week program a few times over the past 12 years. I have also gotten many of her books which are all very inspiring.

But it had been a while and I guess synchronicty played its game once again! I was at Chapters tonight, when I decided to take a look at the self-help section and came across Cameron's new book: "The Prosperous Heart-Creating a life of "enough"" While her first book "The Artist's Way" dealt with finding a path to higher creativity,  "The Prosperous Heart" deals with something many of us may have problems with...money! I glanced over a few pages and the book spoke to me right away. Once again Julia, you did it!

So, I got all excited, bought the book and of course, equipped myself with a brand new thick journal ready for my "Morning Pages" starting tomorrow morning... Not only does every week have a set of readings around a specific theme or issue to think about, the process involves heavy writing every morning. Three pages to write first thing in the morning, no exception! It allows you to put all your thoughts on paper, good or bad, and start the day fresh. Inspired or not, the writing must go, no matter what comes out... eventually something worth it will appear on the page! Then my week will also be filled with the recommended "Artist's Dates" and other task at hands.

While this process is challenging, it is most rewarding. Some weeks are good, some not so good; her writing has this magic touch where she can push our buttons, send us to visit places we sometimes don't wanna go to, or to think about things we sometimes prefer not to think about. But for having done "The Artist's Way" a few times now, I strongly recommend the book to anybody wanting to take some time for themselves and re-evaluating what is this all about! Artist or not, anybody deserves that time. There are a lot of mumbo-jumbo self-help books out there, but this one is THE one that should be considered for anybody wanting to explore their creativity and to explore their relationship with money as I am just about to do.

So... I better go to bed, because I now have to wake up 30-minutes early... for the next 12 weeks! yikes...

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my job? Yes I have, many time and I'll keep repeating it in the name of gratitude.

I used to dream of that career on Broadway and jumping on the best stages of this world, but it is now the little miracles that happen every day in my studio that keep me alive and happy; they are the most rewarding.

I had a student today coming in with a "surprise" for me; she simply had worked hard on her piano pieces and was all excited to show me. To think of it, what's one simple piano piece in the grand scheme of things? Seems like nothing significant, but in that moment, for that student, it meant everything and it is my job to share that excitment. How could I not feel excited as well? Of course I was, because in that moment, that piano piece well played represented a small victory after many hours or practising that I was just happy to celebrate. Something that seemed impossible the week before was now easy and joyful. One little miracle...

Then a student who is figuring out the break between the chest voice and the head voice. Another little miracle... Something new and not totally understood yet, but we're getting there. New sounds, new discoveries, that is all part of my job. To give them the confidence to push and make those discoveries is part of my work, more than just teaching notes and songs.

Sometimes the privacy of the studio offers the perfect environment for more serious discussions with the students and I am grateful that they feel confident to open up to me about their issues or challenges that singing can represent to them. I had the most eye opening and rewarding experience today. Understanding the human being behind the voice is such an important part of the work, or at least it is for me. Singing can become a therapeutic process where both body and soul are involved. Anything happening in the body, any imbalance will affect the sound and it is my work to observe and put my finger on those imbalances and address them. I am happy to have and offer a comfortable space to do so; that is why I want my studio to be warm and welcoming, to give us the environment appropriate for that sharing of voice and stories.

I see myself as an Educator and more than a simple music teacher; it is my job to not only teach them about music & art, but also to help them the best I can by giving them tools and help them build a skill set for life. I obviously can't replace their parents and shouldn't, but I like to consider myself as part of their supporting entourage. And I also like to think that I can make a difference. With all my family far away back east, I like to think of my students as my West Coast family!

There is more to the voice than the simple noise it makes when we open our mouth. The sound carries so much emotional baggage, personal information and history, anxiety, frustrations, but also joy and happiness. You can hear it if you know how to listen and this is what I strive to do everyday with each and everyone of my students.

And if you know how to listen, not only you can hear the real voice, but you start seeing the little miracles it brings along at the same time...

Ahhhh Mother Nature has been playing tricks on us again!

Everytime that happens, of course being from back east, part of me giggles a little. Of course, I don't care much for the snow either, after all, I thought I left that all behind, but I can't help and roll my eyes a little at the chaos that happens in Good Ole' Victoria when the snow comes.

Now, now, and before you say anything or get mad at me... I know and understand...The problem is we don't have the equipment to remove that snow. The prolem is our cars don't have the right tires. The problem is we don't have boots, tuques or gloves. The problem is we don't have shovels. The problem is people don't know how to drive in these conditions. The problem is... Now are these things Problems or Inconveniences?

A few years back, I had the chance to be music director for a show called "All I Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten". This was a great show and there was a scene where a grandpa explains to his granddaughter the difference between problems and inconveniences.

A problem is when you are stuck, there is no easy solution, or maybe no solution at all in sight. An inconvenience is when life throws you a curved ball and ya gotta take the detour to make something happen. A problem comes when you can't make do without. An inconvenience is when you could make do without. Take the simple example of eggs: not having eggs to make an omelette is a problem; not having eggs for breakfast is an inconvenience. Sometimes it is your own decision to make something a problem or an inconvenience, depends how you see it.

So, this morning, I decided that this snow was inconvenient, but wouldn't stop me for getting to work or to the dentis to take a look at that tooth I broke the other day; another inconvience as I can get treatment for it, but the bill at the end may become a problem! haha!

Happy Singin' in the Snow!

Today was our Winter Market day at Sacred Centre.

With the beginning of another year comes this urge to get rid of your old stuff and make place for the new; a great way to start a new year fresh. And so I did. I ended up with a lot of "stuff" I didn't want anymore. Some good, some older, but we thought it might be a good thing to do a market where we could give away, exchange or sell some of that stuff. It always feels good to me to clean the drawers and closets, I feel like I am getting space to think all at the same time. Decluttering my environment seems to declutter my brain as well somehow, must be a fengshui thing...

The act of cleaning up my home and office felt good. There is something magic about taking out a pile or two of "stuff" you have accumulated over some time and moving it out and giving it a new life. My piles were ready to go to the Thrift Store, to strangers who might or may not need it and so, to have the chance to give my stuff out to friends and people I know felt even better! I guess there is always a certain sentimental value to some extent to just everything we own or have owned in the past.

In the end, I only made $24.00 today after some trading, haha!, but for me this day was not about making money, but about sharing what I have and letting it go to other people who may enjoy it. I believe in recycling and if someone can make good use of if for a few bucks and save money, that's awsome! We can all afford to save a few pennies these days... But I also wanted that day to be a chance to meet new people, and I did. The feeling of "community" is one becoming more important for me these days for some reason... I had some great conversations with people I would have never met or have a chance to chat with if it was not for this event. In the Arts, we are so focused on meeting the right people, marketing our businesses, selling what we do, and to have a chance to meet people in a different way was awsome! Well, it was my day off after all, and I wanted to keep it that way and I did! I even ended up with a private show from the girls at Sacred Centre rehearsing for their upcoming performance, awsome!

I wish we had had more people coming to say hello, but we are all very busy of course, coughcough... Ok, I am guilty of that as well, but I am working on it

Yay! I am so happy to be back at work!

I have to admit, without family around, the Holidays can be a bit of a drag. And specially in Victoria where we had such a wet Christmas! The weather was so beautiful for the whole month of December and then on Christmas Day... bam! Rain! So after a week inside, cleaning up, I was so happy to get back to work yesterday!

I love teaching. I really do. My students are my family and it is such a pleasure to see them all every week. Yes, yes, I have to do a bit of "bum kicking" sometimes, but that is my job and how I love it! It's always interesting going back to work after a break, be it short or longer. While the voice can be a bit rusty, I can also hear some improvement. Sometimes the body needs time to digest all that information I throw at my students and the element of time is an important one and needed one in voice training. No matter how hard you work, it just needs time sometimes.

No matter what, it's the little miracles that happen everyday in the studio that makes it worth it: a student hitting higher notes, or remembering all the words to a song, or having a new piano piece under control, or discovering a new artist or show and loving it. These are all baby steps and part of the training... and part of the growing through music lessons. Because what happens in the studio is more than teaching music. It is teaching a discipline to work hard, to push ourselves to learn new things, to gain confidence, to open up to someone else with something very personal, our voice.

And it is for all those reasons, all those little miracles that I always look forward to going back to the studio. I guess in the same way that a yogi always goes back to the mat!

Namaste

A new year... time for resolutions or not?

Well, I am not sure I believe in resolutions, but I certainly always take some time around the new year's day  to reflect on the last 365 days and look ahead to the next 365 days.

I have to admit, 2011 has been quite something. The first 5 months were great and life went on without a hitch, but came summer and the fall, things started going in all sorts of directions and not just for me, but for many people around me as well. The world seems to have entered a period of changes (not so say chaos!) where I have heard about war, diseases, cancer, bad lucks and challenges more than I had in a long time. I believe in a common energy that we all share, and could we all be collectively affected by this change? (where ever it is coming from: Mother Earth, galactic flares or our own heart and soul!).

I am a pretty organized and neat individual, but more than ever, I felt the need to get rid of the extra stuff and clear my mind (and environment!) from the extra stuff I don't need anymore. While I may not need that extra stuff anymore, could maybe someone want it, or need it?...

Well, that is why we are having our "Sacred Centre Winter Market" on January 15th. All the information is posted on our Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/214353775314855/

Lots of stuff to give away, to trade, or sell for a few dollars where we both benefit from a good deal

Hope to see you there!

Sacred Centre Winter Market

Sunday January 15th from 12pm to 4pm

Sacred Centre Dance, 103-1011 Fort St (entrance off Meares St)

'Tis the season to be jolly, falalalaaaaaaa!....

Christmas carolling! I decided to get back to carolling this year and so, I had the pleasure to entertain the crowds at the Bay Centre last week. I was singing everyday around lunch time and this turned out to be an interesting eye opener and "observation lab" about singing and the Christmas traditions.

We sang for 6 days straight, from 12:30pm to 2pm, wandering around the mall, singing carols well-known to most people, and some not as well-known. I have been doing this for years, (holiday carolling is indeed part of the job when you are a singer!), but this year, I had a special interest in people-watching, about people watching us that is!

I started noticing differences in people paying attention to us or listening to us, be it about age, nationality or gender.

First of all, the age range. People over the age of 40 were definitely our biggest audience. People of that age, be it men or women would stop, take a moment in the middle of their shopping spree to listen to us and let the music in. Some would listen for 2-3 songs and go on with their shopping, all smile! Many of them talked to us, thanked us for bringing beautiful music and life in the middle of that busy holiday season. It was clear to me that they were able to appreciate our singing and were able to communicate that feeling, which was rewarding. That is what Christmas should be about, isn't it?

Then we have the 12 to 25 age group, mostly teenagers hanging out with friends at the mall or younger couples trying to figure out the last few gifts or hunting for the best outfit for Christmas parties. Nobody from that age group would stop to listen to us, unless they were with older parents or family members (sort'a forced to!). Obviously, carolling is not "cool" and is not something they should associate with or pay attention to for same reason. You would think that ignoring us would be enough, but no, making fun of us seemed needed in many cases. Some would walk by and then turn to us clearly laughing at us. Some would make fun of us by creating their own little dancing or singing act right in front of us or trying to outsing us by making..hummm some strange noises...  Unfortunately, no matter what we sang, we were not cool and not even the respect of the carolling tradition could save us. Maybe we need Bieber's "Under the Mistletow" in our repertoire next year...

Finally, for the 25 to 40 age group, I noticed that it went one way or the other. For most of them, they were simply too busy shopping to stop and listen. They'd be polite, but we were not their thing, unless they had kids with them, then it was worth taking a break to listen to us singing "Rudolph" or "Frosty". Then, I noticed quite a few single men (yes men, not women!) who would stop and listen to a few songs. For many of them, some nostalgia could be read in their face; singles from that age range seemed to be the most touched for whatever reason. Could it be part of the mid-life crisis of staying cool and young with the new things, or giving up to what's becoming most important as we age, including Christmas traditions?

This whole thing really made me think about Christmas traditions, the ones that are getting passed from generations to generations and the ones that are getting lost...

Also made me think about the Art of singing, where a "Britney wannabe" singing in a mall may not be as weird as well-trained singers demonstrating their skills and years of training in a more polished manner (because we sounded pretty awsome together!!!).

Is beautiful singing getting lost to untrained performers putting on a wicked cool show instead? Well, no matter what, I was happy to be there singing and sharing music, rather than buying into the whole Christmas shopping duty frenzy...

I just finished a very interesting week of singing and made some interesting discoveries...

I have noticed since September that my voice is getting tired after a long day of teaching. I also get tired quickly if I am talking a lot, or in a slightly noisier environment. It started stressing me out a bit, since, well... singing and talking all day is what I do for a living!

I started having soar throat early December and so, was thinking a bad cold might be coming. I waited for 2 weeks hoping it would go away, but no bad cold, just a soar throat and so, I decided to go to the clinic to have my throat checked for infection (step, mono or throat infection). Unfortunately, my throat was clear of any infection (and I say unfortunately, because any infection would have been easy to treat with medication and that would have been the end of it!). Acid reflux was the next thing to check, but no problem there either. Nothing has changed in the way I use my voice and so the last thing to consider and a factor that had been on my mind for the reason of my soar throat: muscular tensions.

I have had a stressful fall dealing with personal and financial worries and figured that many stress and muscle tensions might be the source of the problem and turns out... it was!

I realized that something was pulling on my left side, from the shoulder to the cheek. I started singing at home massaging my shoulder and around the neck and found the knots pretty quickly! haha! I then realized that when I was singing pushing my left shoulder down, the sound was different , I felt more space in my throat and I could even feel more air going in when breathing. Interesting... 

So I figured something was maybe pulling the voice box and making the difference in the voice production. From there, I sang all week with that awareness, pushing the shoulders down and and feeling ohhhh so very tall!  I certainly knew about tensions in those areas influencing the singing and see it all the time in my tensed students, but had never experienced it like that myself! Nothing has changed in the way I sing or talk, but life experiences have made my body react in a different way, creating that incomfort and I have to take care of it now.

So, I am taking care of that now. It got better and hopefully the tension will go away soon. Now that I figured the problem and know what to do, I can take care of the problem. I've been a good teacher to myself!

Happy healthy singing!

One of the reasons I wanted to start writing a Blog was to share funny stories from the studio. I think this one is one of the best and it happened a few weeks ago.

I had a student coming in for his lesson on a late Friday afternoon. He walked in mentioning his new glasses, but didn't seem too excited about them (who is ever excited about wearing glasses!?!?). Anyway, we started warming-up and in between 2 scales, I simply said "Nice specs by the way" to which I had no answer from my student, but just him looking at the floor. There was an awckward silence and I wasn't sure why. We kept going on with the scales.

Suddenly, in between 2 breaths, my student says "oh, I spent my summer in the woods, doing physical activity and all...". Thanks for sharing, but now I was the one very confused. Why was he saying that to me? I didn't get it.

After an awckward feeling, I finally asked him "Why did you tell me about your summer stuff, when all I had said was nice s..." And then I got it! While I had said to him "nice specs", he had heard "nice pecs"!!!!!!! Needless to say, we laughed so hard at this very strange and uncomfortable situation, just couldn't sing for like 5 minutes!

Well, all I have to say is that I am sooooo happy I asked him what that was all about, cause I can just imagine my poor student going home telling his mom about his teacher telling him he had "nice pecs". Now that is just wrong, and I could have been in sooo much trouble...

Nice one Yanik, nice one... So remember kids, DICTION is always VERY important!