Happy Holidays from me to you!

I hope you can find a moment of quiet, a moment of stillness.

A moment free from the burden of this year.

A moment filled with a deep breath or a beautiful sight, a song that brings calm to your heart.

A moment of expansion, a moment of ease.

Happy-as-possible Holidays.

And to us all a better 2021.

~Nicole

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This one good thing happened yesterday.

This year at GermanWithNicole.com I started a new community for German learners. It's called "die gute Stube," named for cozy, down-home restaurants in Germany. It's a cozy, comfortable place for people to hang out, practice some German, and build their connections with other German learners.

Twice a month we have a Plauderstündchen, a time to chat. We hang out and chat about whatever for 45 minutes and I provide language assistance.

For one moment yesterday, during the Plauderstündchen, I forgot all about the pandemic.

I forgot all about the horrible, dysfunctional, tire-fire, people-dying-all-the-time year this has been.

All of it was gone.

There I was, chatting with a German learner, and without any other thoughts crowding my mind I asked "Und was machen Sie zu Weihnachten? Haben Sie Pläne?".

Of course he doesn't have any plans for Christmas. For all the known reasons. When I realized what I'd asked, I felt pretty stupid.

But for one moment - if only for a moment - I was released from the burden that is 2020.

It was peaceful, like a morning walk across a snow-covered field.

Like that exquisite moment when a musical piece finishes and there's an energetic moment of silence before the audience claps.

Or the "hoo-hoo" of an owl in the evening, one that somehow shouldn't be in your neighborhood, but there she is.

If only for a moment.

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For Advent the Elm Ensemble recorded "Comfort, Comfort Now My People."

The recording is now up on YouTube.

I hope you enjoy it! It was really fun making this recording.

Listen to this piece on YouTube

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Recording from home is sometimes a challenge.

My particular challenge is the volume coming from and the length of time it takes my fridge to run.

Seriously, my fridge is running. And when it runs it prevents me from recording, so I have to get creative.

It really doesn't matter how long it takes me to record a piece like this, I do a couple of takes and sometimes I have to stop.

Stop in the middle to cry.

Stop between takes to pull myself together.

Because there is no good reason why we should need need even more works to commemorate the people who've died from the injustices of this world.

The reasons are: hate, racism, power/control, status, and abuse of power.

There are no good reasons. So we make good for our own reasons. For reasons of comfort, soothing souls, reminding people that there is good in the world, for creating time and space for peaceful ways of being.

From Elmensemble.org:

New Creation, Arise is a new hymn by Zebulon M. Highben (music) and Sally Messner (text) written for the people of Christ Church Lutheran, Minneapolis, in honor of their cantors, Rev. Robert Buckley Farlee and Rev. Martin A. Seltz, on the 40th anniversary of their ordination.

The new tune is named LAKE STREET NEW. The occasion for the composition—celebrating the ministry of Farlee, Seltz, and Christ Church Lutheran in Minneapolis’s Longfellow Neighborhood—naturally led to a text focused on the murder of George Floyd, the variety of ways this injustice was decried, the suffering of oppressed people everywhere, and the summons Christians now must hear to continue fighting for a more just world.

The video shows you the melody and the text as you listen to the piece.

Let it comfort you, let it move you, let it bring you a moment of peace.

Listen as often as you like.

Watch the video on YouTube

 

And when you like, check out elmensemble.org. We've got more in store this year.

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A couple of months ago several other singer friends and I decided to start a group meeting and the entire purpose, beyond staying connected to people in this absolute 3-ring trash fire/dumpster fire/tire fire of a year was to simply share one good thing.

No matter how small, it all counts.

We've talked about conversations we've had, people we've connected with again, the stress of the current situation and all the things we do not know.

Among all of the stressful and horrible things we've endured this year we've all turned to very specific songs to help us cope.

There have been many solo kitchen dance parties.

And this song.

This one, which is now my theme song for 2020.

The song is called "This Year" and it's from The Mountain Goats.

The main theme is:

I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me.

May it also bring you strength and inspiration.

Maybe some toe tapping.

Maybe even a little kitchen dance party.

Watch "This Year" on YouTube

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On April 7th I offered a free German Diction class for singers and voice teachers and it was an absolutely lovely time.

There were singers and teachers from Virginia to Colorado and from one part of Minnesota to another.

Here's what we covered (and all of this in 90 minutes!):

  • how the German vowel:constant ratio differs from English
  • how German children learn to read and how that instructs singers on German diction
  • the Ich-Laut
  • the Ach-Laut
  • pronouncing the German "w" or /v/ sound
  • an overview of the German vowels and diphthongs.

Everyone got to practice the sounds and receive coaching and I sent out a summary with practice points afterward. Here's what two of the participants said:

"I found it very intense-- in a fun way! Danke!"

And this was my favorite response:

You are awesome! As well as very organized.

Ahaha! Being organized is so very German of me. :)

I run German Diction coachings through my other website, GermanWithNicole.com.

Click the button below to read the German Diction page and, if you want, to sign up for future German Diction classes.

Check out the German Diction page

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A few weeks ago I had an interview on the Quarantine Phone Calls, which you can read about here. This is my Letter to the World.

Dear Everyone,

My heart goes out to you, whether you're here in Milwaukee or as far away as Iran, Japan, or South Africa. I want to send you courage. Courage to ask for the help you need, courage to face every moment as it arises. Courage to remember that every day is a step in the right direction.

I also want to send you honest. Honesty so you can feel every emotion you're feeling right now--all of it. It's all valid. I want you to be honest with yourself and the people in your life about what you're facing. Because your honest will give another person encouragement enough to do the same.

I want to send you compassion - so you are kind to yourself, kind to others, and so you can remind those around you that kindness is a choice -- and it's the right choice.

As I keep saying to my friends this week:

Hold steady. Keep going.

When you feel unsure:

Hold steady. Keep going.

When you're scared:

Hold steady. Keep going.

When you need to know what to do next:

Hold steady. Keep going.

As they say in German: Alles Gute! I wish you everything good.

Nicole

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Yesterday the author and marketing pro Seth Godin opened up an Akimbo Coworking space. It's free coworking for people working at home and it's open through April 18th.

Of course I signed up.

And there I connected with Matthew Thompson, a podcaster from Northern Ireland. In a few hours' time he was able to schedule 15 interviews and today he has already posted 4 of them.

These are regular conversations between two people about life in general and how they're managing our current situation.

Give it a listen.

Here’s a link to the podcast: https://anchor.fm/quarantine-phone-calls

My links:
GermanWithNicole.com
NicoleWarner.com
CELTA Certification
♫♪♪♫ Schni Schna Schnappi ♪♫♫♪
Membership Academy

!!! Start Finishing by Charlie Gilkey !!!

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2 Super Cheap Recipes to help Singers Survive

Singers are usually on very stretched budgets, and now's the time to learn some reeeeeeally cheap recipes that are good now and in other, less interesting times. ;-)

This first one is new to me, the second recipe is for a lentil soup. A client of mine sent me this recipe a long time ago and it's good in all seasons, with different spices, etc. I freeze single portions and

1. Navajo Flatbread

(Found on FB via Joyce Larson and Brandon Johnson)

Navajo Flatbread:
Makes 6

2 cups flour
1 - 1 1/4cup of lukewarm water
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tablespoon oil/butter/shortening

Mix dry ingredients together and add most water, mix and add water until it has the consistency of tacky pizza dough.
Knead for a few minutes.
Let rest in greased bowl for 30- 60 minutes.
Divide into 6 pieces and roll out on floured surface thin. (Tortilla thickness)
Hear griddle to 350F.
Cook until golden brown spots and flip, cooking until done.
They can be made ahead and kept under a flour towel or frozen for later use.


Hope this helps.

 

2. Lentil Soup

This lentil soup recipe has gotten me through many winters and kept my grocery costs in check. I add different seasonings to it per bowl so I get a bit of variety of flavor. This one freezes well and reheats in a jiffy.

Lentil Soup from Allrecipes.com

 

Hope this helps!

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new voice teacher

 

...and you're so excited for your first lesson, you leave an hour early.

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Read more: When You Have a New Voice Teacher...

New Year New RepertoireGreetings, dear readers!

The first half of this year holds a few really interesting pieces, including one piece that's new to me, however the text is not.

I'm joining the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra in Sioux Falls for the Arvo Pärt Stabat Mater in April, and while I've sung the text of the Stabat Mater countless times, it is the first time that I've sung a Pärt piece solo.

So far I think it will be a new and different experience from any other Stabat Mater I've sung.

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On the same program I'll be singing the Mozart Requiem, which was one of the first pieces I ever sang professionally and you might remember that I when I sang it in Milwaukee, it was televised live on Wisconsin Public Television. That was this performance here.

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In a few weeks I'll be singing my very first Heinrich Schütz duet! Heinrich Schütz was a German composer who wrote a lot of vocal music and the text painting he employed in "Habe deine Lust an den Herren" SWV311 is so perfect it's quite entertaining.

One of the best parts goes like this:

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Read more: A New Year and New Repertoire for Nicole

Expression Violin Singing Part 3Nicole Notes: Several years ago I paired up with violinist and orchestra teacher Katie Gustafson to write several articles for String Notes, published by the Minnesota String and Orchestra Teachers Association (MNSOTA), which is the local chapter of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). We had a great time exploring the commonalities between playing the violin and singing. Please enjoy this three-part series.

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by Katie Gustafson and Nicole Warner

In the first two installments of our series on connections between singing and violin playing, vocalist Nicole Warner and I delved into the subjects of body awareness and breathing. Both of these areas have proved highly useful to me when working with young string players, and have informed my understanding of the foundations of musical playing. In this final issue, I would like to explore how good singing can help develop an instrumentalist’s musicality.

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Read more: Expression in Violin and Singing - Part 3: Making Your Violin Sing

Expression Violin Singing Part 2Nicole Notes: Several years ago I paired up with violinist and orchestra teacher Katie Gustafson to write several articles for String Notes, published by the Minnesota String and Orchestra Teachers Association (MNSOTA), which is the local chapter of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). We had a great time exploring the commonalities between playing the violin and singing. Please enjoy this three-part series.

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by Katie Gustafson and Nicole Warner

Urbandictionary.com defines ‘lizard brain’ as “that part of the brain that senses danger; where instincts and gut feelings originate; subconscious or involuntary processes.” The lizard brain is our tendency to react rather than to make thoughtful, calculated actions, and it can affect our music-making more than we might care to admit. We can attribute stage fright and its corresponding adrenaline symptoms to lizard brain, as well as careless physical habits. I would even argue that sloppy execution and lack of ‘mindfulness’ could be attributed to the automatic, reactive habits of lizard brain. The solution to these problems is not simple, but I discovered a good strategy in my voice lessons with Nicole Warner.

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Read more: Expression in Violin and Singing - Part 2: Breathe Your Way Out of Your Lizard Brain

Nicole Notes: Several years ago I paired up with violinist and orchestra teacher Katie Gustafson to write several articles for String Notes, published by the Minnesota String and Orchestra Teachers Association (MNSOTA), which is the local chapter of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). We had a great time exploring the commonalities between playing the violin and singing. Please enjoy this three-part series.

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by Katie Gustafson and Nicole Warner

A few years ago I was singing with a women’s choir at church, and stumbled onto a wonderful new colleague. A vocal specialist named Nicole Warner had been hired to coach the ensemble, helping us with vocal technique and German diction. After getting to know her, I discovered that she also played violin, and I told her I would help her with violin if she would help me with my singing.


We had regular lessons together and enjoyed this partnership for about two years. During our time together we made some great discoveries about how complimentary vocal technique can be to violin technique. Some of these areas include body awareness, breathing, ear training, musical phrasing, and others. I have since applied many of those discoveries to both my studio and orchestra teaching and found them very helpful to my students. I have invited Nicole to help me share some of these ideas with you, in hopes that you will find them as useful as I did.

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Read more: Expression in Violin and Singing - Part 1: Body Awareness

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