I now have a really exciting gig coming up!! I will be singing the Rossini "Agnus Dei" (aka the "sexy Agnus Dei") on Good Friday at noon. I have no idea how well attended that service will be (I sang once on Ash Wednesday at noon and it was fairly well attended although not as well attended as the night service with choir and orchestra) but I am looking forward to it nonetheless. This is something I have always dreamed of singing. It is one of those "big girl" oratorio pieces albeit one that does not go above an E natural, so I should have plenty of stamina left for singing soprano in the Dvorak Requiem at night.
And I will also be singing something (not positive what) in one of the Wednesday evening Lent services. The Director sent me a pdf of Schubert's "Abendlied" but it is in too high a key. I was not able to easily find it online in another key, so he said he would look and see if he could find it.
So overall things are looking up. My vocal progress continues.
As for the second half of this post, before I got the good news about my two gigs, I was going to post this anyhow, so, as it is a catchy title and I feel that I am "onto something" I want to append it here. This is not a complaint, really more of an observation, and I think it could apply to anyone or anything.
I have said that I feel often like a plant that is not watered because I don't get enough praise. I don't mean as a substitute for constructive criticism. These are not mutually exclusive and in fact often they don't come from the same people. So I tried to think of all the different kinds of praise and what they mean, and which ones I yearn for and am not getting. So OK, maybe there are not really fifty, probably ten.
1. Praise from a teacher or coach (at a lesson or session). This usually follows having worked on something in response to constructive criticism. It is praise that has to be earned. It is never given if it is not meant and it is usually given in private, in the context of a one on one session.
2. Praise after a performance (general). This is given (privately) from members of the audience. Sometimes it is heartfelt, sometimes it is just polite. Sometimes it is specific, and actually helpful. Sometimes it is extremely specific and has some constructive criticism thrown in, if the person giving feedback has musical knowledge, or has heard you before and knows your strengths and weaknesses.
3. Praise after a performance (friends and family). This could keep trickling in for several days after, in the form of a call or an email. Although there may be some constructive criticism interwoven, it can sometimes be taken with a grain of salt, as most of these people are not musically knowledgeable (e.g., there are people who think operatic singing sounds "screamy" even if you're singing well). Sometimes the constructive criticism pertains to things other than singing, and really can be helpful, such as "that was not a flattering dress; you should probably give it away and wear something else next time". Pretty much all of this is given in private, unless someone who heard you tells someone who didn't how great you sounded.
4. Praise after a performance (friends and family, the high tech version). This is something I do not get and younger people (like Little Miss) do. This can involve friends and family making videos of your performance and posting on their Facebook pages, your Facebook pages, and their entire friendslist's Facebook pages, combined with a lot of public kvelling.
5. Praise after a performance (teachers and coaches, the low tech version). This is not that dissimilar to 1, but as it is given after a performance, praise usually comes first, criticism later, unless something went terribly wrong. This again is usually a one-on-one exchange.
6. Praise after a performance (teachers and coaches, the high tech version). This is not that different from 4, except that a teacher or coach will be choosier about whom s/he sends the video to and where s/he posts it.
7. Praise after a performance (the afterglow of the buzz). This was what Little Miss's recital got, that my Carmen did not. What my mother would have called "the water cooler gossip". People still talking about your event for some time after it happened, to people who weren't there. This can include a bit of 4.
8. Praise in front of a group. This again is something I don't recall getting at all, which Little Miss got quite a bit of. This can run the gamut from a choir director or other authority figure saying "let's give __________a hand" to the group breaking into applause, to someone yelling "Go YM!!!" (I don't think anyone ever yelled "Go BabyD!!!" when I sang something louder and fuller, or sweeter and more properly in tune, or held a note longer than the group.)
9. Praise through giving one's imprimatur. I have gotten some of this, usually at my instigation, but not as much as others, or as I felt was my due. This can include someone's forwarding your e-flyers, reposting your Facebook invitations, or making an announcement inviting people to come "show their support". If you do this yourself, it does not serve the same purpose.
10. Praise through shared assumptions (which is particularly dangerous if those assumptions are, in fact, not shared). This again is something that Little Miss got a lot of that I did not, which triggered my meltdown a few weeks ago. This rubric includes things such as "oh, don't worry, _________ will be here Sunday" or buzzing around someone making them feel (and signaling to everyone else) that they are sui generis because their presence or absence can make or break a piece of music. Setting up a situation where one person is acknowledged to be the "star" of a group and everyone is OK with it because most of the other people, although hardworking, are not that serious about the whole thing (which of course is deadly if there are other "star" contenders). But for the "star" it's a nice feeling to have. That's you're the Queen Bee. In one venue anyhow. Definitely on my "bucket list". (Then you need to make sure you're still getting the constructive criticism and tweaking and perfecting you need so you don't "rust" on your laurels, as it were.)
And now it's time to go practice!! I'm so excited about diving into the "Agnus Dei".
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