San Diego Studio Recital, Dec. 2, 2007

1. WHERE
Our venue for this concert is a grassroots theater located in Oak Park called the Community Actors Theatre.
2957 54th St. San Diego, 92105 (619) 264-3391

2. WHEN
a. Our concert begins at 7pm
b. Singers, if you'd like to warm up with me, please arrive at the venue no later than 6:15. Please arrive no later than 6:30.

3. HOW
Dress: Please dress nicely in clothes appropriate to your song repertoire.
Protocol A-G: (I recommend visualizing and even practicing in front of a mirror several times to get it right. Your stage persona can sink or save your performance!):
a. find a quiet corner and breathe deeply at least 5 minutes before you go on. Limit yourself to 1, that is ONE concern -- relaxing your forhead, that word you forget, keeping your ribs out, dropping your jaw. One. You probably have a list of them but you can only pack one. The rest of your attention goes to giving your audience a wonderful time.
b. walk on stage with a confident step and a smile
c. take your place by (or at) the piano AND THEN take several moments to breathe and situate yourself before you lift your head to sing
d. enjoy yourself while you sing your heart out with passion and sincerity!!! ignore tiny mistakes and let the beautiful moments ring out!
e. wait until the last tone from the piano fades, then wait one moment more before you shift from your singing posture
f. smile back at your audience to thank them for their adoring applause.
(if you're singing more than one song, you may or may not hear applause. if you do, smile but do not bow. return to step c: breathe, resituate your body if you need to...)
g. when you finish, bow simply from your waist. look at your audience and smile once more. walk offstage.

4. WHO
Who gets to come to Karaoke to celebrate your magnificence? Everyone!
Charcoal House Restaurant, 9566 Murray Dr. La Mesa, 91942 619-465-7050
http://home.digitalcity.com/sandiego/bars/charcoal-house-restaurant/v-100425017

UPCOMING EVENTS -- Nov/Dec

Novermber 25th 7-8:30pm
Studio clinic -- in preparation for concert Dec. 2
3139 Adams (my studio)
Claim your time slot to sing. Everyone is welcome to listen.
$10-20 donation
Come with your songs memorized, and photocopies of your music for the accompanist. (Remember: If your piece is longer than 4pp, place double-sided copies in a binder that stays open easily so the pianist can negotiate it easily.)


December 2nd 7-8:30pm
Studio Recital!!!
(Let me know ASAP if you wish to take part, and what you'd like to sing!)
Community Actors' Theatre
2957 54th St /College Grove (Oak Park - 92105)
Invite all your friends and fans. Bring something to share for the reception after.
For those who'd like a second pass at Karaoke Night we might consider having the afterparty at The Charcoal House.


December 16th 7pm
Caroling
3139 Adams (my studio)
Drink mulled cider/wine and learn to sing harmony to your favorite carols, as well as some gorgeous unusual carols. If someone has a neighborhood they want to propose, we might even take to the sidewalks... now bring us some figgy pudding...

SMALL GROUP SESSIONS -- sign up now!

Spaces are available in both LA and SD.
Small group lessons (2-4 singers) are a fun and affordable alternative to individual study. Each weekly lesson is an hour long, sessions last 6-8 weeks.
Call or email me to learn more.

San Diego Studio Clinic/Masterclass -- THIS SUNDAY 6PM

This Sunday, September 30, 6-8pm
4248 Arden Way, San Diego
(in Mission Hills, just up the hill from old town)

As you know, the studio clinics (aka masterclasses) offer an opportunity to
work with me on your songs *as performances* with an accompanist, and for a supportive audience of your peers. If you wish to take part in this one,
please email me for a time slot between 6 and 8pm (time slots are limited so don't wait). I encourage you to attend even if you do not wish to sing this time around. There is much you can learn by sitting in.


PLEASE BRING
...copies of your sheet music for our accompanist. If your piece is longer than 4 pages, please put double-sided photocopies in a 3-ring binder for easy page turns.

... a small donation to help cover costs

...and, if you like, a bite/sip to share for the reception.

Thank you to the wonderful Joanne Mangiamelli for generously opening
your home to us!

Article: Yoga and Singing

...As a singer studying yoga you may experience a freedom in your singing resulting from opening the rib cage, allowing the diaphragm to release and aligning the head and neck, allowing the larynx to be freely suspended in the neck. You may also develop greater flexibility and physical strength throughout your body, a stronger immune system, relief from injuries caused by misalignment and a new way of managing stress and performance anxiety.
excerpted from "Yoga and Singing" by Sarah Whitten
For full article text, go to: http://www.bostonsingersresource.com/yogaandsinging.asp

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mark your calendars:
LOS ANGELES:
Thursday 9/27 -- studio masterclass
Thursday 11/1 -- Fall concert

SAN DIEGO:
Sunday 9/30 -- 1st studio masterclass for fall
Sunday 11/ 4 -- Fall concert

In the works:
Singers voice retreat on the Santa Barbara coast
Monthly "Dinner-and-a-concert" studio field trips
Small group lessons -- six week sessions
Online lessons -- coach while on tour, or from home

Check out the new links!

watch videos of vocal chords in action ... find a translation for the French song you're singing ... search dozens of singer forums and databases ...
(scroll down and look right)

...MASTERCLASSES PAST...

Mike Pallamary at Adams Ave

dont miss our very own Mike Pallamary this Sunday at noon...

34th annual Adams Avenue Roots & Folk Festival
10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday; Adams Avenue , between 34th and Wilson , Normal HeightsFree; (619) 282-7329 or www.AdamsAveOnline.com

Fight the power!
By Mikel Toombs
April 19, 2007

...Sometimes, there are ways to measure such things. Mike Pallamary, a fledgling local singer-songwriter who performs Sunday on the Di Mille's Stage, has seen his antiwar anthem “Hero” rise to the Top 20 (out of over 1,700 songs posted) on Neil Young's Web page Living With War; the long-outspoken musician features the forum on his official site, www.neilyoung.com. “I listened to Neil Young yesterday, his (live in 1971) 'Massey Hall' album, and he did that acoustic version of '(Four Dead in) Ohio .' You just listen to that and you start shivering,” Pallamary said. “Neil Young is phenomenal and he's a phenomenal inspiration in a great many ways. One is, he's not backed down. He's been unwavering in his position. And his music is still innovative and fresh.”
Pallamary, who has a MySpace page – www.myspace.com/mikepallamary – that includes such fresh material as “We Don't Need Another Wall” (referring to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial), would seem an unlikely protest singer. “When I started playing my songs,” he said, “I had some friends who said, 'Gee, how could you be against the war? You're a Republican.' And I said, 'Well, I'm first and foremost a parent and a grandparent.' How could anyone of any political persuasion believe that death and killing is something to be admired or even desired?”
Pallamary is just not any Republican, but a former member of the San Diego political establishment. As spokesman for then-Mayor Dick Murphy, he was an early favorite in the 2001 District 6 City Council race, eventually won in a runoff by Donna Frye (Pallamary finished third in a 12-candidate field).
“The problem with politics is, of course, if you have a good position or a position that has merit, you will probably be attacked,” Pallamary said. “If they disagree with you, they will find a reason to invalidate your position. With music and my songs, I can just put them out, and if people disagree with them, don't listen to me, turn me off. But they can't stop me from saying the things that I feel that need to be said or I want to say.”

AUDITIONS

Its audition season! I encourage any of you drawn to the stage to check out Starlight Theater, and many other local theaters now casting productions for the year ahead.

http://www.actorsalliance.com/auditions.html

STUDIO SHOWCASE

Lou Guidi is leaving us next month to set fire to the Portland music scene. In honor of Lou, the Green Room concert space at the Twiggs Coffeehouse will host a musical send-off featuring the cream of SD singer-songwriters including Mike Pallamary, Kathy Wisehart, and of course, Lou himself.


Everyone is welcome, and Snapper students are invited to sign up for the open mic/jam at the end of the evening.

Monday, February 19
Twiggs http://www.twiggs.org/
8-10pm
$5 cover

Studio Policies

By scheduling a weekly lesson time you reserve one of a limited number of teaching hours I have available. Because this is how I make my living, I must ask you to follow a few simple and standard guidelines:

• Unless you are expecting an urgent phone call, please turn your cell phone off for the duration of your lesson.

• Please arrive warmed-up and well-prepared with copies of your music. This allows us to make the most of your lesson time.

• Please be punctual. If you are more than 15 minutes late and I have not heard from you, I will consider you a no-show.

• If you must cancel or reschedule a lesson, please do so at least 24 hours in advance. I charge the full lesson amount for last-minute cancellations and no-shows.

**If you think you might be coming down with something but aren’t sure, you can give me a call the day before and in many cases I will hold your lesson time until the next morning. Rule of thumb for singing: if it hurts, don’t sing. If its a just a little scratchy or ticklish, you’re probably fine to sing. In some cases, singing will even ease vocal irritation. But PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not come to your lesson sick or coming down w/ something. Have mercy on the other singers in the studio, and on your teacher! I will extend the same courtesies to you regarding punctuality and health, and will make up any lesson time I cause us to lose.

• Payment: You may pay on a monthly basis (4 or more lessons at a time) by check or credit card (via paypal) OR you may pay lesson-by-lesson in cash.