Day 6

Daily Practice Session

Technical Concepts - In depth warm up with variety of scales, lip trills, yogi bear and goo goo exercises, mixing, breathing techniques, chest voice, middle voice, head voice. 
Minutes - 35 minutes. 

Repertoire - Sara Bareilles Gravity and Many the Miles 
Minutes – 17 minutes

Successes – I used the belt around my ribs method today while I was singing like Kurt had showed me last time we met to keep track of breath support. This was super helpful in reminding myself to not take shallow breaths and also take deep "yoga" type breaths rather than shallow chest breaths. 

Areas for improvement – Still haven't gotten to the high C range in a lot of the warm up exercises like Kurt wants me to.

Notes: Waiting to meet with Kristen to make final decisions on songs. 


Healthy Meal Number 6

Healthy Eating

Meal Description –  Six Inch Veggie Sub with pepper jack cheese, spinach, tomatoes, green peppers, banana peppers, green chili, cucumbers, and oil and vinegar on wheat bread.

Restaurant or Market – Subway

Rating – 6.5/10

Probably one of my favorite sandwiches at subway... the picture doesn't really do it justice.... probably my least favorite meal of the challenge so far though.

Day 5 part 2... (part 2 is what happens when you press "publish post too early")

This healthy meal was supposed to be on the second half of my Day 5 blog... but I accidentally pressed "publish post" too soon.

Meal Description – Greek Salad and Turkey sandwich with green chili, sprouts and avocado on sour dough

Restaurant or Market – Cheese and Coffee (restaurant) 

Rating – 8/10. This was good but it was so much food! I could only eat half and I saved the rest for dinner. The green chili and avocado was a great sub for mustard or mayo! 

Day 5

Daily Practice Session

Technical Concepts -Warm ups, lip trills, chest voice, middle voice, head voice, affections, mixing. Breathing techniques. "Goo goo" and "Yogi bear" scales. Minutes - 35.

Repertoire -Sara Bareilles, Gravity and Many The MilesMinutes – 15.

Successes – Finally have both songs memorized, haven't decided which song I will use for the 16 bars a capella at the NYU audition. Will show Kristen both at our meeting Monday and see what her suggestion is. Today I felt really confident about either song, and also felt really happy about how my voice was sounding in middle and head voice. Maybe it is because I have been genuinely spending time with each of those aspects of my voice for the last 5 days in a row.




Areas for improvement – Still weak in a majority of the scales on all of the warm up exercises. 

Notes: Thinking "Come to Your Senses" for URTA auditions?


Meal Description –

Restaurant or Market –

Rating –

Day 4

Daily Practice Session

Technical Concepts -Warm ups, lip trills, chest voice, middle voice, head voice, affections, mixing. Breathing techniques.
Minutes -30.

Repertoire - Sara Bareilles, Gravity and Many The Miles 
Minutes – 15 

Successes – I think that Many the Miles might be my song for my NYU audition, but I'm still struggling with the show tune. I had a nasty headache today so I tried to focus on my warm ups and breathing. 

Areas for improvement – Still to focusing on breath support and staying relaxed. 

Notes Today I took it easy I had a massive migraine all day...


Healthy Meal Number 4

Meal Description – Two 4 oz. Chicken oz. breasts with portabello mushrooms

Restaurant or Market – Whole Foods/Costco

Rating – 9.5/10

This was my favorite meal so far! The chicken was so juicy... mmm!

Day 3

Daily Practice Session

Technical Concepts -Warm ups, lip trills, chest voice, middle voice, head voice, affections, mixing. Today I focused on breathe support and focusing on keeping my facial muscles and neck/vocal chords completely relaxed during the entirety of my warm ups. I did this by warming up in the mirror and watching myself as I warmed up. It was interesting watching myself and seeing how many times I wanted/saw myself beginning to strain even when I didn't actually feel my muscles doing it... interesting. 
Minutes - 30

Repertoire - Sara Barielles, Gravity. I sang through the song 5 times, and am getting comfortable with it. I am worried because I know that this song won't be appropriate for the URTA auditions, and I still haven't gotten together with Kathy on scheduling a meeting to get a "show tune" that is in my range and also that I can have ready in a month... I'm starting to get worried, to say the least.  
Minutes – 15. 

Successes – I'm starting to feel more comfortable with the "baby cry" and "yogi bear" exercises and like Kurt said I think will eventually not need them... Key word eventually. I still have a long way to go.

Areas for improvement – Watching myself in the mirror today, I noticed I still have tendencies to tighten facial musicals when going for higher notes so I need to be more aware of that and stay loose at all times. 

Notes: ahhhh I need a show tune ASAP. 


YOGA 2 

Date/time - 1/3/11, 8 p.m.

Type of class – Hatha Yoga

Difficulty Level - All levels

Studio and Instructor (Include Photo) – Defined Fitness/Misa

What did you most enjoy? – I most enjoyed focusing on breathing. I dedicated my practice today to letting go of all of the things I had been stressing about all day and just focusing on breathing. Each breath and each pose was genuinely satisfying. I was so glad I dragged myself out of the house to go. During shavasana I actually was overwhelmed with so much emotion that I woke up in tears. Happy tears. It was the best/most indescribable feeling, and the reason why I love yoga.

What did you find challenging and why? – Honestly, the room was soooo freezing, and I couldn't get over it the whole class. I had to keep putting my jacket back on during class, and my body never could get all the way warmed up. I felt like my toes were going to fall off! I tried not to let it negatively effect my attitude, which it really didn't, I was mostly just a tad bit uncomfortable.

Observations – I am starting to understand the difference between breathing deep in your lungs, breathing in your shallow chest and breathing all the way down into your stomach... just from taking yoga.


HEALTHY MEAL NUMBER 3

Meal Description – Whole wheat thin bagel with egg whites, mushrooms and asparagus, and fresh fruit.

Restaurant or Market – Einsteins Bagel

Rating – 9/10

This was actually surprisingly good for breakfast! And was under 300 calories (the bagel) . 

Day 2

Hello All! Today I will be adding two healthy meals, woot! I do have to admit though, one was from last night, but I had already blogged for the day so I am just adding it for today... 


Healthy meal numero uno:

Healthy Eating

Meal Description – Salmon and steamed veggies 

Restaurant or Market – Outback steakhouse 

Rating – 8/10






Healthy Meal numero dos:

Healthy Eating

Meal Description – Mini pitas stuffed with tuna salad, grapes and OJ

Restaurant or Market – Whole Foods

Rating – 8.5/10





... Aside from being slightly hungover and working on my grad school monologues, I also got a very good practice session in today... here is my practice log:


Daily Practice Session

Technical Concepts -Warm ups, lip trills, chest voice, middle voice, head voice, affections, mixing.
Minutes - 30

Repertoire - Sara Bareilles Gravity
Minutes – 15

Successes – I feel a lot more relaxed in my jaw and facial muscles during my warm ups. I can feel the tension that I used to carry leaving and that's exciting. I also don't feel my vocal chords straining for the higher notes during the mixing and affection technical concepts.

Areas for improvement – There are still holes and gaps during all of the exercises that need work.

Notes: I still need a "show tune" song for my URTA audition... ahhhh

Day 1!

Happy New Years Everyone! Although there were some pretty good things about 2010, like graduating, and being cast in No Exit, I would have to say that 2010 was a pretty rough year, and I wasn't sad at all to see it go. SO! I started my 30 day challenge with my 1st yoga class:

Dance/Personal Fitness

Date/time - 1/1/11 12:30 pm

Type of class – Yoga

Difficulty Level - I/II

Studio and Instructor (Include Photo) – Sports and Wellness/Riverpoint Pam H

What did you most enjoy? – Concentrating on breathing during the whole practice. I also felt like I was very balanced through out the whole practice as well, which sometimes I have a hard time with if I let my mind wander. 

What did you find challenging and why? – Trying to keep my mind from wandering during Shavasana, which is normally my favorite part of yoga at the end, and is the most relaxing for me. I kept thinking about what I had planned for the rest of the day and couldn't just let myself enjoy the last five minutes of the class without any worries. It was a tiny bit frustrating. I was mostly worried about how I would approach the instructor about taking a photo with me at the end! haha. 

Observations – I have been practicing yoga for a few years now. I have always tried to go at least twice a week, but it is rare if I make it once a week. I hope that this challenge will inspire me to go at least twice a week or hopefully more. 



Once I got home, I threw in a few loads of laundry and started with my daily practice session. I started by getting out my recorder and my handy dandy warm ups that I recorded last time that I met with Kurt (which have been oh so helpful). 


Daily Practice Session

Technical Concepts - Warm ups, lip trills, chest voice, middle voice, head voice, affections, mixing.
Minutes - 30

Repertoire -Sara Bareilles Gravity
Minutes – 30

Successes – Every day that I use Kurt's warm ups I can feel my voice getting stronger and less strain on my vocal chords. It seems easier to get into the higher places and I also feel a lot more awareness about my voice that I have never had in the past.

Areas for improvement – I am still not quite at the high C yet, which is where Kurt wants me to be.

Notes: Not sure if Gravity is the song I want to use for my URTA auditions. I emailed Kathy today and will be meeting with her soon. My song might be changing based on that meeting with her.


Have a great rest of your weekend guys!