I was going to post today about whether or not you should sing overdone songs at auditions.

That’s a very short email, I realized.

The answer? 

Yes, go ahead.

If you sing it great, and it’s right for the thing you’re going in for, by all means sang it. 

There’ve been folks who’ve changed my mind about songs because they dared to sing something they loved that was on the apparent do-not-sing list.

(I started re-liking the song “No One Else” from Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 after I heard current Elon student Sara LiBrandi sing it from her heart at her program audition.)

So, please, if you sing it great, just go ahead and sing it. Things are overdone for a reason. 

Now that THAT sigh of relief has left your body, one thing from my heart to yours + a couple of videos.

From my ? ==> your ?: It works out better when you hug the version of you that’s reading this right now. 

You might have a new-and-improved avatar of you working on your vision board, and that’s terrific. We love a good goal.

What I’ve found to increase the peace, relief, and ease factor when it comes to getting from A to B, though, is meeting the now-you with love.

Anything you want to change has a story, and it’s much more likely to cooperate with you when you meet it with understanding.

This shows up all the time in the studio — 

“Ah! If I could just get my _______ to RELAX!”

I want you to ask yourself the last time someone shouted at you to RELAX! Did it relax you?

Your jaw muscles might like to hold because when you were 9, your body figured out some kinds of expression weren’t safe, so your brilliant brain instructed your chewing muscles to do double duty and keep all that crying the big people called “excessive” at bay.

Now you can’t quite figure out why those muscles won’t just release like your voice teacher tells you to. Meanwhile, those cells are like, “Whadaya mean let go? We been holding on for dear life since third grade!”

Every pattern we adopt has a story.

If you want to change a pattern, take the time to meet the current one with compassion. It might have some useful insight for you.

I’m telling you so I can tell me. We’re in this together.

And in case you missed these this week,

Here’s a video of me walking around beautiful springtime Boston talking about a good way to slow your brilliant brain down when it’s trying to win the Boston Marathon and get some peace and clarity talking again.

And I put this up on the IG and FB this week, but here’s James May and me making music together at my BoCo studio recital. James is a world class musical director, and I had the privilege of working with him a lot in Los Angeles. This is “A Bit of Earth” from The Secret Garden.

And here’s Jude and me repotting a couple of plants on the deck today.

And always remember — there’s only one you, and folks need to hear the story only you can sing.

Love much,

Dan