My First Vocal Lesson

Singing is taking over my life.

After playing around on my own for 7 weeks, I kicked off lessons this past Monday.

And I’ve been absolutely wired ever since. 

Think: too much caffeine, but without the jitters, anxiety, or nausea. This is a kind of energy I’ve never experienced before. I keep waiting for a crash, but none has come.

So my belief in the idea that at least for me, singing is energy-generating rather than energy-draining, is growing stronger by the day.

The deeper I walk into this glittering, roaring river… the deeper I want to go.

I find myself wanting to dive into the deepest possible depths.

And I don’t ever want to leave.

So I’m practicing twice a day now. A vocal warmup in the morning followed by technical exercises, and in the evening, another warmup followed by song work.

(Plus, I sing along to dozens of songs during the day. Music is everywhere.)

After the morning session, I feel so deliciously alive and ready for the day.

In the evening, I have trouble sleeping with resonance still echoing in my ribs—but feel so satisfied, like Yuki curling up in her window hammock after a busy day of play.

Despite only a few days having passed, this routine feels rooted already. 

I’ve had a friend visiting this week, so time on my own has been scarce, distractions have been plenty. I’ve had less time to write, make, and create. I’ve forgotten to do much-needed laundry. And a few other bits around the house have been neglected.

But not singing. Never. Singing bookends every day, even when that means staying up later than wise and I’m stifling yawns in the silence between songs. 

And I’ve figured out why this doesn’t feel like a mere passing fancy:

1. Singing gives me great pleasure and joy in the moment.

2. There’s a deeply felt sense of identity alignment at play (singing is so Jinxy.)

3. There’s a dream for the future: to feature on tracks and perform live.

Joy + Identity + Ambition =  Hello, I’m new here and I’m going to change everything.

Which has made me realize that if you can solve that equation for yourself, well…

You might just find yourself swept down your glittering, roaring river of obsession.

With love from the forest,

~ Alexander