I’ve been catching up on my gardening around my house. Before I can plant any flowers, I need to weed and then mulch. Seeing a clean and prepared garden is an easy way to visualize what flowers I want to plant. Why am I telling you about my garden? Because I realized that as musicpreneurs it’s exactly what we need to do with our businesses!
Envision your definition of a successful music garden. Examine where you are right now with your business and weed out what’s not working. You now have the roots of your artistry to re-examine. The mulch to keep the weeds from growing again include time and money management, keeping up on mental and physical health, meditation, sleep, organizing your music - you get the idea. Your brain is now free of those pesky weeds so you can plant new artistic seeds. I’ll share a photo of my flowers when they’re planted. I look forward to hearing all about your new music garden!
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Trust your instincts. Last night I had a destination dream. I was driving from somewhere in the bowels of NYC (borough unknown) and had to find my way to LaGuardia Airport. I put on my Garmin which took me further into the parts of NY that even the most hardened veteran won’t venture into. I pulled my car over into a parking lot and dug out my old Hagstrom map book. I saw a clear road leading me to the airport. What’s the takeaway for me from this dream? I need to trust my intuition and my own inner direction! Just because Garmin is telling me which way to go doesn’t mean it’s the best path. Many of you are swayed in this industry by what you should and should not do as far as your marketing and promotion are concerned. Maybe you have an audition coming up and everyone is telling you what song to sing. Perhaps your bandmates want you to change the bridge you wrote and it’s getting further and further from your vision. Are their suggestions right? Maybe that road map worked for them, but there’s no guarantee it will work for you. Take time to meditate on suggestions thrown at you from every angle. Your decision is the right decision. [Tom] Waits says kids are the best songwriters. “Better than grown-ups,” he insists. “Kids are always working on songs and throwing them away, like little origami things or paper airplanes. They don’t care if they lose it; they’ll just make another one.”
Hey! I’m Meghan Rampolla and I don’t know how to write songs. That’s probably a bad start. Can you help me write a song? Okay, here's the deal. My friends, Zuke’s students, singers, and people on T.V. shows seem to easily write songs. What’s their secret? I will share what I think it is. I know you're dying to know! Recently I watched a show that inspired me. I always thought a good song needed to rhyme. It is actually not as complicated as I thought. Then I started realizing all the songs I liked didn’t even rhyme. They were simply just feelings with a good beat. That is all a good song is. Writing a poem or a page about your thoughts, then adding a jamming beat to turns into a cool song! I know what you're thinking “What do I write about?” You can write practically anything: life, school, cookies, friends, video games, more cookies. Hmm, maybe not cookies. You have to write about something that has meaning and feeling to you, even if you do some foreshadowing in your song (something with a hidden meaning). For example, if you are writing about someone giving you something but in reality it is about your mom making cookies for your birthday. That is foreshadowing. To make a song you need to write your feelings, turn it into lyrics, give it a sick beat, then BAM—song! That’s all you need to know, remember anyone can do it! Note from Zuke: Meghan, we’ll start working on your songwriting at your next lesson! “Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest. By doing this, you can reset your life and embark on a new lifestyle.” When you write a song and sing it for others does it bring you complete joy? When you rehearse with your band and plan out your next business moves are you filled with a sense of happiness? If you answer “no” to these questions it may be time to do some housecleaning on yourself.
You can apply the wisdom of decluttering your artist life from Marie Kondō. Her best selling book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing,” can easily be adapted to your artistic inner home. Do you have a collection of journals and notebooks to keep your thoughts and ideas organized? Is that collection unorganized? Just because you write something down doesn’t mean that it will get done. It’s an intention. It’s impossible to fulfill every dream, but you must try.
What’s in your journal today? Nothing? Then nothing will get done. Dreams? You’re on your way. This past weekend I gave a voice clinic at the LAUNCH Music Conference and Festival. I offered to give warm-up sessions to any artists performing that weekend. Two artists took me up on the offer: Blackey from Midnight Mob, and Michael from The Apprehended. Both of these performers (as well as many others at LAUNCH) emote from a visceral place. It was wonderful experience for me to hear when they demonstrated what they needed to work on. You can appreciate the cathartic release of a scream when you’re in an intimate setting. Screaming, when it comes from a place of honesty, is beautiful.
This weekend I’ll be at the LAUNCH Music Conference and Festival in Lancaster, PA. I jumped at the opportunity to speak again this year and I’m so excited to share my passion about the voice. This past year I’ve been studying vocal anatomy from Tom Burke. I've learned some wild things about how the whole body can affect your singing. I'm not immune to getting cold feet but I don't let it stop me. I don’t listen to the negative Nellies and just jump in having faith that I’ll figure things out along the way.
It’s okay to question if you’re ready for the next move. I promise it’s even better when you decide to jump in. I’ll do it when I learn more. I’ll write it when I get inspiration. I’ll sing when my allergies go away. I’ll practice when I have time.
Do you find yourself stuck in the pattern of never doing what you need to do? Start small. What have you learned that you can do today? Open your eyes and ears to the inspiration around you daily and write about it. Who ever said allergies prevented a person from singing? You can practice a scale in the time you took to read this. As artists we are creative with our excuses. Use that creativity to shape your future. Do it now. Hi, I’m Meghan Rampolla and I'm here to tell you how it feels to be in a play. I was recently in the “The Magical Land of Oz” with the role of Dorothy. When I got this role I was so psyched. But so nervous. That is so many lines how am I going to remember all of them! This was the first play I ever got the lead in. I was so afraid of messing up. Over time I learned a funny thing. It is just as important to know your lines than it is to know the other persons. If anything it is probably better to know the other characters part. If you forget your line you can say something to continue the conversation. Another fun experience I’ve had with being in a play is meeting new people. It is so good to see other people's approaches. Some people hit notes differently, practice lines differently, or review songs differently. It teaches others to try new things. If someone does something that isn’t the same as you, it encourages you to try it. Always stay confident, and rock on! As many of my students know, I love to cook and you can always find me in the kitchen. The other day I visited 3 West Indian markets with my friend, Kristin. It’s so much fun to discover new foods and spices. I have a pantry full of spices from around the world. Depending on the combination, it will complement a specific ethnic dish. Many of the spices crossover into dishes found all over the world.
You should approach your songwriting like a chef inspired by international recipes. Listen to different genres outside of your comfort zone. Try and use these sounds in your own songwriting. After all, I believe music is the spice of life! |