Mary Clare Springer
Rising From the Ashes (with a New Project)
Apr 19, 2011
Wow, it really has been a LONG time since I made any blog updates! And many apologies to those of you who think I may have dropped off the face of the Earth. In a way I sort of have...I've been working very hard at training this instrument I've been given as a Gift from God. It wasn't long ago that I held the rather erroneous belief that singing should be just something that comes naturally and any type of "training" one would receive via voice lessons or coaching would somehow interfere with the natural flow and would end up making the singer sound too "cookie cutter" and strip away any unique qualities. Boy did I have a lot to learn! :) I now understand that any sort of training is based on using techniques to enhance and control the delivery, rather than trying to force the voice to sound a certain way. And, of course, my most recent discovery -- it helps tremendously to use the right equipment...and learn how to use it even! :)
So, does this mean that you can expect to see me recording more songs? Absolutely! In fact, you may (or may not) have noticed that I have a new artist/band page associated with my member page. This new project called "e on't ind hao" is the musical collaboration between my friend/vocal coach/mentor, Wayne Dwyer, and me. The launch of this page, for me, is sort of my way of coming around full circle from the eye-opening events that happened last Fall (and briefly mentioned in a couple of my previous blogs). If you are among those who remember when I launched "Mary Clare Collabs", and with what song, the first song of the ChaoS project might sound a little familiar to you--and with good reason. It is the same song, but done "legitimately" this time--from the ground up and with the song's true owner. Please check it out and feel free to rate/comment as you like. ()
And please check out Wayne's own page as well -- he's an extremely talented musician/songwriter/producer/engineer/etc. etc.! ()
To those of you with whom I've collaborated before (as well as anyone who might be interested in doing so in the future) -- I very much look forward to being a part of any project you'd like to include me in. Just gimme a holler...
I'm going to be spending the next couple of weeks catching up with the music and message boards of my SC friends -- I feel really bad that I've fallen by the wayside in keeping in contact with you and again, I humbly apologize if I've made you feel neglected in any way. My SC family is very important to me -- your kind support and wonderful encouragement have been instrumental in keeping me moving forward along this delightful musical path I stumbled upon last year. Much love and best wishes to you all...we'll write soon! :)
MC
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You Say You Want a Resolution
Dec 27, 2010
New Years' resolutions. Don't the words just make you shudder to read as well as make your brain come up with 101 excuses why you can count the hours (minutes maybe?) until you broke last year's resolutions? Losing weight, quitting smoking, etc. are some of the more popular resolutions. Note how vague they are? Nothing really definite or measurable. No wonder they're so hard to keep. In order for a resolution to become something tangible & achievable, there are certain things that need to be in place:
1. You need a plan.
2. You need a REALISTIC goal/end result.
3. Your results need to be measurable.
4. Don't beat yourself up if you slip.
5. Reward yourself. not ready to reveal that yet!) For now, I will focus on the littler, more attainable goals--learning proper form, increasing my vocal range, consistently staying on pitch (I refuse to use Autotune--it's cheating! but ymmv), & hitting the notes the first time instead of sliding up or down to them, & most importantly, avoiding strained vocal chords. Being guided by a professional, I will have available someone who can measure my progress as well as help me when I falter.
And my reward?? Well, I'll save that for a future blog... :)
MC
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Holiday Reflections
Dec 12, 2010
2010 has turned into quite the interesting year! It would be the understatement of the century to characterize it as "never a dull moment" -- my head is still spinning from all that has gone on since January, though most of the excitement has happened since late June. Good and non-so-good events alike, you need a balance of each in order to appreciate it all.
Obviously, the one thing that stands out in my mind about 2010 is my discovery of SoundClick. Not only have I listened to an awesome collection of incredible music by some amazing talent, but I have also gotten to know many of the musicians and listeners on a personal level. When asked to define SoundClick to those who are not already a member of this community, I describe it as the "Facebook for music artists". I entered this community as a listener in early July, and by mid-October I was already taking the plunge when I made my decision to become an artist.
Not without its growing pains, of course, the process has not always been smooth sailing and there have been some heartaches and setbacks along the way. But overall, I am satisfied with the progress I've been making and the invaluable knowledge I have picked up. And I want to sincerely thank each and every one of you that has been a part of this learning process; you all have made a profound impact on my life and I am eternally grateful.
Now, before I turn this into a weepy message (not my intent...really!!) I leave you with four holiday tunes that I've been involved with -- two solos and two collaborations. And I wish for my SoundClick family and friends all the peace and love this holiday season has to offer, and spilling into the coming year. My love to you all!
MC
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Learning Experiences
Nov 16, 2010
In an earlier blog post I mentioned something about "learning experiences". Little did I know then that I was heading for a REALLY big one in just a few short weeks! I won't go into the sordid details of what happened as that is not important. I will say, however, that my dream has been injured somewhat; but I refuse to let it die--all a part of my inner stubbornness.
I posed this question yesterday on Facebook and received some very interesting responses: The answer that seemed to make the most sense to me was (and I'm paraphrasing here) that unless there is pain involved, we have no motivation to change our own actions, and we are destined to make the same mistakes over and over again. I guess this is a bit of a twist on the cliche definition of insanity: Repeating the same actions over and over again and expecting a different result. Ok, I get it...but I think I can learn when I'm happy too. I'm willing to give it a try anyway!
So...what was it that I learned from all this? A few things actually:
a) I like who I am and I refuse to let anyone change my core beliefs no matter how convincing they can be
b) The love I have for my family and friends is always unconditional (thus always an invitation for pain)
c) I have an unfortunate tendency to put too much trust in people too soon
d) There are people and things that are WAY too important in my life to risk being compromised by empty promises
e) If it doesn't make sense, or sounds too good to be true, then it isn't true (thank you for that one, Judge Judy!)
f) I am, have always been, and will always be a data geekette/researcher extraordinaire (not that I needed confirmation of that...lol)
And not to worry...once the dust settles and all this is forgotten (or at least an amusing memory), I'll be back to the way I was (but hopefully a bit wiser)...and ready to learn the next lesson.
MC
P.S. I've recently been challenged to put my blog writing skills to work and maybe try writing some lyrics (you know who you are...I haven't forgotten!) I actually have some interesting phrases floating around in my head and will work to putting them to paper (or Notepad in my case) and who knows? I may actually be able to CREATE something musically yet...who'da thunk it? :)
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