Our boat was used in a music video!! The artist in the photo with me is “Bossy”…she’s not bossy…she needed a boat for her video and I “just happened” to strike up a conversation with her about how overdressed she was for the marina! The name of her song is “Coast to Coast” and it can be found on all the major digital platforms. Cliff, the videographer, sent me a couple of photos…and he will let me know when the finished product is out. All the best Bossy!!

This occurred rather unexpectedly…please join me for brunch at DiNapoli’s Olde Stone Mill in Tuckahoe. I will be there October 6th from 2pm-5pm! I will include my songs with your favorites…if you let me know what they are!! Please visit my Event Page for more details…weather permitting…I will be on the outdoor patio…if not, I will be in their beautiful atrium! Either way, it’s a win win! Thank you and please share this…

This is the VA Hospital in the Bronx. I have been facilitating a music group on the psych ward for almost 2 years. This week and last there were some gentleman who sang with me with such enthusiasm and joy that the staff gathered and took notice. It is what this is all about. I am grateful.

Why? Because of the energy between the audience and myself. If I am lucky enough to have other musicians playing with me, there is that energy between us and the exchange of musical notes and ideas that fly by in each moment. To experience the ebb and flow and see other’s reactions right in front of you to a song that you are playing. To know that what you are doing right then is affecting people’s mood and possibly their life. Music is transformational and therapeutic. It has been that way for me my entire life. To get “goose pimples” from a passage of music…very cool stuff!

Bijoux Music Group

You would think after 40 years of performing in front of so many different people, at so many different events, and for so many different purposes, I could do this blindfolded! Well…no. I find now that warming up vocally is more important than ever before any performance I have. My voice is not as relaxed and flexible if I don’t do some warmups. Being trained, I would recommend it for any vocalists including public speakers. I will admit that I didn’t always do it and sometimes it showed. I am finding that I desire to be more accomplished on the instruments I play and to have a stronger foundation of music knowledge. So, now almost everyday I study aspects of music theory that either I never learned or went to the wayside. Now that I have more time, I can apply myself in the directions that will most serve the final outcome. So, I will continue to get the “rust” out of my playing and work on improving my understanding of each instrument. If an “old dog” is willing to learn “new tricks”. I am proof…it can. Be well!

There is barely a day that I am not learning or researching some detail or task that needs to be done in this “new” music business. Just yesterday I was checking out what CD replication company I want to use. I learned requirements about song file types, artwork and templates. I figured out what was the best packaging and format. I found one…there are a few that are more known. I chose one that does replication as opposed to duplication. I also learned about UPC codes…thankfully, my Digital Distribution company will generate that for me. Today I was learning about Search Engine Optimization or SEO, how to contact college radio stations and NPR stations, building my email list, and how to create what is called in marketing, “value added communication”. Oh, last week I picked and paid for my Admin Publishing company, so that potential royalties globally and on platforms like YouTube can be collected…not before watching webinars on what publishing is all about and doing research on the various companies offering admin services. If you are a “DIY” independent artist and you have any questions, I’ll do my best to answer them. Bottom line…I chose this, all of it. Now, I have to do what is needed to make it all happen. This has been a dream, a desire of mine, for my entire career. Now is the time. Thanks and be well!

So much hinges on our beliefs. I had to get past my own obstacles! Fear…the nagging doubts, worries, and what ifs. What if I can’t figure out this new business model, what if my songs aren’t liked by people, what if I’m not talented enough to do the recordings well enough, what if a can’t manage all the technology in my studio, or I can’t get it to work! Plenty of fears! As each one “popped up”, and there were more than what I listed, I had to ask myself why? Why is that fear there? By looking inward, I was able to discern where my “stuff” came from and I worked on letting it go. It didn’t happen overnight, but it happened. I then gave myself permission to succeed. If there is something stopping you from pursuing your passion, take a good look at it…go inward…and find your solution. You, like myself, have everything you need already in you to take on any task or dream! Stay well!

I must have one of the slowest metabolisms…I stopped the “do not need” foods and did my best to eat only what I needed. I started walking. My doc said at least 5 times a week for at least 1/2 hour. It doesn’t have to be terribly fast, just enough to get your heart rate up and still be able to talk. So, I walked everyday. I grabbed a coworker or two and walked a 1/2 hour in the neighborhood…all the while chatting away. When the weather was bad, I waited until I got home and went on my elliptical machine. I think I lost the first 5 lbs. rather quickly. Then to my disbelief, I ended up losing one pound every three weeks! Talk about slow…I kept on saying to myself…stay the course, stay the course. So, I did. After I lost count with how long it took, I was over 20lbs. lighter and my vitals were good. The bottom line is this…I didn’t “diet”. Diet to me means temporary. I am still making the same choices in regards to food and exercise and it is over 3 years now. I chose to be healthy and then went about making that happen. It started with a thought, then a belief that I could do it and that I deserved to be healthy. I knew what I didn’t want…the heart attack or the stroke…so I kept on focusing on what I did want…good health. I created my own reality of health with my beliefs and actions. If you are “on the fence” about making positive changes in your life, I hope you choose you! You are the only one who can make it happen!! If you can’t find it in you to make the changes, find out why. What are your challenges, what are your obstacles, what are your beliefs? There is a reason for everything…stay the course…All the best!

OK…for me, it seemed that in an instant my blood pressure and my cholesterol spiked to high levels and I became salt sensitive. I had to admit to myself I had an extra 20 lbs. attached to me and if I didn’t want the heart attack or stroke down the road, I had to change. One is four women will experience all or some of this as their hormone levels change. In the beginning I focused on staying away from the “high calorie no nutrition stuff” in the office. That would be the cookies, cake, candy, etc. At home, I stayed away from the “chips”, and anything that came in a bag already in a sauce, or another way of saying, anything processed because of the salt content. The first three weeks were scary and tough, because I didn’t know what was safe to eat or not in regards to the salt. I did a lot of research, much more than what I received from my doctor. I had the mind set and belief that I wanted to be healthy and I took responsibility for it. I was the one who had let myself “go” so to speak, and I had to be the one to “right the ship”. You already know the formula to lose weight…eat less, move more. I’ll address that in my next post. Be well!

It occurred to me that I needed to go backwards with my story in order to give a clearer picture of how I arrived at this point. Most professions have physical, intellectual, and emotional components. For example, a surgeon maybe on their feet for several hours. They just can’t leave to go to the bathroom, so there is a lot of preparation physically and mentally that needs to happen. If you are a performer, like myself, it requires stamina. Singing well without hurting your voice, requires skill and strength of your diaphragm and core. Standing, dancing, moving, hauling equipment…you get the picture. A few years ago I had to make some lifestyle changes if I wanted to be well. Perhaps you have had the same experience…next week I’ll share with you what I did and what I am currently doing to ensure I can “do” all that I am asking myself to!! Thank you and be well!