A Skiers Guide to Opera Singing 6. Year Two. Growth and Challenge.

A couple of weeks ago, the family went back to our little ski resort.  Now under new management, the lodge and slopes are getting updated yet the area still has the family vibe.

As I started my second season, I wondered if I would still find a relationship between my singing and the sport.  Turns out that after some time away, my skills had remained from the previous year.

Considering the effort that I put into last year's season to learn the basics of skiing, I didn't lose that much over the summer.  When I saw my oldest daughter, The Spud, hit the slopes, I saw that she actually improved and had much more control.

As I watched her move down the same few slopes again and again, I saw a transformation from last year.  Last year she screamed down the hill.  The guys at the lift called her the "Pink Bullet" because she was so damned fast.  She went basically straight down the slopes each time.  This year she is still fast but she is able to carve nice even turns down the slope.  She can control her speed and make choices about whether or not to speed up or slow down.  She can also start making small jumps in the terrain park.  So what do I do?  Do I push her onward to more and more challenging slopes at other mountains?

In the end, I recalled my days practicing "Caro mio ben."  I've sung that song about 10,000 times and I've never mastered it.  Sure, I've moved on to other works but that song is one that will stay with me forever.  I love that song and no amount of repetition will change that fact.  Maybe this is a situation where my singing will influence my skiing.  I don't want The Spud to be challenged so much that she burns out.  I should just let her feel ready to try something bigger and better.

At the same time, skiing made me think about singing and the nature of young singers.   This may sound obvious but kids grow.  On a daily basis they are making connections and gaining coordination.  So what happens to young people who, like The Spud and her skiing, show aptitude in singing?  Should we push them to more and more challenging repertoire?  Or do we let them master the basics and give them the basic tools and allow them to use the tools to grow?  It is these kinds of questions that I think on and I realize that I am glad that I'm not a voice teacher in charge of the development of younger singers.  I don't have any good answers!