The Practice Parlour is a conversation series with world-class artists about the practices that shape their lives - both onstage and off. It is for curious artists and arts lovers, alike, who are crafting aligned and meaningful lives of purpose through their daily practices.
Singer, coach, composer and podcast host Tara Brueske discusses the role of confidence in artistry and how to build it in both yourself and your students.
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(:09) Hello, and welcome to The Practice Parlour. I'm your host, Gina Morgano and I'm here today with Tara Brueske, who I am so excited to have on. I have wanted to have you on for the longest time. You are from the Twin Cities. You are a performer, you are a performance and business coach for singers and musicians, you're a composer, you host the Engaging Voice Podcast and so much more. Welcome! Thank you so much for being here!
TARA BRUESKE:
(2:44) Oh, thank you, Gina! It's so good to be here and great to be talking again.
GINA MORGANO:
(2:49) Yes, absolutely. So you have really made a life in the arts from the time you were a child. Could you please share your journey and what brought you specifically to the things that you do now—the singing, the coaching, the podcasting?
TARA BRUESKE:
(3:06) Well, it's an interesting, it's a long journey just because of my age. And I'll own my age, it's 53 and I don't mind sharing it because it's where I'm at in life. I was born into a very musical family. I have two older brothers, and two parents that are musicians. My dad's actually a pastor too, but music was always a part of our growing up. I just don't remember a time where we weren't doing some kind of singing in the home or at church, or there were records being played in the home. So it was always there. Starting about age six, my family and I started singing publicly at just tiny little churches throughout Northern Minnesota and parts of Ontario, Canada, and that developed in me this real love for not just singing but performing as well. I remember by the time I was 10, I said I want to be a singer when I grow up. So that was part of the journey. I ended up, through the years in just singing in different things in high school. I joined up with my middle brother for a while as a duo when we were in high school. And then even in college, we happen to go to the same college and so we were both music majors, but we also started a band together at college. So everything in my life was geared towards music and in some form, you know, and I knew that I wanted to be performing. That was probably my really key thing. Interesting thing is because I'm a teacher now too. That wasn't necessarily my goal. However, as a very young child, I remember playing teacher. Like I had books, like teacher edition books, they used to have those and somehow we got them from maybe garage sales or something. And I would have students, I'd pretend I had students and I would plan out their math and their history and their reading. So I think it's kind of interesting that as a child, I was playing teacher, not realizing that that would be a huge part of what I do right now. And so this journey has been a long time. I've now been, when I got out of college, I was a vocal performance major, but as you probably know, a lot of times in college unless you actually try to get a business degree, too, you don't know a lot about the music business. So I ended up starting with more of my basis as being a private teacher teaching voice lessons. My brother happened to be working at a music school and he said, there's a voice teacher opening, and I started at age 22. My students, my one student was only about six years younger than me. But it also developed this love in me for helping other people and, you know, it was it was all around music. So that's why I loved it so much.
GINA MORGANO:
(6:09) Yes. Well, you have such an enthusiastic and a joyous spirit about you. It's very contagious. It's very infectious in a beautiful way.
TARA BRUESKE:
(6:19)Thank You!
GINA MORGANO:
(6:21) You're welcome. And, you know, I think back to your story about how you play teacher, and sometimes there are gifts that are innate within us. Things that we naturally do well. And then other things, like you mentioned, the business, skills that we have to cultivate over time. So today, we want to talk about confidence and building confidence. I'm curious what your confidence journey was like. What came naturally and where did you maybe get stuck along the journey?
TARA BRUESKE:
(6:51) Well, that's a great question because, yes, naturally, because of singing so young, getting up in front of audiences, actually wasn't that scary for me, just because if you do it young enough, you don't have that sense of, you know, thinking about what other people are thinking about you. But that came as I went into high school, and actually, as a child and teenager, especially, I was very shy. I'm an introvert by nature, but that's not always that people are shy if you are, but I was. And I really don't think it was honestly until I was in college and I had my first voice teacher in college that I started really actually feeling confident about being a performer, even though I had performed. And I think it was because she just basically said to me, we're not going to label you, we're just going to let you explore a lot of different things of music, even exploring your range. So those kinds of things just helped me know, like, it's okay. And it's okay to even sound bad at times. It's okay to not do well on everything. I was also pursuing in college, I really was more of a pop star in high school, so when I went to college, and I was taking more of a classically trained repertoire, it was a whole new world for me, and different and yet, I loved it. But I think that was one piece that helped me grow that confidence. And I think the other thing was just performing through the years like performing performing, performing and finally, honestly, I don't remember how I realized this, but it wasn't until my 30s, where I realized even when I perform for an audience, that it wasn't about me. It was about them. And that shifted the focus off of me, and I could think, Wait a minute, how can I serve them? And that's kind of what made that difference, at least in the performing part of my life. You know, just being able to know that this isn't about me. And it's not about what they think about me. It's like, what can I give to them? And how can I treat them as a person? How would I talk to them normally? So it has been a journey, like I say, to have performed even all the way to my 30s and not understand that. It was just my journey, but I understand it now. So it's helpful.
GINA MORGANO:
(9:26) Yes, I can so relate and I think so many artists can relate. I mean, even now, I know that. I know it's about serving, but sometimes we can still get in our heads and say, oh, you know, my voice isn't feeling so good. You know, what if I don't hit that note? What if I crack? You know, I'm nervous and it does - it becomes about us and the story we're telling ourselves about ourselve,s about our technique, about how we sound and this anxiety about potential judgment.
TARA BRUESKE:
(9:54) Yes, that's a good way to put it.
GINA MORGANO:
(9:58) Also, you mentioned having a teacher who really allowed you to explore, and you're so lucky that you had that experience. I'm struck by what you said about labels. I think for young singers, especially, it's so easy to be labeled, to want to label ourselves, to have people tell us what we are, or what we should be, or what we can and can't do. And I think that can lead to kind of feeling stifled and maybe not feeling so confident in what you offer, because people are always telling you what's good and what's bad. What was your experience with that? And also with your students? Do your students feel an urge to fit in a category?
TARA BRUESKE:
(10:45) Yeah, I will say this — when I first was in college, and my teacher didn't label me, I will tell you that at that time, this was in like the late 80s, It wasn't- I don't think it was that people were always looking for the label. And I think that's gotten more so to be honest, now, through the years. And I think that's why students can really struggle with that, because they feel like they have to be, you know, fitting into this little nice, neat label. So yeah, it was a great thing that she didn't, although you know, when you have a repertoire to sing, sometimes people say, Well, here's the book, it's the soprano book, or it's the mezzo-soprano, or it's the alto. So I was so glad that yeah, she let me be able to actually sing some soprano songs, even though I was technically really became more of a mezzo. I think with students too, I think that can be something that they can really struggle with, you know, with confidence coming in, and feeling like you said, judgment or feeling like somehow, if they don't know something, that there could even be shame sometimes in that. And I always tell him if you don't know something, you just don't know it. How can you know what you don't know? I think it's really important for- I feel like for us, as teachers, and I know you agree with us to, to really be able to help students build some of that confidence, because the thing about the voice, I find, is it is a vulnerable thing. It is, and it's a part of your body. If I, you know, I'm a pianist. I started playing piano also when I was three years old. So I have been a pianist my whole life. If I don't have a good day on the piano, I can walk away from it. I can go, oh, the keyboard, whatever, you know. I can't walk away from this voice. It's here in my body if it's tired, and it may be tired one day, all day. I can't really do anything about the tiredness that day. So I think, sometimes, for singers, it is, it's really vulnerable, because I think people feel exposed at times too, in their singing, you know, expecting that someone's going to criticize, someone's going to give judgments, someone's going to say that they're bad. And I have heard stories from, actually from more adult students, but where they have had some teacher that told them they couldn't sing, or told them they should just be quiet, or told them they labeled them a certain way so they never tried singing low or singing high. And all those things I think can really crush a singer, if they hear those things.
GINA MORGANO:
(13:27) Yes, absolutely. I love how you phrase that you can't walk away from your voice. Oftentimes we say your body is your instrument, and the two are so intertwined, your voice and your identity. And yet you are not your voice, right? You are a full human being independent of how you sound singing a song. But it is so hard sometimes to create that boundary. In some ways, you know, having that connection is a beautiful, wonderful thing. And yet we can internalize the negative parts of it sometimes too much.
TARA BRUESKE:
(14:11)For sure.
GINA MORGANO:
(14:13)So I'm wondering what are some tools that you have used or that you teach your students maybe when they're having a bad day, to create that separation so that your value as a person, your worth, as a human being doesn't depend on how you sound?
TARA BRUESKE:
(14:28) Yeah. Well, one of the things I like to do in lessons in general, and you know what, this doesn't matter whether it's, you know, young or older. I'll just say this, I did teach for many years. Most of my students were, I would say, female girls from, you know, 12 to 14, maybe, that age group. And now I actually teach, this year in particular, I have all adults. So I'm just finding but either way, where people you know, no matter what age we are. So one of the things I like to do even when someone initially comes to me as a student, like I literally had a student start with me yesterday, I just want to put them at ease somehow. So I always think of how can I show just that I'm interested in them, just as a person. You know, not interested in them just because they're coming to sing voice or to, you know, sing for me or sing with me. But I want to know, so I'll ask them just some things about their life. Hey, what's going on? You know, if they're in school, how was your school week? What happened this week? Do you have homework tonight? Just really basic things. I mean, I know it sounds so simple. But just being interested in the person, I think can just help put them at ease. You know, we all want people to ask us about ourselves. We feel good when they do. We feel good when they call us by name. All those little things. The other thing, I think is just that when I start with them in a lesson, I try to kind of read where they're at, but obviously, I'll ask some things to help me. And I'll start with something that is easy for them. You know, especially if they're having a bad day. It might be like, Well, hey, like, if they're saying I don't really want to sing the song because it's I know I'm just gonna have problems with it. Well, maybe let's try a different song. Or why don't we just start with some just really easy vocaleses. Something just really basic and simple, so that they can feel confidence with those, and then we can build on whatever else. And I've even had days where maybe someone comes in, and maybe they're just, they've been sick, and not feeling that well. So they really don't feel confident because they think their voice sounds terrible, which it really doesn't, but that's usually the perception we have. And sometimes it's like, you know what, it's okay, if we don't even work on songs today. Maybe let's just do some playing with seeing where we can go with your voice. Maybe we'll do, again, some warm ups, some fun things. We might do something interesting. We do some rounds together, or you know, just something that's different and unique to help them get out of it. It doesn't always have to be the same either.
GINA MORGANO:
(17:02) I love that. What kind of stood out to me is that in many ways, you are introducing play. It's not about just, you know, singing the song perfectly. It's not about just getting this one piece of repertoire to the best that it can be. It's about really exploring the voice and just singing. And I think we lose that sometimes. The more we study, the more that we get serious about our craft, it can become tunnel vision on getting the rep as perfectly as we possibly can.
TARA BRUESKE:
(17:36) Yeah. And it's funny, because I find that even in my lessons with my teacher, that my expectation is I've got to focus, and I've got to really analyze and think, and a lot of times, she'll just say, Tara, just saying. Don't think. You know, just let yourself say who cares what sound comes out. So the very thing I'm telling my students, you know, to have that freedom to play, I don't always have it in my own lessons.
GINA MORGANO:
(18:05) Yes, I feel the same way. And I always try to remind my students that it's a lifetime journey. It's a lifetime process. It's not like one day, you magically have perfect technique, and will never make another mistake, and it just aligns. It's always meeting yourself where you are on that day. It makes it fun and it also makes it really challenging.
TARA BRUESKE:
(18:30) Exactly. So true.
GINA MORGANO:
(18:33) So what are some other confidence things that you deal with, with yourself or with your students? You mentioned, you know, labels and limitations of range or questions about range or how they're feeling on a given day. But what are like some common things that come up with students who are dealing with confidence issues?
TARA BRUESKE:
(18:53) I tend to see it manifested in just the way, sometimes just their posture. I just noticed I made myself sit up too while I say posture. But I'll tend to see, if they're struggling with something, a lot of times it'll just be that their shoulders are coming forward. They're not standing as tall. And that could be from anything, even if they've just had a bad day, that's where I might see it first. It might be in the fact that they just don't really want to try some things. They're afraid to try something new, even have a vocal exercise where it feels like they're scared to do it because maybe another day their voice didn't work like they thought it should. Sometimes it's literally in how they will talk with me in the sense of maybe they talk quieter. They just don't feel as confident that day, so they're holding back. And the other thing is a lot of times if you are holding back, whether it's talking or singing, that can also then create tension like physical tension that you'll start to see like in their throat or maybe in their jaw, or you know, or they're carrying something a little bit more? So that's kind of where I actually see it? And was that the question you were kind of asking is, yeah, I mean, that's the things that I tend to see in people when I can tell that there's not that same confidence, or maybe a little bit of fear, you know. And it can vary, obviously, on different days. But that's what I've noticed.
GINA MORGANO:
(20:25) Yeah. And I find that in addressing it, for myself, as well as my students, there's really two approaches the inside out and the outside in. There's addressing the the mental aspect of it, but then there's also addressing the physical aspect. You mentioned the shoulders kind of crouched in. Sometimes just asking them to, you know, broaden their shoulders and stand tall can A. positively impact the sound, and B. help them to feel more confident. So sometimes it's just a little tweak like that. What what are some of the things that you do to help your students work through their confidence?
TARA BRUESKE:
(21:07) Well, okay, this is a weird one, because it's — I don't know if it really sounds like a work through, but with my adults, in particular, there are certain of my adults that like, if I'm going to have them, try something that's a little out of their comfort zone, even just on a vocal exercise, I will explain why I'm doing it. Because if I don't, sometimes, they don't want to do it. But the minute they understand why we want to work on it, then it's almost like I can physically see them kind of relaxing, and then they're willing to try. So that's something different, too, I've learned with adults even versus, you know, maybe teenagers or younger. The other thing is, again, trying to kind of change up what would be normal. I remember having a girl one time that was dealing with posture, and I have one of these exercise balls, mine's like green, and you can use it for exercise, and you can sit on it, you can plank on it. But I literally, I brought it out into my studio, and then have her sit on it to see if she can like sit tall because it's bouncy. So your posture kind of has to be good. And it's not even telling her "have good posture." It's just saying, could you just sit on the ball when we try this? Because I've learned kind of through hard ways of you can't always tell them that they are because that might just increase the tension. So yeah, it's trying to just like shift. Let's try to shift something that might make them get out of their head. And the fun thing was, for this particular situation, that girl, she actually loved it because she's like, Oh, and she started kind of bouncing on it, you know? And again, it kind of releases some of that fear behind it or focus on it.
GINA MORGANO:
(22:53) Yes. I just had this a-ha, going back to what you said at the very beginning about performing and it being about being of service and not being about you. What you just said now about shifting the focus. There really is a thread there, I think when it comes to confidence is shifting this focus away from micromanaging your own thoughts about yourself on to something else.
TARA BRUESKE:
(23:19) Yes. Very much. And again, even like in my own, when I am with my teacher, one thing she had me do was where I was to just in my head, and she said, Tara, do you know what a record player is like? I said, Well, yes, I own one. And she said, Think of like if you were taking your thumb and putting it or your finger putting it around kind of like they do in certain kinds of rap music or, you know, DJs might do that. But I had this visual of doing that and that was my focus as I was singing something and it totally freed me up because now my focus was on something I was watching and, you know, experiencing versus in my head. So it helped. So again, yeah, those pieces of, like you said, shifting the focus can be so helpful.
GINA MORGANO:
(24:07) Yeah. What are some other, I know you work a lot with the teachers too. What are some things that you see teachers do that maybe are not so helpful, that maybe lead to a lack of confidence in students, that maybe you've had to like kind of retrain?
TARA BRUESKE:
(24:25) There's two things I can think of right offhand. And one is, this is a really, I don't know, it's kind of a weird one, but if a teacher, and I actually don't know many teachers that do this, but I did have one in particular that was this way, if they don't show up to the lessons on time, or continually are behind— and I understand we always have as teachers, especially if we have students back to back it can be tricky— but if that happens continuously, it feels like you're not being respected as a student. And that's hard to kind of go in there then and just give, you know, in this way that's vulnerable. So that's, I mean it's a very tiny thing, but I have, like I said, I had a teacher, this was long ago, but every time, every single lesson I had with her, she was late. And it bothered me and it was kind of harder, plus it kind of put like this edge on me. So that's one thing. What's the other thing that you were asking about, oh, teachers and what they do. So the other thing I think, is that when a teacher when they're listening, if the first thing they say is always something negative, or feels more critical versus a critique, I think it's a fine line. But for me, I have found helpful as a student, and then also as a teacher, when I listen to somebody, I'm listening, yes, to see how I can help them. But I also am making sure that I'm listening to something they are doing really good. I don't care if it's one note. I don't care if it's that they took an amazing breath, or their posture was great. Anything. And if I can find that and give that to them first, I think versus the critique right away. I'm a high achiever by nature and so if somebody encourages that, it's gonna set me like, okay, and now I'll try the other. So I have found that to be important. And I think if you go straight to the, well, that was wrong, or let's try that over because that didn't sound good. The words we use and even just going straight for kind of the— what do they call that in our neck? I can't remember - anyway, it's just like, it's something that it feels to targeted right away. It's not giving any space to say, hey, there's something I'm actually doing well. Because I think we can build on what we're doing well, and then address those other things that yeah, we need to tweak.
GINA MORGANO:
(26:59)Yes, I love what you said so much because I think of times in my own life where my confidence was at its lowest point. And I don't think that teachers were doing this intentionally, they were there to help me. But as you mentioned, like being a high achiever, being somebody who wants to get better, and wants to improve, there becomes this obsession with how to get it right, and how to do better at the expense of ignoring all the things that you already do well. And then when you don't articulate those things, then you start to not believe that you do anything well, because all you're focusing on are the things that need improvement.
TARA BRUESKE:
(27:42) Mm hmm. That's exactly it. And I have to say, for the most part, the teachers I've had and the teacher I have right now, is incredible with that. They're giving me some things and saying, Yeah, you actually do this really well. And now, let's go from there. Let's see what else we can do that will give you more freedom. I just think it's helpful. We don't have to tear people down. And I think a lot of times, musicians, especially those that are taking lessons, I find that oftentimes they are high achievers, and they are wanting to, like they're wanting to please you almost as a teacher, they're wanting to do really well. So I don't want to do something to crush someone's spirit, you know, by what I say, or the tone that I say it with. To me, the best teaching is going to help them and encourage and they're going to grow from that and soar, really. I mean, that would at least be my goal, as I'm teaching. And I'm sure yours too.
GINA MORGANO:
(28:43) Absolutely. That's so lovely. And something that I learned, actually, from my acting teacher, Jen Waldman. She will always ask after a student does a pass of a song, she'll say, how was that? So that's something that I've sort of tried to adapt with my students and say, how was that? How did you feel about that, and allowing them to speak first, before I jump in with my thoughts?
TARA BRUESKE:
(29:09) That's awesome.
GINA MORGANO:
(29:11) I find it just helps to kind of give ownership and you know, say, Well, what went well? What might you do differently next time? So it's sort of a more objective viewpoint and meeting people where they're at instead of saying, Well, this could be better, this could be better, this could be better.
TARA BRUESKE:
(29:27) Right. Well, you're helping to make them aware of what's going on. And so, like you say, they can kind of own it, and then that helps them to actually be more aware, even when they're on their own. And they're not with you in that lesson. So I love that.
GINA MORGANO:
(29:43) Thanks! So that's from Jen Waldman. The other thing is, we talked about, you know, not crushing their spirits and something that I've also experienced with different teachers is I found sort of two schools. There are some teachers who want to redo technique, want to start from scratch, let's start from the basics and build up fresh. And then there are other teachers who want to take where you're at and build from there and grow from there. Throughout my life, I have found a time and a place for both, but what I've realized is that sometimes I've been in a place where I really just needed to continue growing my confidence and I met a teacher who wanted to start from scratch. And that was really a crush to the confidence.
TARA BRUESKE:
(30:39) Wow.
GINA MORGANO:
(30:39) So I'm curious, like, what your thoughts are, if you have a student, and you're like, Well, this is like, we need to start from ground zero. But how do you approach that? Because students want to feel good. They want to feel good about what they're already doing.
TARA BRUESKE:
(30:53) Yeah. I'm more from the school of thought where I am going to try to build on what they have. And what I mean by that is, I may even see something we're I'll go, oh, man, that is not a good - like maybe someone learned to sing a certain way where all of a sudden, it sounds very, like nasal driven. I don't know how else to say. I'm just giving an example. I'm not going to do right away, you know, say something like, Well, that sounds nasal or what did they tell you? What did you learn there? It's more that I'll think, how about if we try this song. I'll try to think of songs that might help them even lifting the soft palate a little bit, and I won't necessarily tell them that, but we'll do maybe exercises that way. Or sometimes I'll just, you know, whatever I do is I'm trying to take things, even songs that they already know. And even if it's a song that maybe they don't sound the best on, I might say Sure. Because if they're comfortable with that, I would rather that they feel okay, so that they're willing to sing in front of me, then just feel like, I don't even know where to start. So that's usually my approach is to take where they're at, work with what they're at. I mean, I've even had a student, I think, one time that came to me, that just was so worried she was gonna sound like an opera singer, which she was only a teenager for one thing. So I thought, well, that would be a little tricky at this point. But she was so concerned about that and I thought, you know, all I want to do is I said, Let's just focus on, you know, just being healthy. How can we help your voice be healthy? And if you want to take these pop songs, if you want to take this, let's take it and let's find ways that we can be healthy with it. And so again, yeah, I'm always trying to think, Where can I bridge that gap? Where can I start? Where can I meet them at a place that is a common ground, because they are going to come from all backgrounds and even especially as I have adult singers, some of them had teachers way back, some have never had any. So it's really trying to just see where they're at. And then how can I help them feel better about what they're doing, and then not just feel better, but like physically, that they're able to produce something that can be consistent and free for them? Because I'm also a huge believer in having a really healthy voice that's going to last a lifetime. That's what I intend to have for myself, so.
GINA MORGANO:
(33:27) Yes, I'm thinking back to what you said about the nasal example. It's so true. Like, it would be really easy for someone to say, oh, that's just too nasal, too bright. We got to work on something else, we got to redo. And that can be very crushing. However, instead, someone said, wow, like you have such a great bright, forward, ringy present tone. Now let's work to also work on some depth, right? It's just a different way of approaching the exact same thing, but one way builds confidence and the other way crushes it.
TARA BRUESKE:
(34:02) Yeah. Yeah and I think that is, I mean, another voice teacher said to me one time that she said she felt like doing lessons was a little bit of psychology work. And I feel like it is and not from the sense of that we're trying to solve all their problems. But I think to be sensitive enough, so that each person is different. Their voices are different. The time, you know could be the time of the day or the week that we see them that's going to be different for them. Maybe some weeks they're more tired, they're more stressed. I remember someone that her parents were going through a divorce while she came through lessons and so there was so much stress going on, and to just be mindful of like, every person has their stuff. How can I make their life a little better today? How can I help them leave the lesson feeling motivated versus feeling depleted? I mean, I'm not going to say that that's never happened. Even I can think of a piano lesson way, way back that I gave to somebody. I felt badly because I felt like I hadn't done that. And so it happens, you know, we're human, even as teachers, but I think to be able to take someone and help their day be better, because they're coming to us. You know, I always think, okay, if they're coming to me for a lesson, they've paid me, they're investing their time, their money, what can I give them then to help, to make them feel like this is worth it? That's what I think about.
GINA MORGANO:
(35:33) I love that. That's so beautiful. And it's so true. I think about myself as a student and I think of my students coming to me, and, you know, students, they do get vulnerable. And they do share a lot about what's happening in their lives within their lesson. And while a lesson is not a therapy session, it's always important to hold space and to be empathetic. And, you know, if someone shares that they're going through a hard time, because of something personal, we do have an opportunity to brighten their day, to make them feel better about themselves, to make them feel lighter and more hopeful. And so I sort of feel like that's our duty as teacher. Otherwise, like, what's the point? It's not about just singing better?
TARA BRUESKE:
(36:17) Right. Well, and even as teachers, we go through things, too, and I think sometimes being open even about that end of it– I'm not, again, not saying you're trying to make it into a therapy session either way. But I think just helping them understand, you know, that there's reasons - I mean, I've literally taught lessons with migraines before. So sometimes, just so that my student understands if I'm a little off that day, I'll just literally say like, you know, what, just so you know, I have a migraine, we're gonna do the best we can together, I'm gonna listen. But again, it's just trying to have that honest communication from both ends, because, too, if they're being vulnerable, it's like, I want to make sure that I'm being the same way so that they feel like I'm not above them somehow. Yeah, I know more about them, maybe in this particular thing. But we're still people.
GINA MORGANO:
(37:06) Yes, absolutely. I remember my teacher in grad school. Sometimes she would eat a sandwich during my lesson. And I think, you know, from an outside perspective it's like, what your teacher's eating a sandwich during your lesson. But she was very honest, she was like, you know, I just I need to eat the sandwich. I just need a little sustenance. I had a busy day, we just got out of a meeting, you know? And so then you don't mind because it's communicated. You know, you don't feel like someone's disrespecting your time you feel like they are respecting you by sharing their needs as well.
TARA BRUESKE:
(37:37) Exactly. And I think it's healthy, and I'm sure you probably find this too, because I know you're a student as well as a teacher. When I even share pieces with my students of saying, Hey, I struggled with this in my lesson just the other day. It's letting them know that, yeah, I'm still going through those pieces. That I'm still learning. I'm always going to be learning. My voice is never going to be perfect. Well, can't be. But I'm going to keep learning and I'm kind of trying to remind my students that there's no end to learning if you want to.
GINA MORGANO:
(38:09) Yes, and that's so exciting. I love to learn.
TARA BRUESKE:
(38:15) It is. Me too.
GINA MORGANO:
(38:15) I want to talk about repertoire a little bit. You mentioned having a student just sing, like sing what you want just please sing. But I think that repertoire is a place that can be grounds for a lot of confidence building and confidence crushing. You know, it's what should we sing? Do we feel good singing it? Do we sound good singing it? And then sometimes what we feel called to sing and where we are technically might not align, whether that be something that is maybe just, you're just not quite ready for yet. Or maybe exploring a new genre, or something that you're just not trained in yet. What are your thoughts on repertoire and helping students build confidence through their repertoire?
TARA BRUESKE:
(39:06) Okay, so, because I grew up singing — well, I mean, with my family, we had all kinds of music, we were singing. We sang choral music, we sang hymns, but we sang like contemporary Christian songs, we sang folk songs, Broadway. And so I always had this exposure to a lot of different genres. And as I said, I was even kind of a popster myself in high school. So I have always been under the impression that there's all kinds of music out there, and people are going to be drawn to certain ones. Now, I do think that with certain technique, there's certain types of genres that are easier to, I guess, model some like really healthy technique. So that's where I still will train from and this is just me, but I will train from a more classical Belcanto way of singing. However, again, if someone comes in, they've never done that, if I start them with anything, I might start them on folk songs, because that is a very easy, accessible way of getting into maybe a journey that could be towards classical music if we want to go there. But I think — I usually what I would do a lot of times is if I'd give them even folk songs, or something that maybe was new to them, I'd always have a student at least do one song, that's maybe from a genre that they really want to do. You know, pop, rock, country, bluegrass, jazz, you know, I don't care what it is, but I would let them so that something could feel like, okay, this is mine. And because of that, again, I think that can build confidence, because you're allowing them to be in part of the decision making of that. Again, not all of it, because I do think that also exposing your students to other genres is actually a good thing, since there's a lot of music out there. And we can all tend to, you know, stay in the ones we like the most. And I have had students, I can think of some that were in high school that for maybe like a Solo Ensemble, they'd say, I don't know if I really want to do this song. And then I'll say, Well, how about we just try working on it for a little bit. We'll see where it goes. And then a lot of times, they end up actually liking the piece, and then doing well, and getting good marks or something, you know, in a contest and realize, Oh, that's okay. But that's kind of where my thought is that I think, I think allowing them to have some say. And adults even more, I let that happen because they they may be on a totally different journey. Like if I have someone who's a country artist, and they're saying, Well, this is the genre I'm in, I'm never going to be in these others. Okay, well, let's find healthy techniques in that genre. Let's see what we can do.
GINA MORGANO:
(41:59) That's great. So the other thing that comes up for me and my students is on the journey of learning, oftentimes, there are dream songs and dream roles that we want to sing. And sometimes, most of the time, there are challenges within those. There might be that one song that's so hard, or that one note that we just consistently have trouble with. And that can really wreak havoc on confidence. It's like I want to play this role. I want to do a great audition. I want to get the callback. I want to play the part. And yet I'm having trouble singing this line. And I'm trying, I'm trying, I'm trying, and it's not working. And I just feel terrible about myself because I am having trouble belting this note or sustaining this note, or I keep cracking on this. What thoughts do you have on that? When there's something you really, really want to be able to sing well, and you're just still struggling with it?
TARA BRUESKE:
(42:57) Sometimes I'll just actually say like, Can you picture what it would feel like, just to do the song and and not even worry about that note? Like, can you actually picture it? Can you look outside of it? Or even just asking them, what is it about the role that you want? Like, I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm trying to kind of get inside their mind to say, to not let it feel like this is the epitome of everything. Like I understand when someone's got a dream to do it, but to also help them understand that you know what, your voice might be capable of tons of amazing stuff. So like kind of don't put all your eggs in one basket. That's what I'm saying, kind of the the mindset. And, you know, I don't always know how I answer in each situation. Sometimes it's just knowing the student and what they're doing, but I do think trying to help them see a little bit bigger picture. I remember when I was, I think I was 16 at the time. Yeah, because Sound of Music, I wanted the role of Liesl and I auditioned for it, and I didn't get it. And it kind of crushed me because I thought I can sing and why didn't they do it? And oh, no. And then later on, I wanted the role of Maria and I ended up being a nun. And now that I look at this point of life, I have to go, Well, yeah, that would have been fun to sing, but when I think about all the amazing things I've had chances to sing at based upon my own voice, and I haven't really done theater, but I'm just saying other types of events. For me, It's been amazing. And I think sometimes helping that student know that, so what if there's a note you can't get or at the moment. Now we say too like, maybe you can't get it now. But that doesn't mean you can't get it, you know, months from now. That's the other thing. You know, to help them understand that this is just maybe where your voice is right at the moment. And to let them know that guess what, maybe we should even try some extra things. Can we add some other repertoire that you know, as a teacher would be amazing for their voice? So that they're building again on that and knowing that this is just a one time thing. You may have another opportunity down the road even for that same role or that same dream. Jst again, trying to shift the focus really, is what we're doing, I think.
GINA MORGANO:
(45:17) Yes, yes, I love that. Well, we have two final Parlour games. The first is called lighting the candle. What is a person, resource, organization, idea that you would like to pass the torch to and illuminate?
TARA BRUESKE:
(45:36) There is a lady I follow on Instagram that I just love her. And she's, I think quite well known as a vocal coach, but her name is Cheryl Porter. I think she goes by Cheryl Porter Diva, which is kind of funny. But she is one of the most joyful vocal coaches, I think I've seen, you know, one of them. Her warm ups that she does, she has, like, created this whole system of teaching and warm ups that are super fun. Like they're catchy. And she's always doing something where she'll be showing her in a student and she's so positive with them. You can see why every student feels like, she makes them feel like they're the only person in the room. You see it, like every time and so I do want to lift her up. Like if you follow her on Instagram or YouTube. She's just an amazing person to watch as, I think even as a student, you'd be encouraged, but also as a teacher, if you're looking for even ideas of like, what would help me to, you know, be motivating my students. I really like her.
GINA MORGANO:
(46:40)Oh I can't wait to check her out. I didn't know her before. So thank you for that. And then our final Parlour game is called the parrot. If we were all your parrot what would you teach us to say?
TARA BRUESKE:
(46:56) Oh, as like in just about the voice.
GINA MORGANO:
(47:00) Yes, if we were your parrot, what would we repeat back to you?
TARA BRUESKE:
(47:05)Okay. Your voice is unique. You've been given it as a gift, I believe, from God. And I think whatever you can do to explore it, and see what it's capable of, you have the ability to do that. I just encourage people to keep learning about their voice and exploring it.
GINA MORGANO:
(47:32) I love that. I don't know that I'm gonna repeat that back perfectly. But I did get down your voice is unique. You've been given it as a gift from God, and whatever you can do to keep exploring and learning.
TARA BRUESKE:
(47:45) Yes. Yep. That's about it.
GINA MORGANO:
(47:50) Tara B. where can people find you?
TARA BRUESKE:
(47:52) They can find me, basically, well, my website Tarabrueske.com. That's a good place to start. Otherwise, my handles on like Instagram and Tiktok are @TaraBrueskeMusic. Those are good places, And my podcast The Engaging Voice, but if you want to actually, connect with me like message, whatever, that's where I would start TaraBrueske.com Or @TaraBrueskeMusic, Instagram and Tiktok.
GINA MORGANO:
(48:18) Amazing. Well, Tara, thank you so much for visiting The Practice Parlour. I have loved chatting with you. You just give off this radiant energy and you offered so many amazing tips for teachers and for students for lifting one another up, because I think that's really what we all need is just to feel lifted up and encouraged and you do such a great job of that. So Tara Brueske, thank you so much for being here!
TARA BRUESKE:
(48:44) Well thank you and thank you for lifting up other people on this podcast. It's amazing what you do, Gina. So thank you.
GINA MORGANO:
(48:51) Thank you so much. Have a beautiful day.
TARA BRUESKE:
(48:54) You too.
LEARN MORE ABOUT TARA:
Tara B is a Twin Cities based musician, voice/piano coach, booking and performance mentor, podcaster, songwriter, and recording artist She has a BA in Vocal performance and has been performing/teaching for over 30 years. From age 6, she has been in front of audiences and currently sings about 100-150 gigs a year, either solo or with her duo The Brueskes.
She currently coaches musicians from all over the world in her group Premier Performers.
She has created a couple of online courses including those to help singers sing with freedom and confidence and also become a DIY booking boss for gigs!
Instagram: @tarabrueskemusic | TikTok: @tarabrueskemusic | Facebook: @TaraBmusician
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-brueske-871742b/
https://tarabrueske.com/podcast, https://bit.ly/TaraBrueskeVault
IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT:
Infusing play and exploration into your vocal study
The power of shifting your focus
Creating helpful separation between your voice and your humanity
Finding ownership of your work
The lifetime journey of learning
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DISCLAIMER:
Gina and her guests speak from their own personal experiences, and nothing said is meant to be taken as medical advice. Please consult with your doctor and medical professionals to manage your health.
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Original music by David John Madore. To learn more about David, check out his work at http://www.madoremusic.com/
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