Youth Reach Out Winners

by Linda Breithaupt

The Folk Guild received a grant from the Dutchess County Council on the Arts for the year 2000 season. The focus of the grant was to encourage participation from up and coming young performers. Several samples were reviewed and the following three performers received the top awards: Katherine Moore, Jordan Finley ( yes, most of you have heard of his mother, folk performer Denise) and Dani Broom. These folks were found to demonstrate talent and interest in folk music- the future generation of the Hudson Valley Folk Guild. This was both exciting and pleasureable for the music reviewers.

The winners were offered a choice between a cash award or studio recording time. Three additional young folk were given an honorarium in recognition of the performance samples they submitted for the grant project. They are Sasha Piastro, Christine Gavin and Rebecca Johnson. To showcase these musicians as well as other Hudson Valley Folk Guild performers, we will hold a concert on Saturday November 25th; stay tuned for details. In addition, Katherine Moore will be one of the featured performers at the September Kingston coffeehouse! Thanks to all who participated in the first part of this project.We plan to have a great musical season; see you there!

Letter From The Editor

by Cheryl A. Rice

People Come and Go So Quickly Around Here...-well, not really. Although there have been quite a number of changes in the HVFG Board over the summer, most of these folks have been around for ages, and all deserve a round of applause for the fine job they have done. Without the individuals that donate their time and talents, the Guild is just a dream...Steve Allen has stepped down as President of the Friends of Fiddler's Green Chapter, and his substantial shoes will be filled by Al Hendrickson. Dick Draves will be the new Treasurer, replacing Amy Stroud. In Poughkeepsie, John Martucci will still be around, just changing hats. He is giving up the President's seat to Denise Jordan Finley, and assuming the position of Treasurer from Deb Otlowski. Joe Murray will be Kingston's new President, keeping the team of Murray & Sauter intact for at least another season.

In Patterson, Mario Zecca has resigned as President, and a replacement is still needed. The basic responsibilities of this position are a once-a-month board meeting (on rare occasions more than one), and coordinating the coffeehouse within the guidelines of the HVFG bylaws and incorporation requirements of a tax-exempt organization. The delight outweighs these responsibilities. The bylaws are brief and we generally try to keep the meetings short and entertaining. The next meeting is on Thursday September 21 at Kevin Becker's house in Hyde Park. For info call 845-229-0170. If you are interested in the position, you may also contact Bruce Morrison at 845-855-1020. Also, Linda Breithaupt will be conducting a soundboard workshop at the Hyde Park United Methodist Church sometime soon. For info, contact your local coffeehouse president, or catch them live and in person at the next coffeehouse!. Welcome to all, and see you soon!

Making a Friend of Adrenalin

The problem is fear. Good old fashioned terror. A recent study has shown that most Americans literally are more afraid of getting up in front of people and performing than of death itself. When you feel threatened, your autonomic nervous system fires up a whole host of "fight or flight" responses. Muscles tense, blood pressure rises, breathing becomes fast and shallow, hearts pound, adrenalin kicks in, and many other changes occur that, after a few million years of evolution, allowed us to avoid being lunch for a sabre toothed tiger.

If you can get these responses to work for you instead of against you, your performance can be enhanced - you can actually be better than you are, so to speak. You can't get rid of the butterflies in your stomach, but with a little preparation you can get them to all fly in the same direction. The key to this is to have a stretching/relaxation routinethat you follow before you perform.

A few things to remember:

• Stretching shouldn't hurt. If it hurts, ease up a little.
• Stretching movements should be done slowly. Don't hurry through your stretches. It's better to do fewer stretches correctly than a lot of stretches badly.
• Relaxing is not something that you do - it's something that you allow. Concentrate on letting the muscles go, and allowing them to relax.
• The most effective stretching takes a set of muscles through their entire natural range of motion.
• You should try all of these, then take the ones that work best for you and develop a pre-performance routine that you're comfortable with.
• Your muscles might be more tight than you think. The "fight or flight"response is automatic and happens on a subconscious level of awareness.

Breathing

Make a conscious effort to breathe deeply throughout the stretching routine. Breathe in through your nose, then gently out through your mouth, like blowing out a candle. The "fight or flight" response makes your breathing shallow. A few deep breaths and you'll automatically start breathing deeper. You can't relax unless you allow some oxygen into your system. Also, you need the breath support for singing. Just be careful that you don't hyperventilate.

Shoulder Stretch

Stand with your feet about one foot apart. Lift your shoulders up as high as you can into a shoulder shrug. Hold for a few seconds. Slowly allow your arms to return to your sides. Lift again. Do this series a few times, allowing the muscles to stretch a little further each time. Next, lift your shoulders up and forward, and make a slow circular motion with your shoulders forward, down, back, and up until you return to the shoulder shrug position. Do a few of these, then reverse the rotation for a few more.

Neck Stretch

Stand as before. Allow your neck to hang forward. Slowly roll your head up to the left until your head is lying on your shoulder. Stop there, and reverse until your head is resting on the opposite shoulder. Do this slowly, and don't push the neck muscles. Allow gravity to do the stretching. Again, allow the muscles to stretch. Don't do a full circle so that your head is all the way back - that's a little rough on the cervical spine. Look stright ahead, with your shoulders square. Turn just your head, not your shoulders, and look as far over your shoulder as you can without causing pain. Hold that position a few seconds. Then look the opposite way. Repeat a few times.

Facial Stretch

Go into a private place for these - they look a little strange but they really, really help. Open your mouth and eyes as wide as you possibly can. Hold a few seconds, then slowly allow your face to go back to a neutral, relaxed position.

A variation. Open your mouth and eyes again, as before. Now, silently do the motion that you would do to slide slowly from "ah" to "ooh." Tenseup every muscle in your face and mouth, including your tongue. Try doing, "ee yi ee yi oh." Or "ee yow ooh." Do big, slow movements, and don't forget to include your tongue.

Try tensing up areas of your face you don't normally pay attention to (such as the muscles between your mouth and nose) and relaxing. Raise your eyebrows, then let them drop. You can feel these muscles tingle and become relaxed. When it's time to sing, you will have much more control over these muscles, which results in smoother delivery and more precise articulation.

These exercises help in two ways. They relax the face so that you aren't fighting against your own facial muscles, and they allow you to become more familiar with the incredible complexity of the facial musculature. Experiment. Play with your face.

Arms and Hands

Any physical movement will be smoother and easier to control after warming up. If you play an instrument, take a minute to stretch out the muscles of your hands and arms before performing. These muscles are just as vulnerable to performance anxiety as any other muscle system.

Hold your arms out in front of you. Rotate your hands gently and slowly in opposite directions. Feel the muscles in your fore-arms loosen up and allow them to relax. Repeat this stretch in the opposite direction.

Hold out your hands. Open the fingers as wide as you can, separating the fingers and spreading the palms. Hold this position for a few seconds. Starting with the little fingers, bring your fingers down one at a time until you make a fist. Then slowly reverse the process and gradually open the hands again.

Stand as before, with your hands/arms dangling at your sides. Curl your hands forward as far as you can, so that your fingertips are pointing behind you and your palms are up. Then, keeping your arms straight, slowly bring your arms straight back. You should be able to feel the muscles on the tops of your fore-arms stretch. Hold the position for a few seconds. Repeat.

The entire regimen of stretching and relaxing should only take about 5 minutes or less. The benefits you'll receive will far outweigh the time spent, since you will feel more confident, sound better, and have a lot more fun performing. Always plan to save a little time just before show time to do some of these stretches. You can always find a bathroom or go outside. If you can't do them all, do the ones that are most effective for you. You'll discover that you can use the increased tension from your performance anxiety in a positive way, instead of allowing it to slow you down. I used to work with a woman who had a really fine soprano voice when she sang in her living room. She was so tense before a performance, however, that when she sang in public she sounded like Minnie Mouse. Muscle tension will do that. After learning to stretch before a gig, she became much more relaxed, and her performance showed it.

With a little practice, you can make adrenalin your friend.