Fun, fun, fun!

This is a random picture from my daily walk to school. I just found the sky combined with the early fall shades of the trees so beautiful. Right now, I'm reveling in the weather here, in full knowledge that the snow will come soon enough!

Today was a fantastic day! I started off with some yoga, which may have something to do with the rest of my day. My mind was whirling all through the 45 minutes of my little yoga dvd, I confess, but at least I forced my body, fingers, and voice to do something relaxing and good for that period of time. And I felt so relaxed for the rest of the day! There's definitely something to this yoga thing, I tell you.

Afterwards, I made my way over to the student dining hall. Sequestered in a side "conference room" were about thirty wonderful individuals who comprise the main donor group for the voice and opera department here. In the spring, they were incredibly generous and gave me two grants. One was to attend the Opera America Conference in Houston. The other was to put towards my studies in Florence. Today was my chance to thank them all in person. The head of the group warmly welcomed me and gave me a very kind and glowing introduction. Then, I took a few minutes to describe my experiences and the benefits of each endeavor. The entire crowd was so kind. They really seemed glad to have made a tangible difference for me.

I need to remember this feeling when I'm raising money for some purpose in the future. Reynold (Lincoln Center President) was right -- it really does make a huge difference for people to donate to something, to feel like they can have an impact. They become part of the art then, just as much a maker-of-art as the singer or actor onstage. And they really enjoy it and are thrilled about the chance to do it, about having been asked.

Too often, fundraising can feel like begging, I think. This is probably because we all have exasperating experiences with those letter blasts from various organizations or the telemarketing calls that may or may not be legitimate. But when it's something you really believe in, when they show you tangibly and specifically what your particular gift enabled, that's when it really makes a difference.

Anyway, that was my day's opening. The rest of the day was spent in practice and coaching with a dash of library time thrown in. Tonight, I'm combing through art song textbooks to prepare for tomorrow's class. I have a long to-do list yet again. But perhaps I'll just rise early, start with some yoga, and dive in.

~Hope