thinkTOI!
especially designed for Taos Opera Institute
calm!
about thinkTOI!
abc's
reflect
Our feelings and behaviors are a direct result of our thoughts.
Many performers suffer from distorted thought patterns.
a = activating event
unsatisfactory audition
b = belief about that event
"I'll never get into grad school ."
c = consequence of distorted belief
overwhelming nerves
d = dispute the distorted belief
"I have no evidence that I won't get
in to any grad school."
Confronting Distorted Beliefs
involves:
1. Detecting distorted beliefs, seeing
them as illogical & unrealistic
2. Debating distorted beliefs & realizing
they are not supported by evidence
3. Discriminating between distorted
beliefs and valid thinking
Effect of Confronting Distorted Beliefs
Relinquishing
self-destructive ideologies
Acquisition
of effective new beliefs
Acceptance
of oneself, others, and inevitable frustrations
The master in the ART of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion.
He hardly knows which is which.
He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is WORKING or playing.
To him he's always doing both.
- James Michener
think!strategies
sustain: take TOI home with you!
Automatic Thoughts
Distorted Thought Patterns
Restructuring Distorted Thinking
Thought Stopping
Practice Staying in the Moment
Cultivating Mental Toughness
After TOI, now what?
Would you like stay on the mountain top?
How can you make your experiences last?
reflect!
know thyself...
methods for reflecting...
During your course of study at TOI you are going to have many new and exciting experiences and learn many amazing things about the way you sing and perform. In this process, you are likely to learn more about yourself as well. What I have just described can be wonderful, exhilarating, and sometimes a little overwhelming.
The process of reflection can help at such times. Reflecting or journaling can help you accept new information rather than rejecting it out of hand. You may be shocked to find that the way you have always done something may not work as it once did. At times like these, reflection can help you assimilate the old and the new information.
Becoming aware of our own personality, learning style, strengths, and challenges can make us stronger and ultimately--whole. Reflection can allow us to carefully and systematically consider the feedback we are getting. Reflection can also help us integrate these new discoveries we make about ourselves and our craft.
The reflective singer is one who examines and reflects on critical incidents and strong personal feelings, rather than making excuses or blaming others.
Reflection = growth.
stop and reflect...
clickHEREto navigate to guided reflections
week 1
week 2
week 3
week 4
think! Strategies
Automatic thoughts (AT) are a normal part of our thought
processes. They are swift, evaluative statements or images that
seem to pop up out of our subconscious. These thoughts can be
functional or distressing. We are sometimes more aware of the
emotion associated with the AT rather than the thought itself.
Three Types of ATs
Distorted thoughts that do not stand up to evidence.
Thoughts that may be accurate, but the conclusion is distorted.
Thoughts that are accurate, but dysfunctional.
Dysfunctional thoughts can be evaluated for their validity and their utility:
Is the thought valid?
Is the thought useful to me?
The lies we tell ourselves
Perfectionism or All or Nothing thinking
I must be perfect at all things at all times or I'm a failure.
Should Statements
I should be better than this.
Mental Filter
My teacher is just saying that to be nice. It was a disaster.
False-Permanence
Not forgiving self for mistakes--I'll never live this down.
Catastrophizing
I didn't win that audition...I guess I'll never get a job.
Mind-Reading
My teacher thinks I'm an idiot. The panel is really bored.
Restructuring Distorted Thoughts
Learning to see things a little differently.
I cannot be perfect and, therefore, am not a failure when I'm not.
I would like to sing this section better and will work to improve.
My teacher is a professional and would not say something she did not mean. It may not have been what I wished, but it wasn't a disaster.
I am not perfect--no one is. This performance does not have to affect my next performance.
I didn't win this audition...I will do better next time.
I have no way of knowing what my teacher or what the panel thinks.
Thought stopping involves concentrating on unwanted or unuseful thoughts, suddenly stopping them, and emptying your mind/replacing the unwanted thought with a productive one.
Although thought stopping can be quick to master, it must be regularly and systematically practiced. The follow steps will give you an idea of the process of learning to thought-stop:
Step 1: List Unwanted Thoughts
Step 2: List Pleasant Thoughts
Step 3: Relax & Entertain Unwanted Thoughts
Step 4: Interrupt Unwanted Thoughts
Step 5: Switch to Pleasant Thoughts
Step 6: Repeat Steps 4 & 5
Step 7: Use Thought Stopping in Real Situations
When an unwanted thought intrudes, shout "Stop!" (to yourself) and remember a pleasant thought or scene. You will want to practice thought stopping every day.
Practice Staying in the Present
Staying in the moment is not as easy as it may sound. We tend to spend much of our time distracted by thoughts of the past or by our desires for the future.
Mental toughness is the psychological edge that can enable performers to be confident, consistent, focused, and determined in high pressure situations.
Staying relaxed under pressure = "good nerves"
Focusing on what's important--staying in the moment
Rebounding from mistakes and perceived failures
Handling last minute doubts and negative thinking
Using mental rehearsal
Setting personal and meaningful goals
Recognizing mental traps and how to avoid them
Developing healthy self-talk
Handling Mistakes
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sustain!
The Mountaintop
There is a reason that memorable, life changing experiences are often referred to as mountaintop experiences. They do not happen every day. They are out of the ordinary--extraordinary! It is unrealistic to expect that you can sustain your exact TOI experience, but there are steps you can take to ensure that the powerful lessons you have learned will last.
These steps will begin with the setting of specific, realistic, and measureable GOALS.
Setting Smart Goals
It is important to set your sights on what you really want--your goals. Remember: goals are reserved for practice, not performance. The goals you achieve in practice will be realized in performance--the time you will want to enjoy singing on automatic pilot.
Specific (answer the question what?)
Measureable (answer the question how?)
Attainable (need to be challenging)
Realistic
Timely (answer the question when?)
Achieving Your Goals
Sustaining your TOI Experience
After setting your SMART goals, it is important to
identify the specific objectives for reaching each
of these goals. Objectives are sub goals set with
the purpose to serve your SMART goals.
Your objectives answer the following questions:
which skills should I develop?
what knowledge should I acquire?
what resources should I collect?
what should I achieve before I can reach my goals?
Working on your objectives and achieving your goals takes persistence and flexibility. If an objective does not seem helpful, adjust it or replace it. If the way you've always done something doesn't seem to work anymore, try another way. That's part of the charm of a special experience like TOI--it challenges and stretches you out of your comfort zone.
When you get home, remember it is this very type of challenge and work outside your comfort zone that made your experience extraordinary.
Remember: Goals are the ends and objectives are the means.
Don't change the ends, change the means.
Your Network
An important part of your TOI experience is that you are not alone. There are 23 other individuals who know exactly what you are going through. You feel each other's anxieties and support each other's successes. It is very important that you work to recreate a similar network of support in your home environment. This network can include fellow singers, mentors, friends, and family. You will find that some people are better at different aspects of the kind of support and feedback that you need.
The important thing to remember is that you NEED support.
"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right." Henry Ford
thinkTOI! BlogSpot...
...is for participants of the 2010 Taos Opera Institute. This
BlogSpot provides participants an opportunity to "talk amongst themselves"
about the concepts they are learning and the issues they are dealing with.
The concept behind this unique BlogSpot is to illustrate how
important it is for us to stay connected to one another and how
much it can halp us to share our struggles and successes
with one another.
Getting started is easy! Just click on one of
the orange spots. Next, you will be prompted
to sign in. Once you have signed in, your spot
will change to your own unique color and your initials
will appear in the center of the spot. You will be
prompted to write your first entry. Each time you
write an entry a new ripple appears. After you save
your entry, you begin making your
own impact on the group.
To access other participants' entries, just click on
one of their ripples and the title will appear.
Double click to open the entry.
contact me!
Diana Allan, BM, BME, MA, DMA
I have been teaching voice at the university level for
over 20 years. Many of my voice students have faced the issues addressed on these pages. By recognizing and disputing negative thought processes, teaching new productive patterns, and by teaching other cognitive techniques discussed here, my desire is to help singers enhance their performances and to enjoy the process!
Remember . . . life is about the journey!
