We live in a world and a society where we are constantly on the move and things are all about convenience and portability. Apps have become not only a source of entertainment but things that we now rely on to complete daily tasks such as communicating with people via social media, checking the weather, staying up to date on the latest news, and countless other things. Now, some people view this shift to apps that can do or teach you anything as a negative, but I'm here to show all you musicians out there my personal top 5 favorite apps, all free of course, that can make your life a little easier! So here we go:

1. Metronome Pro
          This is by far one of my personal favorite apps ever! Not only does it keep a steady beat for you, but it also lets you customize just about everything you would want to about how that beat is conveyed to you: bpm, the volume, an optional LED display on downbeats, you can tap your own beat to get a tempo marking, change your time signature, change which beat/s are accented, and much much more! As every musician knows, a metronome is essential to learning music and what's better than a good metronome? One that works well, is free, can be customized, and doesn't take up any more room in your pocket or bag than your phone does.

2. Virtuoso Piano 3 Free
          A piano app that actually works! This is not one of those piano apps where the keys light up and it "teaches" you how to play the newest Katy Perry song on the piano. This is a pretty basic piano app but it does exactly what it should- it gives you a pitch. Personally, I find I use it the most when practicing things a cappella  (without accompaniment) or when practicing/performing where I don't have a piano readily accessible to get a starting pitch from. I also know a few instrumentalists who will use it when working on intonation or ear training and they don't have a piano to check the pitch against. 

3. Musicnotes Sheet Music Viewer
          How would you like to have your 10-pound binder of sheet music at your finger tips and only taking up as much space as your phone? Well, with this wonderful app, you can upload all of your own sheet music (or buy it online) as organize it in this app. In addition to keeping all of your sheet music in one place, you can highlight, make notes, as well as transpose any music that you buy through the app to any key! The days of carrying around countless sheets of music are on their way out and electronic sheet music is becoming easier and easier!

4. Jotnot
          STOP MAKING HARD COPIES OF MUSIC!!! Forget trying to align books perfectly on the copy machine or scanner and paying a small fortune to print all of your music and start scanning your music. With Jotnot, you can scan, crop, lighten, darken, and export anything as a PDF! No more making multiple copies or spending too much time and money copying things- just scan and export it directly from your phone, from anywhere, as a PDF and send it to yourself, your accompanist, other members of your ensemble, whoever you want- all from your fingertips!

5. Sound Cloud/Youtube
          As a musician, putting your work out there for people to hear is critical to building your network, getting yourself out there, and having your work be heard! I'm sure that this one doesn't need much explanation other than, it's easy and free to put your work out there through Sound Cloud or Youtube (or both- whatever fits you and your art/style) and you never know who could discover you online and what could come of it!


These are just my personal favorite, free 5 apps that have made my life as a musician much easier. What are your favorite apps that have made being a musician easier for you?
     

Dear Aspiring, Young Performer,

 Let me just start off by saying that what you want to do isn't easy and never will be but I can promise that it will ALWAYS be worth it! Every time you finish a performance, are accepted to a program, or are given a role, the sense of accomplishment you will feel is unlike anything else- embrace it! Never lose sight of why you chose this path.


Take every single opportunity possible! Sometimes you will find yourself in situations where you need to make sacrifices- choose between your career and your family or friends, you'll need to stay flexible, and most importantly never lose sight of why you chose this path.

 Work hard. As I said before, this won't always be easy but it'll be worth it and there is so much truth to this statement! If you expect to have everything handed to you without having to work, you are sorely mistaken.This will take a lot of work- hours of searching for music, working on characters, practicing, rehearsing, etc and I can promise you it will NOT be easy. But never lose sight of why you chose this path.

 Ignore the naysayers. Choosing to become a performer isn't a traditional career path and I've found that often people will encourage you to take a career path that is more "stable" and traditional such as business. But the truth is that you've chosen this path because it's what you love to do and it's what you are good at- not because it was the most practical. I firmly believe that if you love what you do, you can and will find a way to make a living doing it! Never lose sight of why you chose this path.


 Always love what you do. Know that there may come a time in your life when you no longer love performing and please know that it is perfectly OK! If you ever feel that you don't love what you do, if it's performing or not, find something else to do- something that you love. Always always ALWAYS love what you do, no matter what!


Never lose sight of why you chose this path.

Best of luck!
Ashleigh Janda 

     Recently I've had to face, head-on, the thing every singer struggles with at one point or another- how to learn to love your voice. For those of you who don't know, about six months ago my teacher and I decided that I was a Mezzo-Soprano and not the Soprano that I'd been told my whole life I was! Now I know what you're thinking- I would give anything to be a Mezzo, they have all the fun roles, they aren't catty like Sopranos, etc- but that's not what I felt when my teacher uttered those words..."Ashleigh, you're a Mezzo". After a few mental break downs and convincing myself that I was having an identity crisis, I was encouraged to write three things that I loved about my voice that day in my singing journal every day for two months. TWO MONTHS! It sounds incredibly short and easy to do but when it came down to it, I always struggled. Then one day I just started writing things down even if I felt that they weren't yet perfect and I read them to myself multiple times a day. And pretty soon, I didn't have to force myself to write them- it just happened and then before you know it I could rattle off ten things that I love about my voice, then 15, and then I could remind myself without having to consciously tell myself what I loved about my voice. It was at that moment that I no longer saw my voice as something separate from my body but rather as an asset to my body and I had learned to love it just as much as I love my body and being in my own skin. 

     For those of you struggling with learning to love your voice: don't be afraid of your voice and for the first few weeks you'll have to almost force yourself to say positive things about your voice and/or performances. You're not alone and you can and will do it! 

    For those of you who have learned to love your voice: How did you do it? What helped you? Do you still occasionally struggle?

     Hello everyone- I just wanted to thank you all for your support and following me! This will serve as a place for me to talk about current events in the world of classical singing and opera as well as a place for me to document my learning and travels when they are related to singing- especially this summer (2015) from June 21st- July 13th while I am attending Orvieto Musica- The Art of Song in Orvieto, Italy. Please feel free to share my website and blog as well as my fundraising page for Orvieto Musica (http://www.gofundme.com/odrd10) with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and via email as well. Thank you all again!