Diana Sharp

Hi Singers!

Have you checked out our new website: http://www.sharpperformancestudio.com? There’s lots of info, articles, reviews etc to check out. Try out a free taster singing lesson there too. You’ll still find updated news here but there’s more links and info on the new site, so click the link.

It’s beginning to look a lot like (‘Christmas’ for those of you picking up on the lyric vibe) Covid is being tamed (she writes with a degree of optimism coupled with nervous peaks at the 4th wave statistics). We’re planning some in person events for the fall and winter in Kanata. Our studio singers have been really impressed with their continued progress online.

It’s disappointing that singing is one of those high risk Covid activities when it comes to transmission. We want to keep all of our students and teachers safe here at the studio and so we are opting to remain online for the time being while keeping an eye on options for future in person lessons and events. We continue to work with students from around the world and enjoy meeting and working with new singers online. We use a mixture of platforms including Rockoutloud which has a free app for singers to use.

Our studio singers have been really impressed with their continued progress online. We encourage new students to try out the format with a free taster singing lesson.

We currently have students auditioning for musical theatre programs at the Royal Academy of Music UK, for the TV talent show ‘Star Academie TVA’ and preparing for the 2022 Kiwanis music competition. We’re thrilled live performances are opening up once again and are helping singers get back up on stage by working on performance prep and nerves, as well as honing songs ready to perform.

Check out performances on our Facebook: Sharp Performance Singer’s Studio and Instagram sharp_performance_studio feeds.

Performance Coaching? Yep. Performance coaching helps musicians fine tune their on stage delivery. Great athletes have coaches to work on getting the best out of every competition, game, race, or basically, their performance. A Music Performance Coach does the same for musicians. I’m fast approaching my certification in Life Coaching with a specialization in Performance Coaching. Coaching works on the mindset you bring when getting your music out there in front of audiences be they real time or virtual. Sometimes it’s a matter of changing the inner messaging, sometimes it’s a matter of getting back in touch with your purpose and passion.

Have you ever found yourself on stage about to perform and the voice in your head is asking unhelpful questions like “What made you think this was a good idea?” or “Seriously, what’s my first note?”. Or worse, the voice that just rips your confidence to shreds with comments like “They’re going to hate this”, “You can’t do this” or “Just go home”. You can bet that those voices are not the ones that dominate successful musicians’ minds.

So how do you tame the inner critic/s? That’s where aspects of sports psychology and coaching can help. Coaches work on optimising the messaging and helping you to figure out the steps along the way to putting your mental game on the right path to your success.

But what about those times when you just don’t get the same satisfaction from performing that you once did? Well a coach can help you find ways to reconnect with where the excitement came from, how to get it back and where it will take you next. Music is a journey; emotional and mental and sometimes physical too. It’s not always what we expect and can throw us some surprises along the way. A coach can help get to the root of what’s happening for you and where you’d like to go next.

For more info, check out the Music Performance Coach page from the tab above and get in touch if you’d like a free discovery session to learn more.

I’m expanding, that’s business wise!  Joining the studio on Monday nights is ex student and final year Voice student at Ottawa University – teacher Jessica Simpson.  If you’re interested in meeting Jessica for a taster lesson, get in touch (see the contact page) and we can see about scheduling a time.  All students will get a chance to perform at student concerts throughout the year while learning singing through music they love.  We hope to hear from you!

After a good deal of hard work on their part, I’m thrilled to report successful auditions for singers to: AIMS Opera Program in Austria; offers received from Ottawa, Carleton and Toronto University Voice programs; and a successful musical run of Edwin Drood in which three students were involved.

In September last year, two students received places on the voice programs at Canterbury and De La Salle High Schools.  There was also success in a Grade 4 RCM voice exam and received a well deserved First Class Honours.  Congratulations everyone!

Hi, I’m Diana Sharp, a singing teacher and singer located in Kanata, Ontario.