If you send up a weather vane or put your thumb up in the air every time you want to do something different, to find out what people are going to think about it, you're going to limit yourself. That's a very strange way to live.
Jessye NormanRead
I like so many different kinds of music that I've never allowed myself the limitations of one particular range.
Interpretation
Embracing diverse musical styles leads to a richer experience.
Jessye Norman's quote highlights the importance of openness to various musical genres, suggesting that limiting oneself to a single type restricts personal growth and enjoyment. By appreciating a multitude of styles, one can cultivate a deeper understanding and appreciation of art in its many forms.
In practice
During a music appreciation class to encourage students to explore various genres.
If you send up a weather vane or put your thumb up in the air every time you want to do something different, to find out what people are going to think about it, you're going to limit yourself. That's a very strange way to live.
My parents said to us, practically on a daily basis, that we were as good as anyone else on this earth, and that we would simply have to work harder in order to show that.
Problems arise in that one has to find a balance between what people need from you and what you need for yourself.
I am grateful that my horizons were not narrowed at the outset.
As for my voice, it cannot be categorised - and I like it that way, because I sing things that would be considered in the dramatic, mezzo or spinto range.
It is still more likely that a woman's power would be seen as aggression, and a man's power would be seen as assertion.
I've always known that I was born to sing, ever since I was a child.
You speak of Lord Byron and me; there is this great difference between us. He describes what he sees I describe what I imagine. Mine is the hardest task.
Art is the daughter of freedom.
Beauty is produced by the pleasing appearance and good taste of the whole, and by the dimensions of all the parts being duly proportioned to each other.
I write because I like to make things and the only things I am good at making things with are words.
Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny ... and everything in between. But he was one of a kind.
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