Getting back into the game, again (or Look, Ma, I can sing!...I think)

A few years ago, I posted on singing after a break.  Well, I took another long, inadvertent break when I went through the master's program for SLP.  The good news is, I finally found a good teacher in my current town and I'm hoping to plan a recital for sometime this year.  I still haven't seen a vocal coach in about six years, I've only had about three lessons with my new teacher thus far, and I usually only practice about four times a week since I'm still quite busy in the PhD program, but it still feels good to be singing again.  I feel a little more like a normal person when I say I do singing as a hobby, but it's also a little weird to go from someone who trained for the professional operatic track and then downgrade to an avocational singer.  It's like, I want to have all the abilities I used to have, and I have the knowledge of what makes something professional vs. student vs. avocational, but I don't have the time to focus on music and singing as much as would be needed if I were to go out for professional gigs again.

That said, a dear friend of mine recommended that I record my singing and "share it with the world" as he said, so I've decided to do just that.  I've uploaded a couple of my personal practice sessions here where I made it my goal to just to focus on the text and emotional journey and to not obsess over every little thing that went wrong.  Basically, I'm working on letting go and just singing/making music.  For me, this means always thinking about one or two measures ahead in my mind, which I figured out works for me because as a person because I'm usually thinking a few phrases ahead when I'm telling a story to friends--so it's a good way for me to focus on the expression of the piece.  These recordings are not perfect (made only on my iPhone 4s microphone in a small practice room) and I can tell a few spots where I got off here and there (like when I shorted a phrase by a whole beat near the end of the Mozart aria), but overall, I think I managed to make a little music that day rather than just be a singing-technician.  Progress!

P.S. Another big plus of being avocational is that a little snap-shot of my singing doesn't have to be professional quality or flawless since I'm not trying to attract any gigs through my web presence, so that gives me a bit of courage to share it with you guys. Feel free to leave constructive criticism or feedback in the messages below, though, as I still appreciate hearing about how I can still improve as a singer.