Lisa Higbee

One of the first things I did after moving to New York was go to dance class. I almost didn't go. I almost left the studio the very first time I went there, too frightened to try dance class in New York as an adult... After all, it had been years since I'd taken dance classes regularly. I had a very little ballet when I was a small girl, a very little tap. Later, when I was an adult out in the working world, I took my first jazz class. With my sister Elena cheering me on, I even performed a jazz routine with a group of very classy ladies. And I found that I loved dance. I loved the way it helped my body feel streamlined and powerful. I loved how I could express myself through moving with a song. I loved how dancing just made me feel healthier. Every time I come to class now, I feel uncertainty... will I be able to handle what they throw at me? Will I remember every step? Will I make it to the end of class? What happens when they put me in a small group? I'll ...

People have been asking me this lately, so... One place is this blog!! It has links to videos and recordings that should give you some awesome singing moments :) Another place is... 144 W 15th Street in Manhattan on Sundays in a church service starting at around 1:15 pm on the 4th floor!! I sing there almost every Sunday in a free and beautiful service that is primarily conducted in American Sign Language (ASL) so as to be accessible to an ASL crowd, but it also has some great aurally audible musical moments thanks to my friends Jami and Richard Gordon-Smith, my parents Tom and Diane Higbee, lots of LDS full-time missionaries, and more!!!!! It's a beautiful and inspiring service, and I love singing there :) See you in church!! Lisa

Even as I write this, I’m singing. My mother said that when I awoke from sleeping as a baby, she would find me singing softly to myself. My sister Elena would cry and want to be stroked and soothed, but I awoke singing and kept myself comforted through my baby songs. I was a speech pathologist in Utah when American Idol went on the air. My students constantly told me I ought to audition. Alas, I was already chronologically too old to audition—past the age slated for the super-young feel of the show and its contestants, but I watched and wondered and cheered my young friends on to glory. The Voice… should I audition? I see the audition date. It’s in Southern California, where my parents live. It’s in summer, when I won’t need to be working with my students in Washington Heights here in New York. New York, ‘singer central,’ as my friend Laura calls it. I’m now in New York, where my love of singing has led me after years of adoring Broadway music and fascination with places like Lin...

I took a walk yesterday-- the first day out of school!!! Awesome. I'd seen one of the pop-up pianos at Highbridge Park during our 2nd-3rd grade historical field trip, and I wanted to know more!!! Imagine my excitement when I saw a brightly painted piano in my very own beloved Inwood HIlls Park. I met my neighbor and her cute 2-year-old there yesterday, and we played our best renditions of 'chopsticks' and 'heart and soul', and then we attempted to sight-read a few of the very multicultural songs provided at the piano... We paid homage to Mozart, we made plans to reconvene at the piano for more music soon, and we went on our merry way. Today: I went for my noon sunshine walk. A cute elementary-school-aged girl and her mother were at the piano, getting ready to play their rendition of 'Lean On Me.' I encouraged this, singing along with my most soulful sound. When they were through, I plopped down and warmed up my fingers with a couple of rusty scales,...

So I've been thinking about my submission to the Blooming Arts Festival coming up in a couple of weeks and how to make it a truly wonderful expression of my faith and my testimony of scripture. This weekend I attended an amazing symposium-- a conference hosted by the young single adult organization of the New York Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible. I loved it! The presenters helped me take stock of my Bible awareness. I was reminded of the importance of becoming aware of language and culture in order to gain a better understanding of the context from which the Bible came. I was enlightened as to several modern translations of the Bible that are doctrinally consistent with LDS teachings. Best of all, I heard live testimony from living apostles, seers, and revelators about the truths in the Bible and the incredible opportunity the Bible gives us to learn about God's patterns as...

Writing a novel is a great way to improve your language skills!! Here's an excerpt from my first complete novel, written about 6-7 years ago. Enjoy! It all started the day they had the assembly at her school with The Author. Helooked normal. He had brown hair, bespectacled eyes, and a beard and moustache. Hewore a suit, smiled, and held a book in his hand. As he looked over the vast group of assembled children, poking at each other, laughing, and looking at him curiously, he smiled in a very relaxed way. He and the principal were having a little conversation and seemed to be good friends... Then he began to speak. And when he spoke, everyone became quiet. He had a soft voice, but he talked of the most wonderful things. He talked about creating worlds. He talked about creating people. He talked about writing stories. He said that in your stories, you could decide everything. You could decide whoyou wanted in your story, how tall they were, and what they liked to eat for dinner. Y...

Writing a novel is a great way to improve your language skills!! Here's an excerpt from my first complete novel, written about 6-7 years ago. Enjoy! It all started the day they had the assembly at her school with The Author. Helooked normal. He had brown hair, bespectacled eyes, and a beard and moustache. Hewore a suit, smiled, and held a book in his hand. As he looked over the vast group of assembled children, poking at each other, laughing, and looking at him curiously, he smiled in a very relaxed way. He and the principal were having a little conversation and seemed to be good friends... Then he began to speak. And when he spoke, everyone became quiet. He had a soft voice, but he talked of the most wonderful things. He talked about creating worlds. He talked about creating people. He talked about writing stories. He said that in your stories, you could decide everything. You could decide whoyou wanted in your story, how tall they were, and what they liked to eat for dinner. Y...