Studio Class

About the Show

Let me be your diva sidekick when it comes to staying focused and extra sparkly in your singing career.

Megan Ihnen is a professional mezzo-soprano, teacher, writer, and arts entrepreneur who is passionate about helping other musicians and high art creative professionals live their best lives.

Studio Class is an outgrowth of her popular #29DaystoDiva series from The Sybaritic Singer blog. Did you feel like you simply ran out of time during studio class to talk about some of the necessary business elements of your career? Do not despair, divas! This podcast is meant for you!

Your Host

Megan Ihnen

Studio Class on Social Media

Episode List

Episode 15: What Are Your Diva Metrics?

August 13th, 2017 | 25 mins 17 secs
choosing goals, classical singing, micro actions, new music, opera, singer goals, singer metrics

In this 15th episode, I’m answering a listener question! Mary, who goes by the artist name Alarke, asked me, “What metrics do you use to monitor your growth and how often do you check them? Do you outsource help?"

Episode 14: Brand Yourself - Personal Branding for Divas

August 6th, 2017 | 27 mins 16 secs
branding, classical singing, opera, personal brand, singer

Personal branding is important for singers because you are your own business. In this episode, we'll go over some activities that you can do to understand your personal brand better.

Episode 13: Build A Diva

July 30th, 2017 | 27 mins 10 secs
EPK, bio, classical singing, press kit, resume, singer

Your digital press kit (often also called an electronic press kit or EPK) is meant to collate important information about you as a singer for presenters, applications, and media professionals.

Episode 12: Make It Rain: Your Network = Your Net Worth

April 2nd, 2017 | 25 mins 42 secs
classical singing, communications, diva, networking

In this 12th episode, we’re going back to my “Rainmaker’s Guide to Music Business” lecture and diving into the network portion.

Episode 11: Goal Setting for Your Diva Life

March 19th, 2017 | 16 mins 23 secs
classical singing, diva, goal-setting, metrics, opera

Goal setting is all about milestones. Let's discover where you are and what's left to tackle.

Episode 10: Leveling Up - Diva Style

March 12th, 2017 | 49 mins 36 secs
auditions, classical music, networking, opera singing, performing

This episode comes from a music business lecture I do called "Make It Rain" and it covers the different stages of your creative career.

Episode 9: Your Practice Plan

February 26th, 2017 | 34 mins 4 secs
classical singing, intrinsic motivation, memorization techniques, opera, setting intentions

In this 9th episode, I’m gonna take a little different path. I’m going to just talk about some things that I’ve been mentioning in the studio. I work with singers of all different ages and abilities and motivation and practicing are universal.

Episode 8: Kicking Perfectionism to the Curb

February 19th, 2017 | 17 mins
classical singing, opera, overpreparing, perfectionism, under-doing

In this episode, I want to talk about the dangers of perfectionism. Perfectionism can manifest in a couple of ways and we’re going to talk about over-doing and under-doing as a couple of things to watch out for as well as how to accept both failure and success as part of the path.

Episode 7: The Post-Show Schmooze

February 12th, 2017 | 19 mins 20 secs
audience development, classical singing, networking, opera, schmooze

Get your post-show schmooze on, divas, with this quick and fun punchlist! This Studio Class episode helps you decipher what an audience member or performer can do to up their schmoozing game directly after a performance.

Episode 6: Create Your Singing Team

February 5th, 2017 | 35 mins 53 secs
Gertrude Stein, auditions, classical music, opera singing, performing, salons, singer

You have heard it said before, “it takes a village.” The simple truth in that statement is that we are only one person and have only 24 hours in a day. When we combine a reliable and skilled team of people the effort can be exponentially broadened.

Episode 5: The Audition is Never Over!

January 29th, 2017 | 26 mins 55 secs
auditions, classical music, opera singing, performing

Observe and learn from those that you find the most charismatic. You do not have to mimic their actions, speaking-style, or look. Simply identify what it is you find most engaging about them and see how you could apply that technique to your own life.

Episode 4: Audition Like You Mean It!

January 22nd, 2017 | 24 mins 57 secs
auditions, classical music, opera singing, performing

If you are one of those poor souls who dreads auditions (as many of us do) make preparation your ally against all anxiety. Auditioning is truly a separate art form than singing or stage performance and it is the place where divas are made. If you can audition well, you can practically take over the world.

Episode 3: Take the Leap!

January 15th, 2017 | 24 mins 57 secs
arts business, opera singing, self permission, taking risks

Be the most successful and happy version of yourself and you will be a light and empower those around you. Let’s talk about self permission and your singing career.

Episode 2: Wobble & Be Brave

January 8th, 2017 | 15 mins 34 secs
brave, classical singing, diva, opera, singer

I want to see you be brave! This is all about looking fear and trepidation in the face and saying, "I can do this." Your goal for today is "act now."

Episode 1: What's a Diva Audit?

January 1st, 2017 | 22 mins 23 secs
arts business, classical singing, diva, diva audit, opera

A good business, whatever its size, must keep good records to measure performance. As your star rises, it is important to take stock of where you are and the goals you have accomplished along the way. Studio Class, like 29 Days to Diva, is all about little challenges designed to help you create a mission, long-term goals, and strategies. Make sure you are getting the most out of your hard work by doing your Diva Audit today.