Flor Balbis

Which musician has influenced you the most? 
I grew up listening to a lot of music, especially South American folk music: Alfredo Zitarrosa, Los Olimareños, Jaime Roos, Eduardo Mateo, Silvio Rodriguez, Buena Vista Social Club, Vinicius de Moraes, Tom Jobim, Chavela Vargas, Mercedes Sosa. From most of them, I learned the power of music in communicating a strong message about freedom and justice. I discovered Jazz when I was a teenager. Jazz is possibly one of the few popular genres in music where nobody is expecting you to sing the song as it was originally written! I fell in love with that freedom. Apart from the Holy Trinity (Ella, Billie, and Sarah) I would say that Anita O'Day, Sheila Jordan, and Chet Baker are definitely an inspiration for me. I love their simplicity, their beautiful melodies, and their adventurous yet not- technically pretentious approach to music. And last but not least: I'm a huge Beatles fan and, like all irrational fans, I believe it is not necessary to explain why I believe they were an incredible band :P

What can you teach me about your instruments different than any other teacher? 
We will work on technique, interpretation, repertoire, and you will sing your favorite songs, YES! But there's more than that, or better yet... What's behind all that?... The voice is an incredible and complex instrument: It's invisible and inside our body! It's crossed and permeated by our feelings, sensations, and emotions. Therefore, each voice is unique, and the relationship we establish with our instrument will also be unique. How does your voice sound free of tension, judgment, and fear? How does your unique voice sound? I propose to guide you on the path to discover all your possibilities, so that you build your vocal identity, and your voice as a singer, in a healthy and safe way. For me, it's important that you know what's behind each exercise, and that the lessons are not an accumulation of strange and cryptic exercises in an eternal loop. Know your instrument! If we don't know why we do what we do, why do we repeat it? What are we looking for with each exercise? Where are we aiming? I want those questions to have their answers, so that practice and study are truly effective.  My experience as a teacher and mainly as a singer allows me to provide you with tools and strategies so that you can make the songs your own. Let's work together!

How did you learn to play your instrument?
I started studying singing when I was 15. I was extremely shy and introverted, and it was really hard for me to even tell my parents that I wanted to take lessons! Maybe that's why I chose an instrument that wouldn't expose me so much...just kidding ;). I studied with many teachers, and while they were all excellent singers and I learned a lot (especially about losing my shyness and singing in front of an audience) unfortunately most of them had little information on how to teach the instrument, and the classes ended up being 30 minutes of repetitive exercises and 30 minutes of me singing a song receiving a lot of subjective opinions and little feedback on how to really improve it and solve the obstacles it presented. I was always very curious and a bit (quite a bit) nerdy, so for me to systematize my study, understand why I was doing those exercises, why I wasn't able to achieve certain things, etc., was and is very important. After almost 10 years of "repertorist" teachers, I was lucky enough to meet teachers who were passionate about teaching, empathetic, observant, and had a lot of knowledge about how the voice works. This completely changed my relationship with my instrument, and motivated me to train myself much more on the subject. That's why I continue studying, and that's why I enjoy teaching twice: not only do I learn from my students, but I also try to offer what it took me so many years to find :)

On what equipment do you play today?
For live performances, I usually carry my own voice monitor. It's the TC-Helicon "Sing thing", vocal processor, and speaker. That and the ever-praised SM58 mic.

What personal trait has helped you when you practice the most? 
Curiosity and perseverance. These two qualities allow me to continue studying and learning.

What does your instrument have that others don't? 
Super portable, cutting-edge manufacturing, cheap, versatile, and with updates available whenever you want ;)

What do you pay special attention to when you teach?
Creating a relationship of trust and security with each student is fundamental in my classes, especially in singing. Singing is a tremendously personal discipline, it moves emotions, and it moves the body. Many people have had bad experiences or even traumatic experiences related to singing, or music in general. Each person brings with them their experiences, their stories, and their previous knowledge, no one comes to a class "empty", and therefore only by taking all of that into account is it possible to build a class that is truly beneficial and meaningful.

How do you build up your music lessons? 
Although each class is different and varies depending on the student and how they feel that day, in very general terms, the class is structured as follows: it begins with warm-up exercises for both the body and the voice. We will try to get rid of excess tension, then we will train your voice with exercises that allow you to expand and homogenize your register, explore new sounds, and of course, apply all of that to songs. I always save some minutes to talk about what we did, for questions, etc.

What do you proceed with children? 
Mainly through games: character voices, stories, rhythmic, melodic games, etc. It is important to me that they experience music from enjoyment, joy, freedom. For this, the expectations of the child's parents or guardians must also be aligned with non-demands and non-pressure on their learning process.

What was until now your greatest experience as a musician? 
As a musician, performing for Sheila Jordan was an experience I will always treasure. But without a doubt, the experience that has changed me the most as a musician was definitely migrating. Moving to another continent not only allowed me to meet and have the opportunity to play and create with wonderful musicians from very diverse backgrounds but distancing myself from my own roots has made me value what has always been there. That is why, for a few years now, my music has begun to merge with Latin American rhythms. 

What was the largest stage that you've performed on? 
Back in Argentina, I performed in "Usina del Arte", a beautiful venue in Buenos Aires :)

Which musician would you like to play with?
I would have loved to share a stage with Anita O'Day. She has definitely inspired me throughout these years.

Which record would you bring to a desert island? 
The hardest question! Revolver from the Beatles, could be one.. 

On which stage do you prefer to perform?
Anywhere! As long as it has good sound, a friendly technician (willing to talk to singers ;) ), and a respectful audience.

After music, what is important in your life?
Art in general, nature, animals, and everything that brings me a little closer to understanding the Universe...all that and the Internet, of course.