Your Passaggi Professor with Sarah Neely

Sarah Neely
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Your Passaggi Professor with Sarah Neely is a podcast for singers that provides tools to help you bridge the gap between the "hard" skills you learn in your music degree and the "soft" skills needed to live a focused, intentional life. We’ll talk about mindset, emotional regulation, boundaries and more, so you can navigate the passaggi of your life both on and off the stage. yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com

  1. Aug 3

    Duality and Duende

    What happens when your performance goes sideways in the moment — and you still leave the stage laughing? In this season finale of Your Passaggi Professor, Sarah Neely takes you inside two concerts in Madrid: a performance of the Carceleras by Chapí that went off script, the old mindset voice that crept back in afterward, and the second concert that landed her performance in the inbox of Chapí’s own granddaughter. Sarah also unpacks duende — the flamenco concept her program’s teachers introduced this trip — and the surprise of being voted by her colleagues as the performance with the most duende of the whole program. You’ll learn: * Why a mistake on stage doesn’t have to define how the performance felt * How old, unhelpful beliefs can resurface even after real success * What duende means, and why preparation is part of getting there ✨ Coming next: This is the last episode of the season — Sarah’s taking a few weeks off to reset before the next university semester. Before Season 3, she wants to hear from you: what’s been most helpful about the podcast, and what you’d like more of. 🎧 Subscribe & Review If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen. It helps this podcast reach more singers who need these tools. 📲 Connect with Sarah Send a DM on Instagram — @sarahsingersmindset — and let Sarah know what’s been useful, and what you’d like Season 3 to cover. 🎵 Music Credit “Carpe Diem” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com

    Duality and Duende

  2. Jul 21

    Scarcity vs. Growth Mindset

    Have you ever had a sudden barrage of negative thoughts right before a lesson, an audition, or a new program —one that tells you everyone else is going to be better than you, and that you have no business being there at all? In this episode, Sarah talks you through an experience she had in Madrid, where she caught herself falling into exactly that trap mid-masterclass. She walks through the comparison spiral in real time, including the specific tools she used to catch it, calm her body down, and stay grounded in the middle of singing under less-than-ideal conditions. You’ll learn: * How to recognize the comparison trap— and why it shows up as more than just “vocal” comparison * The difference between scarcity mindset and growth mindset, and how to turn a moment of jealousy into something specific and actionable * A real-time example of catching a spiral mid-masterclass * Why beating yourself up for having these thoughts in the first place only makes the spiral worse ✨ Coming next: Sarah will wrap up the summer season of the podcast after two concerts in Madrid, and more from this trip is on the way — including how these same tools hold up under real performance pressure, not just in the practice room or masterclass setting. 🔔 Subscribe & Review If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen. It helps this podcast reach more singers who need these tools. 📲 Connect with Sarah Follow along on Instagram: @sarahsingersmindset Link in bio to join the weekly newsletter and learn more about coaching opportunities. 🎵 Music Credit “Carpe Diem” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com

    Scarcity vs. Growth Mindset

  3. Jul 13

    Five Trips, One Ball Pit, and a Zarzuela

    What does it actually take to prepare for something important when nothing about the circumstances is ideal? In this episode of Your Passaggi Professor, Sarah records live from the middle of her most chaotic prep season yet — her fourth of five back-to-back summer trips, over 24 hours of travel to reach Germany, real jet lag, and repertoire prepped everywhere from a tiny Mexico condo to a San Antonio hotel room to her brother’s basement playroom (ball pit included). With a Spanish diction course and two concerts of Spanish music just days away, Sarah walks through the real mindset shifts and practical tools she’s using to prepare — including a detailed, real-time breakdown of untangling a memorization mix-up in Chapí’s “Carceleras.” You’ll learn: * Why self-blame (”I’m not focused enough”) doesn’t serve you, even when it’s technically true * How to memorize without ever making a sound — marking, mouthing text along to recordings, and speaking rhythm through conducting * Why drilling text in random order builds real recall, while practicing straight through just builds momentum * How to use score study and harmonic shifts as aural memory landmarks * A real example of building specific word and image associations to stop two similar passages from blurring together * Why expecting mistakes in rehearsal — and having a plan for them — builds a stronger memory than expecting perfection * The one preparation rule that has nothing to do with mindset: what never leaves Sarah’s carry-on This episode ties into Sarah’s ongoing thread this season on the pastiche career — the patchwork, non-linear nature of a singer’s professional life. This time, that patchwork shows up literally, in the string of imperfect spaces she’s had to turn into practice rooms. 💬 Sarah wants to know: What do you do to stay prepared when you’re on the road or the circumstances are less than ideal? Send her a message on Instagram, she’d love to hear your tools. ✨ Coming next: Sarah puts these tools to the test under real pressure, and shares how it’s going. 🔔 Subscribe & Review If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen. It helps this podcast reach more singers who need these tools. 📲 Connect with Sarah Follow along on Instagram: @sarahsingersmindset Link in bio to join the weekly newsletter and learn more about coaching opportunities. 🎵 Music Credit “Carpe Diem” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com

    Five Trips, One Ball Pit, and a Zarzuela

  4. Jul 6

    Bumping Into Your Old Self at a Conference

    This week Sarah is at her first national NATS conference in San Antonio — presenting with colleagues, reconnecting with old mentors, and standing in the same city where she did her master’s degree. It should feel like a full-circle moment. And it mostly does. But it also brings up something she didn’t expect: old scarcity thinking, old comparison spirals, and a version of herself she thought she’d outgrown. In this episode, you’ll learn: * Why scarcity and comparison mindsets can resurface even after you’ve done real work on your confidence * What happened when an old mentor retold a story from Sarah’s past — and why the discomfort that followed was actually useful information * Why awareness has to come before you can make any real change to a pattern * How the same tools that work for social or identity triggers apply directly to performance anxiety * Why you shouldn’t expect a triggered feeling to disappear immediately — and what to do instead * How to normalize being in the “messy middle” of change, without needing to have it all figured out ✨ Coming next: Adventures abroad and preparing repertoire while on the road. 📣 Resources & Mentions * Sarah’s Performance Anxiety series — Episodes 15 & 16 🔔 Subscribe & Review If this episode helped you, please share it with a fellow singer or creative who needs a dose of healthy self-confidence. And if you’re enjoying the podcast, leaving a rating and review is one of the best ways to help more singers find this work. 📲 Connect with Sarah * Instagram: @sarahsingersmindset * Newsletter: sarah-neely.kit.com/d7d3234f95 🎵 Music Credit “Carpe Diem” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com

    Bumping Into Your Old Self at a Conference

  5. Jun 29

    Scraped Knees and Reframed Stories

    This week, Sarah set out to have a fun, carefree vacation in Mexico — and ended up with a scraped-up knee, a stomach bug, and an unexpected case study in her own coaching tools. What started as an embarrassing scooter accident on a quick lunch run turned into a real-time lesson in noticing the stories we tell about ourselves, and why those stories matter more than the actual event. In this episode, you’ll learn: * Why noticing your thoughts — and not automatically buying into them — is so important, even when you have plenty of evidence to back the story up * The difference between excusing yourself out of accountability and giving yourself grace for where you were in the moment * Why becoming the next version of yourself requires thinking and acting in ways that don’t yet match who you currently are * How the stories we carry about ourselves, even unconsciously, can shape what we attract into our lives * Why reframing isn’t about ignoring what went wrong — it’s about choosing what you focus on moving forward ✨ Coming next:Next week, Sarah will be in San Antonio presenting at the National NATS Conference. 🔔 Subscribe & ReviewIf this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen. It helps this podcast reach more singers who need these tools. 📲 Connect with SarahInstagram: @sarahsingersmindset 🎵 Music Credit“Carpe Diem” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com

    Scraped Knees and Reframed Stories

  6. Jun 22

    Trial, Error, and the Beginner's Mindset

    I’m recording this one from a balcony in Mexico, coffee in hand, after a walk past more bougainvillea than I knew what to do with. This episode is less scripted, more freewheeling. It ended up touching on AI, rest, beginner’s mindset, and how to practice in a hotel room without losing your mind. Consider it a grab bag of hot tips from vacation brain. In this episode, you’ll learn: * Why I’m experimenting with a less-scripted format this week — and what prompted it * The tension between using AI to overcome resistance and using it in a way that skips real thinking * Why “B-minus and done” can be more valuable than perfect and never finished * What beginner’s mindset is and why it matters for technique, character work, and score study * Why I built a daily “slow start” into my schedule, and why rest doesn’t look the same for everyone * Practical strategies for practicing or warming up in less-than-ideal spaces, including SOVT options that don’t require a straw * Why drilling memorization, subtext work, and physicalized practice matter even when you can’t sing full out * How to reframe practicing under pressure as a form of performance practice 📣Resources & Mentions * Jules Acres — Slow Brew newsletter (inspiration for Sarah’s “slow start” routine) * Brené Brown and Adam Grant — conversation on AI and the value of thinking 🔔 Subscribe & Review If this episode helped you, please share it with a fellow singer or creative who needs a dose of healthy self-confidence. And if you’re enjoying the podcast, leaving a rating and review is one of the best ways to help more singers find this work. 📲 Connect with Sarah * Instagram: @sarahsingersmindset * Newsletter: sarah-neely.kit.com/d7d3234f95 🎵 Music Credit “Carpe Diem” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com

    Trial, Error, and the Beginner's Mindset

  7. Jun 15

    The Best Investment You'll Ever Make

    What’s the one investment that never loses its value — no matter what the economy does, what technology disrupts, or what unexpected detour life throws at you? In this episode, Sarah gets personal. Drawing on her own winding path through burnout, career pivots, and some unexpected detours, she makes the case that investing in your own mind, skills, and resilience is the most important thing a singer — or any creative person — can do. She also shares her current, evolving thinking on AI and adaptability in an uncertain world. You’ll learn: * Why an investment doesn’t have to pay off the way you expected to still be worth it * How career detours build the adaptability muscle you’ll draw on for the rest of your life * Why neuroplasticity — keeping your brain flexible and learning new things — matters long after formal education ends * How to think intentionally about where you invest your finite time and energy * Sarah’s current (and openly evolving) take on AI and what it means for singers ✨ Coming next: Season 2 continues — Sarah takes you on the road with her through a summer of performing, traveling, presenting, and learning. 🔔 Subscribe & Review If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen. It helps this podcast reach more singers who need these tools. 📲 Connect with Sarah Follow along on Instagram: @sarahsingersmindset Link in bio to join the weekly newsletter and grab your free resource, The Singer’s Survival Guide: 5 Mindset Shifts for Life, Auditions, and Everything In Between. 🎵 Music Credit “Carpe Diem” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com

    The Best Investment You'll Ever Make

  8. Jun 8

    The Pastiche Career:

    What if the non-linear, patchwork nature of a singer’s career isn’t a problem to solve — but actually the point? In this Season 2 premiere, Sarah introduces the concept of the pastiche career: the idea that a life in music is rarely a straight line, and that the patchwork of jobs, skills, roles, and creative projects that make up a singer’s career is something worth understanding — and even celebrating. Drawing on her own overwhelmingly full summer as a living example, Sarah reframes what it means to build a life in the arts. You’ll learn: * What pastiche means and why it’s the perfect metaphor for a singer’s career * Why the non-linear path is often presented negatively — and why that framing does singers a disservice * How even a “stable” university job is its own kind of pastiche * What it looks like to consciously choose this life — and own that choice * Why the adaptability you build in a pastiche career is one of the most valuable things you can develop as a human being ✨ Coming next: In the next episode, we’re continuing the conversation with a topic that came directly out of this one: investing in yourself, adaptability in an uncertain world, and why developing you is the most resilient thing you can do as an artist. 🔔 Subscribe & Review If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen. It helps this podcast reach more singers who need these tools. 📲 Connect with Sarah Follow along on Instagram: @your_passaggi_professor Link in bio to join the weekly newsletter and grab your free resource, The Singer’s Survival Guide: 5 Mindset Shifts for Life, Auditions, and Everything In Between. 🎵 Music Credit “Carpe Diem” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com

    The Pastiche Career:
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About

Your Passaggi Professor with Sarah Neely is a podcast for singers that provides tools to help you bridge the gap between the "hard" skills you learn in your music degree and the "soft" skills needed to live a focused, intentional life. We’ll talk about mindset, emotional regulation, boundaries and more, so you can navigate the passaggi of your life both on and off the stage. yourpassaggiprofessor.substack.com

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