It takes a caring community to raise a child that will be a whole person and a contributing citizen. Jessye Norman More Quotes by Jessye Norman More Quotes From Jessye Norman I was given a stethoscope in a child's 'doctor's bag' at about age six and I loved it! One could hear the heart beating through that plastic toy. Jessye Norman heartlovechildren One has to draw upon one's own musical thoughts and one's own musical acumen, and not to be afraid to let that come into one's work. Perhaps that comes with more experience, but perhaps it also comes with daring, and believing that you should. Jessye Norman thoughtsyouexperiencework I am not one to equate dress size and artistic performance. Jessye Norman dressi-amperformancesize We singers have a different level of responsibility from other musicians. We have words that we must convey; we have meanings that we must convey through these lyrics. Jessye Norman lyricsmusicianswordsresponsibility There have been occasions - and I think it's very good for any human being that such occasions would be rare - that one would feel that one is a channel, and there have been some occasions when it seemed as though I was standing outside of myself watching and listening to myself sing. Jessye Norman feelgoodmyselfthink As for my voice, it cannot be categorised - and I like it that way, because I sing things that would be considered in the dramatic, mezzo or spinto range. Jessye Norman thingslikevoiceway I would like to see more African-American singers as part of our opera companies. If you take music and the arts out of the public schools, then you're going to lose a lot of people that you might have discovered were talented, very early. Jessye Norman loseyoumusicpeople Growing up in Augusta in such a protected and loving community is something that I really enjoy talking about. I love talking about - even though I grew up, of course, in the time of segregated schools: Brown vs. Board of Education came along after I was already in first grade. Jessye Norman communityeducationtimelove I enjoy reading about the lives of musicians, and find many similarities in their ideas of preparation and their utter devotion to this great, eternal language: music. Jessye Norman greatenjoymusicreading One of the reasons that I take such joy in being a trustee of the New York Public Library is the love of reading that I found as a child in the Saturday morning library events for preschoolers and first and second graders as I was growing up in Augusta, GA. Jessye Norman libraryjoymorninglove My parents said to us, practically on a daily basis, that we were as good as anyone else on this earth, and that we would simply have to work harder in order to show that. Jessye Norman dailyparentsgoodwork If I were not able to separate the art from the artists, I think I would limit myself a great deal, and life wouldn't be nearly as interesting. Jessye Norman greatmyselflifeart
