God sent his Singers upon earth With songs of sadness and of mirth, That they might touch the hearts of men, And bring them back to heaven again. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Auditions! Concerts! Solos! Performances! An audience! All things that have some singers tying knots in their knickers and internally melting down. I'd like to just take a minute to share my thoughts here. I have always maintained that singing is all about performing. In your singing voice you have an innate ability to impart sounds that non-singers cannot, and thus, you should do so. Of course being able to sing in and for itself, and in private, is also fine, but the true singing voice is primarily a performance asset. 1. Audition, audition, audition I was given this advice at around the age of 18 by a casting director, and it has been one of the most useful things I was ever told. If there is an opportunity to audition, take it. It doesn't matter whether you would give your right arm for the role or opportunity, or if you know you're wrong for it or won't get through. In this case it really is the taking part that counts. By auditioning you are honing both your performance and your preparation skills. 2. Understand your lyrics I'm sure we've all sat through solos where the performer clearly doesn't understand or convey the meaning of what they are singing. That lucky soul may possess the ability to remember lyrics, but unless they can learn to interpret them they may as well not have bothered. If you are singing a song from a musical or opera it is essential that you watch the whole show and find out the context of that song. Not only will it help fill out the character you are portraying, but it will automatically create the dynamics and emotional tone of your song. 3. More is more There is no such thing as overacting in a solo performance. How many times have we sat uncomfortably through a song we know (and often love) where the singer is standing rigidly in front of us, not moving, not conveying any facial expression and just banging out the notes? That may just scrape you through an exam but it won't get you a repeat slot at any concert I'd pay money for! Take your character and run with it. And remember, you may think you are gilding the lily but you're probably doing only just enough. 4. Sack the critics What do Stephen Fry, Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Elton (among many, many others) all have in common? They NEVER read reviews about their work. Simply put, it isn't healthy or productive. On a more sinister note it can even cause serious damage to your subconscious performing ability. Issues around self esteem and inhibitions are usually at the root of most people's fear of performing solo. Reading what someone thought of you the day after you screwed your courage to the sticking place and actually did it, can destroy months, sometimes years of hard work. And remember, as Benjamin Disraeli once famously said, "Critics are those who have failed in literature and art." 5. Be kind Lastly, and perhaps the most difficult thing to learn, is to be kind about every performance. This means always encouraging those who get the role when you don't, and don't do as well as they might. Always think how you would like to be treated. But most importantly, and I cannot stress this enough, be kind to yourself. Things go wrong on the night. They always have, and they always will. That microphone that 'someone forgot to switch on', that person sitting three rows back from the front eye-balling you, the heart-stopping moment the lyrics just vanish from your mind. Solos aren't all about how well you perform, they are also about how well you manage the bumps. So be kind to yourself, give yourself a pat on the back and start looking forward to the next opportunity. Note: These last two are going to form the basis of a much longer blog at a later date, as it's something that lies very close to my heart.
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AuthorWhat I'm up to and what I'm thinking about. Nothing special! Archives
November 2019
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