Month: May 2014

In recent weeks most of my students have been involved in some form of performance or other.  For some, this was their first foray into public performance, and for others one of a long list of recital opportunities they have experienced.  

I am a firm believer that performance is a huge part of learning to be a musician, and consequently encourage all my pupils to participate in the opportunities for singing in public which are available to them – even if they are reticent to do so!  I am fortunate that in both places where I work there are a wide range of performing opportunities open to my students ‘on the doorstep’, but I also make an effort to provide them with other ways to develop their skills when and where appropriate by encouraging them to participate in music festivals, competitions, external concerts and masterclasses.

The art of ‘performance’ is so much more than singing (or playing!) a piece of music in front of people – and it really is an Art.  Whilst I took part in many school concerts when I was younger, and considered myself an ‘experienced’ performer, it was not until I was at University and studying singing with more focus that I began to really understand how many things contribute towards a polished and poised performance.

Of course, the piece of music – and one’s rendition of it – is central to the success of any performance.  It is this which is the focus of lessons and practice time for the person on stage, and what the audience turn up for.  Without a piece which is well prepared, all the ‘fripperies’ of stagecraft (or how to perform well) are almost pointless – which is why so few teachers concern themselves with the ‘extras’ until much further into the learning process.  Having learned the hard way how important these other things are, I have made a concerted effort to educate my students from their very first performance so that they learn the basics initially, and then develop them along with their technique.  Naturally my expectations increase along with the technical demands of their repertoire, and thus performance confidence grows alongside the technique.

So, what are the extras which might need taking into consideration?  The way you look (how you dress – not the need for a crash diet or Botox!), the way you walk on stage, the manner in which you introduce your performance, how you interact with the accompanist(s)/ orchestra / conductor, the way you cope with ‘blips’ in the performance, how you acknowledge appreciation, and the way in which you leave your stage are all included in what we loosely term as ‘Stagecraft’.  

And how do I teach these things?  Naturally much of this is taught as I discuss a performance in the weeks leading up to it during lessons.  My students practise their introductions before singing their pieces, we discuss what they will wear, and they rehearse with their pianists so we can iron out any problems.  We also discuss how to deal with things that might go wrong, and develop coping mechanisms.  After a performance we de-brief, talking about how that particular performance went, and what the student can learn for the next time.  

The students at school also have an annual Performance Class.  This is taken by one of the vocal teachers in the department, and is organised in small groups of students by year group.  The girls meet with the teacher and allocate one lesson slot to a discussion of these issues, consolidated by the opportunity to put what they have talked about into practice in front of the rest of the group.  This is an excellent forum for all students and teachers.  The students are in a relaxed environment where they can practise the skills they are developing, and gain instant feedback on how well they achieved their objectives.  Ideas instigated in lessons are the object of specific focus, and the students leave the session better prepared for the next time these skills are required.  For the staff it gives the opportunity to see other students of other teachers, gain new ideas, think about good teaching practice, and encourages discussion within the department about development of students.  It also allows the teachers to observe students in a different way – taking a step back and seeing them afresh.

There are many studies and articles written by academics about the benefits of musical education on all aspects of academic life.  The Stagecraft skills practised by my students naturally adapt to any form of public speaking or dramatic performance, as well as developing confidence and awareness of interacting and working with others, the importance of appearance when in formal situations, and the simple ability to stand in front of others and present.  What a fantastic skill set to establish in any person! 

Apologies for the radio silence – things were somewhat manic at the end of term, and then there was a holiday… still, I promise to try and post more regularly!

Many of my students get exceedingly bored by me constantly talking about the words in their songs.  Of course, text is something which is totally unique to singers amongst musicians, and something which instrumentalists rarely, if ever, have to consider when preparing their pieces.  Whilst my students must often despair as I once again ask: ‘So, what’s this song about?’ it is vital to any singer to have this thought at the centre of all they do with their song.

Back in March at the Audrey Hyland Masterclass at the Academy, as well as confronting the singers with ‘WHY?’ (see earlier post) she talked about the idea of a ‘tree of words’.  Whenever a lyricist, librettist, or poet sets out to compose their text they have an infinite number of words to choose from to convey their ideas.  One of the wonderful things about language is simply the vast range of options available to us, each of which has its own subtle nuance from other possible synonyms.   Audrey suggested that to remain fully connected to the text at all times, the singer should put themselves in the place of the poet, and reach out and choose each word they sing, as though selecting it from a ‘tree of possibilities’ for the very first time.  When singers really do this, the audience is totally convinced that they are feeling these emotions personally and ‘in the moment’, rather than a performance having a sense of having been learned and prepared (although of course, any performance has indeed been very carefully thought through beforehand!).

As well as considering the immediate text in front of them, the singer must also research the context of their song.  If it comes from an opera or oratorio, it is part of a narrative, and thus to be fully convincing, they must be aware of the ‘backstory’ and of what happens as a consequence of their song or aria.  

If the song is in a foreign language, singers must hunt down an accurate translation (not just relying on a florid English translation which fits the music!) so that they understand every word and nuance as if the piece were in their native tongue.  This certainly requires much effort, but is essential if you wish to sing your piece with connection and understanding.

It is often with pieces in English that we are most lazy however.  We assume an understanding without analysis of the text, and it is often some weeks into the process of learning a new piece that my students finally stop to consider what it is they are actually singing.  The assumption that we know how to pronounce all the words is particularly dangerous; we are careless in our attention to detail, and words frequently get lost because we are lazy in our enunciation of each syllable.  

I am a stickler for word clarity (much to the irritation of every one of my students!) and firmly believe that if the words cannot be heard clearly, then there is no point in singing anything other than a vowel.  I myself was trained with this thought, and cannot (nor would I wish to!) un-think it, or take it as anything other than central to good singing technique.

Achieving word clarity is simple: you have to work the lips, teeth and tongue as if trying to make words intelligible to a deaf old lady sitting at the back of your performance space.  If you can be lip-read from a distance, you are probably working hard enough!

This weekend at the Abingdon Festival I was delighted to have my students adjudicated by Ann Lampard.  She cares hugely about words being projected correctly and that students should understand the context of what they are singing – as well as singing repertoire with text appropriate for their age and maturity!  Ann discussed these issues at length with some students in their Masterclasses, and quoted none other than Dame Janet Baker, who once said to her:

‘There is absolutely no point in being able to sing sixteen bars of music in one breath, if you have nothing meaningful to say’.

What a wonderful thought for all of those students out there who don’t see the point of caring about the words!