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In voice lessons, the focus tends to lie in two areas: technique work and learning new music. However, as I have gained experience as a voice teacher, I have grown to appreciate the usefulness of sightreading for all my vocal students, not just for choir singers.
Sightreading is the ability to 'read' a piece of music without the aid of another musical instrument. In choir, sightreading is extremely important. Most choirs get relatively little time to learn a new piece with their ensemble, so being able to quickly learn a piece with little preparation is key. High school singers also must master sightreading because the competitions have a sightreading component to the student's audition. Even if you are not part of a choir, however, sightreading is quite nice to have as a skill. Aside from being able to learn a song quicker, sightreading gives you insight into how music and melody are structured. Sightreading also gives you an option on learning music when you cannot sing due to illness or have no musical instrument to aid your learning. Last, sightreading is seen as a sign of a professional musician, who does not need a recording to learn their music. DWS One of the primary focuses for voice lessons is improving how singers breathe. This seems elementary, but it is actually quite difficult due to the levels of stress and constraints we all feel on a daily basis. I suspect the improvement in breathing is actually why articles in newspapers have found evidence that singing improves our health; not only does singing help emotionally, it also has a physical benefit through releasing stress by proper breathing and posture.
There are a lot of things I can go into about breathing, but here is a quick, easy tip: Do not suck in your stomach when you breathe! This is the exact opposite of what your body naturally does when it takes a deep, relaxing breath. Rather, you should feel your stomach and lower ribs move out in inhalation, and slowly move back in during exhalation. I will discuss this more in my next post. DWS As some of you know, I have been going through a rough time lately with some events in my life. Singing when you are going through an emotional time in your life is perhaps the most difficult exercise in an artist's career. For most of us, we get involved in singing BECAUSE it allows us to release and feel emotions we cannot express in words. But if you have to perform professionally, you have a responsibility to your audience to give a professional performance, regardless of the current circumstances of your life.
I don't pretend to have a fix-all solution to how to sing when you are emotional. I imagine most people cope in different ways in order to remain effective as a singer. However, what helps me is that ultimately is that my singing is a way to help others. People do not pay me to sing because they want me to feel good about myself, but rather to help the audience experience certain emotions - joy, sadness, you name it. I can experience those emotions on my own during practice; but in performance mode, I am all business in trying to help the audience cope or experience joy with their lives. DWS I have not blogged in a week because I am starting a new, year long project: the release of a commercial CD. It will be composed of musical theater standards (Sondheim, Rogers and Hammerstein etc....) and it is amazing how many details have to be taken care of. The first step is a concert series that I am starting to develop, partly to try out the possible selections for the CD, and see how audiences respond to them. So, keep tuned and I will let you know when the concerts are this summer and fall!
DWS It has been about two months since I have a long practice session singing my arias, songs etc...I went on vacation in January, got sick in February, and then suffered the aftereffects of the cold/allergies up until today. Singing while sick was simply was not worth it because I did not have my normal range and stamina to accurately judge my progress.
Well, today I sang, and it felt almost foreign to me. While everything is working as it should, the singing felt like meeting an old friend from high school - awkward at first, and then quite fun as you realize how much you still have in common. Perhaps not the perfect metaphor, but I hope you understand what I am trying to write. It was good to be singing, even if it will take a while to get back to 100%. DWS One of the opportunities for singers to advance without working for a company is to enter a singing competition. There are hundreds of competitions across the US, though many are intended for a certain geographic area. The problem is that competitions tend to have a fee associated with them, begging the question, should I enter X competition? Here are some factors to look into:
1) Monetary Risk vs. Reward - The risk is how much money and time you will spend to enter the competition. You need to factor in airfare, hotel, meals, transportation, as well as the time to prepare for the competition. The reward, of course, is the money if you win a prize. Look at both, and figure out if the prize money is really worth it considering your expenses. 2) Side-Benefits: If you do win the competition, does it have additional benefits aside from the prize money? Some competitions are so well known that if you win a prize, you will gain professional contacts, additional jobs, and reputation within the industry. 3) Skill Level of Entrants: Are you at the same level as your fellow singers? Do you have a credible shot at winning or placing in the competition? Thanks to the internet, you can often find out previous winners and see the winners' experience level. DWS One of my soprano students recently did the Solo/Ensemble Auditions and scored lower than we thought she would. Needless to say, she was very disappointed. Literally the week after she auditioned for one of the top music schools in the South, with the SAME song. The professors LOVED her voice. As they started asking questions about her choral and solo background, they asked how she did at the Solo competition. When she told them her score, they were shocked and obviously thought that judge graded her incorrectly.
This little (and true) story illustrates how subjective auditions are. No matter how well you sing, sometimes that one judge will not like you. This does not mean you sang poorly. It simply means that person's musical tastes did not mesh with you voice, and on any other given day, another judge may LOVE your voice. The conclusion: Take negative results lightly...life happens. Sometimes, you just get the wrong set of ears. Keep singing and find the people who LOVE your voice and want you to go far. DWS I will be posting results from the Region Solo Competition solo soon, but I thought I would let some of the judges speak about how my students sang last weekend with some VERY nice quotes.
"Beautiful performance...so expressive...love all the dynamics you added" "A superior musical performance...excellent tone quality...fantastic diction" "WOW, what a great voice...Sing in college!" "Tone is Superior...what excellent technique...so very musical in every element...such a great future!" "Excellent vowels....Nice diction" I have more but I don't want to brag too much. Congratulations to everyone for a job well done! DWS The sad fact is that auditions are a very, VERY subjective experience. No matter how well you sing and present yourself, so many factors remain out of control. The key to successful auditioning, as in life, is your attitude and how you approach both the good and the bad.
After an audition, try not to criticize yourself immediately. Go out and have a cup of coffee, read a book etc...Try to give yourself 24 hours to process the audition and gain some distance from the event. After those 24 hours, sit down and evaluate yourself. How did you feel it went? Try to list both positives and negatives. Then set some goals for the next audition or practice session. For most professional jobs, you will not hear a response, positive or negative, for weeks or even months. The most important thing is to MOVE ON, and keep auditioning. Lingering over 'what could have been' prevents you from seeing opportunities in the future. As in life, you must 'roll with the punches' in auditions. Eventually, you will hit a home run. But you DO have to keep trying. DWS Just wanted to tell my high school students to break a leg tomorrow! Good luck with your solos!
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