This week:
This week we started our performance prep lessons!
How they have been different:
Usually our lessons are private, the student reads the lyrics while they sing, we use a laptop for sound - no microphone, all performance techniques are practiced in front of me, we use both hands.
At our performance prep classes, if the student has a regularly scheduled private lesson, we begin privately - warming up and working through any kinks they still feel like they have in their song. Then, I invite 2-8 other students to join us and we start a performance rotation.
We do a light warm up all together - which is beneficial to all the students not just for range extension purposes, but to hear and see other students using the same placements and doing the same funny things they are used to doing. They all feed off of each other from the get go with these exercises and it gets them in the mindset that they are all there together to support each other.
We then go over microphone techniques for everyone- as from here on out we will be using a sound system and a microphone.
Mic techniques:
1. The directional mic problem: Holding the mic in the right place is very important with a directional mic. If you hold the mic vertically, right below your mouth, the mic will pick up very little sound. If you hold the mic even an inch or two to either side of your mouth - the same thing happens! We call this "make your mouth see the top of the mic!"
2. Mic drops: Periodically in everyone's song they need to move the mic, taking it down to their mid-torso or to their side. This is done anytime there is a long enough gap between singing that they can bring the mic back up. This makes the student look more confident, gives them something to do with their hands, and gives them a chance to breath deeply without it sounding in the mic for the audience to hear.
3. Pulling the mic: While the mic is very directional, it is important to keep it in front of your mouth (above). However, when hitting the loudest notes, so that you don't have to change the volume levels several times through out the song, and so that the mic doesn't clip out - you add what's called "pulling the mic" . You keep the mic in the same place directionally and just move it directly backwards a few inches (depending on the volume of the note).
You also bring the mic closer to your mouth when singing a low or quiet note to help raise the volume and help give your voice a break from trying to push it more than you need to.
After going over mic techniques, I challenge my kids to "buy in" to weird performance things the same way they did in our first few voice lessons vocally. Performing, (because it's new, and let's be honest - can be weird and nerve-racking) needs to be approached in a way that makes it ok to feel weird. The same way each student bought in during the first few voice lessons - trusting that very soon it would all come together, sound awesome, and not feel so weird - I need them to buy into performing as well. This means they do bigger actions, move around the stage more, and copy my actions that they may feel silly doing - more than they're comfortable with. By doing this, we get them used to doing things big and moving while they sing. The more they do it - the more comfortable they are with it, and in turn - the more natural it looks!
Then, after teaching and telling them what to do - we start our performance round.
I have each student perform for the others (who are sitting in the actual front row of seats that we will have at the recital). The first time through, everyone does it twice - after each time we stop and talk about if they were nervous, what made them nervous, ways to improve, and i have the students in the audience say something they want to "steal" from the performing student's performance (or something that they did awesome that the students want to learn from and use in their own performance). The second time through for every single student is about 1000% easier for them, and better vocally since their nerves are much more settled.
At the top of each hour - when a new student joins the rotation, to warm up the new student and to get the other students back to a total relaxed place with their voice (in case they have moved out of it while singing their song in the last hour) we vocalize again - adding the new student to the "wow all these people do the same thing i do - this is cool" club, and allowing the students that have been there to be examples of "buying in", not feeling so silly, and helping the new ones feel more comfortable.
These lessons have been completely invaluable so far! Giving all my kids real - life performance experience to help it catch up with their awesome singing experience that they've gotten from voice lessons. Each one has improved AMAZING amounts, faced their fears, and realized that even if they are nervous the day of - it's going to be ok.
The goal of performance prep is not necessarily to make the kids feel completely at ease the day of - that is just unrealistic. I'm expecting each one of them to be nervous in front of a crowd of people they love. The goal is for them to form awesome habits, and to simulate what nervousness actually feels like - so that we know exactly how to deal with it! If they can feel and deal with these feelings over and over again in front of their peers - all the time learning that they're all there to support each other and that no matter what - it's going to be ok -- then it doesn't matter how nervous they get the day of the recital - they're going to be just fine.
It's rare to be able to create an environment that is both nerve racking and empowering for these kids - and performance prep has done just that! They get to see me talk to each of them the same way - suggesting things, correcting things, telling them how awesome they all are, and using the same lingo across the board.
Tatum: Tatum is incredible under pressure!! She told me how nervous she was to do it in front of ANYONE and then completely rose to the occasion. Every single time she went through the rotation - both performing and watching - she improved! With each new student that was added, she got to experience sheer terror again (just less every time) and then over come it. It was awesome!!
I'm so proud of her and can't WAIT to see her perform Saturday!!
Great job Tatum!!! See you soon!Labels: Tatum