The Importance of a Good Coach: Role Preparation

I was very fortunate to apprentice at the Lyric Opera of Chicago for two years at the beginning of my career.
We were provided international coaches, retired singers, and old grizzled conductors to train us.

It was intense, it was demanding, it made is realise how much we didn't know, and I think that was a good thing: it kept us humble and taught us to respect the music.

When I prepare a role I find someone who is smarter and/or more experienced than I. It is the only way to  learn the correct style and phrasing.
  

I see many young singers learning on their own, and then showing up to the first rehearsal unprepared.
The problem is the rehearsal process nowadays is short and intense. If an artist shows up unprepared,
they may not be able to catch up and be truly comfortable in the role.

Find the best coach, which may not be a pianist but an older singer, and invest  the time in proper study of the role. It is your duty, and the audience will appreciate your hard work.

Knowing Your Lyrics

I am lucky that I have had the opportunity to learn multiple languages in my life.
I speak 5 western languages and some Mandarin Chinese. 

Knowing a language when preparing a role is a great advantage. We can quickly grasp the text and with this understanding we can have a stronger, more true character. In doing so we convey much more power to the audience in our movements, voice, an inflections of the language.

When I watch a performance, I can usually spot an artist who really doesn't understand the words he or she is singing. This is sad, as the learning process can be much deeper and satisfying if we translate a role properly.

Why Do We Sing?

Some artists sing for money, for fame, for ego. 

I would hope that the main reason we perform is for the joy of performing, and share our gifts with the audience.  If as artists we truly sink ourselves in the role, the audience will know it.  If we stand there posturing, wanting people to notice us, to like us, then we are out there for the wrong reason. 

In the end, if we give of our heart when performing, we will receive our reward with applause from the audience. 

So, don’t worry about the audience, just use your skills, be the character you are singing, and let the chips fall where they may.

Breathing and Performance Nerves

Breathe.  

One of the 1^st things affected by nerves is the breath or support.

Learn to be consistent with your breath.  Be consistent for every phrase.  If you make a habit of this while practicing, it becomes automatic during performance. 

Advice On Performance Nerves

One of the challenges of young artists is to get past the nerves of performance so that they can do their best.   

Most seasoned professionals learn over time to simply get out on stage and ‘do their job’ as passionately and skillfully as they can, not worrying about what people will think. 

I think one of the reasons some people have nerves is because we worry about the opinion of others, rather than simply performing. 

Focus on your job, your skills, stay in the ‘box’ of the stage, do your work, and the audience becomes an afterthought, and you can avoid being nervous.

 

The ‘OOH” vowel

In Italian the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)  are pronounced: “ah, eh, ee, oh, ooh”

I see many, many young singers today avoided a true ‘ooh’ vowel. 

In trying to relax or sing a pop music style ‘ooh’, they are flattening their mouth into more of a speech pattern and are not singing a proper ‘ooh’

A good ‘ooh’ vowel is balsam for the voice; in other words, it promotes good muscular alignment and vocal health. 

Also if you sing a good ‘ooh’, then the ‘ah’ and ‘oh’ vowels which are very much connected to the ‘ooh’, become better.

To sing a good ‘ooh’ all you must do is open the lips a bit more for the ‘oh’ and ‘ah’, all the time keeping a nice elongated mouth for a nice, easy open sound.

Singing through consonants

One of the challenges for singers is:
How do we sing a nice legato line when all the bloody consonants get in the way? 

This is particularly an issue when singing high notes, or more specifically, if you have a large interval between notes.

For example, as a soprano singing Un Bel Di from Madama Butterfly, in the last phrase of the aria you have a leap from Dflat to high Bflat, and the words are “l’aspetto”

How do you sing the ‘sp’ of aspetto on the high Bflat?
The answer:  you don’t.

What you do is sing the ‘sp’ as you leave the lower Dflat and travel to the high Bflat. 

In other words, you phonate the ‘sp’ early so that when you reach the high Bflat (on the beat) you are only singing the ‘e’ vowel. 

In this way you can keep a nice flow of air and not let the interval add tension to your singing;
you can keep the throat open and free. 

Don’t just listen to an opera, study it!

In the easy world of Youtube or Youku, it is a few simple clicks away to listen to an opera, an aria, or some famous singer.  

This is all well and good, if you are doing it for enjoyment or musical background. 

What is also necessary when listening to the music is to study it:    

1. Look at the words
2. Stop the recording when you don’t understand something
3. Research the word or phrase
4. Continue listening

How about having a score in front of you while listening?

Another thing to do is sit at the piano while listening:  

1. Stop the recording when not sure on note values
2. Play the note values on the piano
3. Stop and understand why the chord progressions or accompanying line are written the way they are.

If you simply listen to a recording, you can miss many details which will not only give you a richer understanding of the music, but you can also pass this understanding on to your audience with a more informed performance.

Balance

When we sing we usually focus on the throat and all the tensions there as this is where the vocal folds are located.  

What is necessary is taking the focus off the throat and giving up “control” of the vocal folds.  In this way we have more relaxation and in doing so, have a freer sound.
 

Balance in the body, balance in life, it all helps with singing.
What I try to do is teach the students to have more balance throughout their body.  

Focusing on support, having a ‘lean’ into the chest - this takes focus or tension off the throat.  This especially helps when a singer is holding tension and has an abnormal vibrato.