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Gretchen Saathoff

~ Collaborative Pianist/Vocal Coach ~ forging partnerships, making memorable music together

Category Archives: solo auditions

Got a box? Here’s why you need one!

07 Saturday Sep 2013

Posted by GretchensPianos in article, auditions, career, coach, competitions, concentration, confidence, determination, distractions, emotion, extremes, focus, goals, motivation, music, observations, performing, practice, process, rehearsal, solo auditions, teaching, tools

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Andy Murray, Headache, sports, Stanislas Wawrinka, US Open

English: Bromo-Seltzer advertisement for heada...

English: Bromo-Seltzer advertisement for headache medicine. Lottie Collins sings Ta-Ra-Ra Boom-de-ay! after being healed by the medicine and this effect makes her to dance and sing. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Several years ago I went out to dinner with a singer/client.  Although she had a pounding headache, she was delightful company.  She was joking, laughing, and making wonderful contributions to our conversation.

How was she able to be so personable, considering that she had a headache?

Well, she was compartmentalizing.  I didn’t understand how to do that at the time. But I worked on it, and am now so much better!

Which brings me to the point:  What happened to Andy Murray in the quarterfinals at this year’s US Open?

He tanked!  There is plenty of video footage of him smashing his racquet against the court and screaming during his match with Stan Wawrinka. That was   between points. During play, he looked like a bump on a log. He let shots go without moving at all, netted several returns, and generally looked disengaged.

Don’t you think the spectators who paid for those expensive tickets expected to see both players at their best?

I should say that I have long thought Murray’s game was erratic.  He is extremely talented, but his widely variable focus and frequent lack of will make his game so inconsistent.

What would happen if he could put his frustrations in a box for the duration of the match?  Does he need to vent so much that it saps his concentration?

Try this:  When you are practicing and feel distracted, frustrated, angry at the company you spent an hour on hold with just now, or worried about something else, take out your imaginary box.  Put all of that in the box, then go to the front door.  Open the door, and place your imaginary box out in the hallway.

All your “stuff” will still be there when you’re finished practicing.  You can have it back if you want it.

By the way, the same procedure works just as well for rehearsals, auditions, juries, and performances!

Related article

Murray Loses Cool and, Soon, the Match

NYTimes.com 

Got a box?  Please share your thoughts in the Comment Section below!

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Overcoming stage fright

13 Wednesday Apr 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in article, auditions, competitions, concert, music, musical theater, NY Times, organ, performing, singing, solo auditions, teaching, tools

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

how to overcome, Inderal, stage fright, Walter Willett

Screenshot of Marlene Dietrich from the traile...

Marlene Dietrich in Alfred Hitchcocks "Stage Fright" ~ Image via Wikipedia

Most people who perform, whether it be in sports, public speaking, or music, are familiar with what it feels like to be nervous.  Performers in general believe that without any nerves at all, the results are boring.

I have certainly been there.  In sixth grade, standing in front of the class to give a book report, I blacked out and became very dizzy.  I told the teacher, who said I could sit down.

During sophomore year in college, I sang a voice jury.  The first song was called “Old Woman Rain.”  I forgot every word after the title!

And when I began commuting from Amherst to New York to study with Martin Katz, my hands shook during lessons for an entire year.

Increased many fold, nerves become debilitating.  In that case, they turn into stage fright.  A performer can be so affected by stage fright that s/he grows dizzy, forgets everything, loses focus, and feels completely out of control.

There are many things one can do to overcome stage fright.

These are all things that have worked for me:

Learn the music very well.

Control your breathing ~ count 4 in, 4 out.  The counts should be slow enough to allow for a complete breath.

Repeat a mantra.

Eat before you perform ~ healthy food, no sugar, not much caffeine.  (In other words, don’t skip breakfast or lunch, and at least have a snack before an evening performance.)

Wake up and go to sleep on a regular schedule.

Exercise.  You don’t have to be super human ~ take an energetic walk!

Running works extremely well.  I began running six months before playing a Messiaen recital, solely for the purpose of improving my concentration.

Make a list of positive things people have said about your performing.  Tape it inside the front cover of your music, then read it just before going on.

Choose a place to look ~ if you’re a singer, talk to your teacher about this.

Look like you mean it ~ head up!  (Don’t look at the floor!)

Project confidence.

Walk with purpose.

Take your time before starting ~ be grounded first.

Focus on communicating with the audience.

Play for friends.

Then invite some people you don’t know to join the group.

Practice with a variety of distractions.

Perform as often as possible.  Extended care facilities, schools, and churches all provide valuable experience.  I’m sure you can think of more.

Wear clothing that breathes, and realize that stage lights are hot.

Practice your entire program in your concert clothes, shoes included, hairdo, everything.  If that slip doesn’t work or your hair falls, you don’t want to find out during the concert.

Practice your entrance, bows before and after, and exit.  If you will be standing between groups to bow, practice how you’re going to do that.

Will you be speaking to the audience?  Practice that!  Will you be using a microphone?  Check it out.  Will someone hand it to you?  Do you need to remove it from a stand?  What happens to it when you’re done?

Ask a friend or two to sit in the front, middle, and back of the hall.

Focus backstage on channeling your energy into the music.  Don’t dissipate it by talking.

Accept that no one is perfect.  This is not your whole life.

Make plans for after ~ go to a movie!

OK, I’ve tried that.  Now what?

Additional things you can do:

Group therapy with stage fright as the focus.

Individual therapy with a therapist who works with performers.

Meditation.

Yoga.

Tai Chi.

Kickboxing.

Hypnosis ~ a friend of mine who had finished his coursework at Columbia was having trouble going to the library to write his dissertation.  After many attempts at self-discipline didn’t work, he saw a hypnotist.  He is now a happy PhD!  And his mother has stopped asking him every week whether his dissertation is finished yet.

Biofeedback ~ participants learn to control their anxiety.

Role playing.

Write out the worst scenarios you can come up with about performing.  Then rewrite them as success stories.  Draw illustrations for both.

Taking care to maintain your metabolism without allowing it to spike and then rapidly decline goes a long way toward eliminating triggers leading to nervousness.  Eating regular meals, avoiding sugar, and taking any medications at the same time every day are all factors.  More information about maintaining a healthy metabolism can be found in an excellent book written by Walter Willett.  Links on his Wikipedia page include a PBS interview.

Some musicians take Inderal just before performances and auditions.  Inderal is a beta blocker prescribed to reduce stage fright.  This New York Times article presents a balanced assessment.  In addition, I have read of skeptical musicians who tried Inderal and played for their friends the first few times.  Their friends preferred the performances with the musicians using the beta blocker.

Note: I do not take Inderal, and am not recommending it one way or the other.  Speak to your doctor.

How do you deal with nerves?  Stage fright?  How do you help your students in those situations?  Please share your ideas in the comment section below!

Related articles
  • Stage Fright (psychologytoday.com)  About public speaking, applies to music as well.  Includes links to other relevant articles.


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What is a Vocal Coach?

12 Saturday Feb 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in auditions, build repertoire, cadenzas, career, choosing program, coach, constructing a piece, music, opera, performing, preparation, singing, solo auditions

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

Music, singing, vocal coach, voice teacher

An example of shrugging

Image via Wikipedia

What is a vocal coach?

This poor guy thinks voice teachers and vocal coaches do the same job!  The truth is, teachers and coaches focus on different aspects of singing.

We will assume here that most readers are familiar with what is addressed during a voice lesson.  But perhaps you have yet to work with a coach.  That is understandable, since you will want to have your vocal equipment working well first.

This next section first appeared on The Collaborative Piano Blog by Christopher Foley.

A clear explanation of the difference between a voice teacher and vocal coach was posted by Elizabeth McDonald on her blog:

The voice coach (aka: collaborative pianist) is the person who deals with the musical, language and dramatic demands of the vocal repertoire. They are pianists who have done training in diction, repertoire, collaborative piano and opera. The goal of the vocal coach is to serve as the other half of the music (piano part or orchestra reduction) and help the singing put everything together. They expect a singer to arrive with notes learned, language translated, and an idea about how the song should be presented. From there the coach is the musical “mirror” for the singer and reflects back what they hear and makes suggestions on how to make any necessary changes.

Voice teachers are not coaches.

A voice teacher is listening to her student’s vocal production​.  There is not enough time in a voice lesson for teachers to coach as well.

The reverse is also true:  a coach has too little time ​during a session to address vocal technique. 

Coaches are not voice teachers.

Speaking to my experience, I am comfortable demonstrating what I’m looking for, but would be out of my element singing a role or a solo recital.  During coaching sessions, I wouldn’t dream of suggesting changes in vocal technique to a singer.  My coaching time is devoted exclusively to interpretative concerns.

A coach will attend to the following aspects of singing:

musical ~ phrasing, including a breathing plan; tweaking a dynamic scheme to best fit your voice; finding a tempo to fit your voice; ensuring that the key is appropriate for you

language ~ even if you have taken language classes (and you should!), the manner in which words are pronounced (diction) changes between spoken language and sung texts.  Music elongates the vowel sounds (i.e., a single syllable sung on a half-note), so every vowel sound is heard as an exaggeration of speech by an audience.  If a diphthong (or worse) is a part of that vowel sound, or if a vowel sound is just plain wrong, it will be noticed.

Texts in your native language need to be coached.  For example, English has so many variations, depending on where you are from.  You could have one group of British songs, the next requiring a southern dialect, and then perhaps a group of Appalachian songs.  And every language is interpreted in the character of the piece.  That would mean using more or fewer elisions, very clear pronunciation or maybe a few dropped endings, etc.  (Think beat poet vs. Shakespeare.)

In addition, the gutteral sounds of spoken French are deemed vulgar by the French themselves when sung.  The sound must be altered.

Double consonants are also a factor.  How long do they last, and where in the music do they belong?

dramatic presentation ~ a coach can help you define your character.  Your character must be you!

stage deportment ~ a coach is a reliable observer of the way you present yourself on stage, be it for a recital or an audition.  From the time you set foot on the stage until the time you are completely out of sight, the way you present yourself is crucial to a judge’s or an audience’s perception of you.  Often, one small change in something you hadn’t noticed can make the difference between being accepted to a program, winning an audition, being asked back, or being dismissed.

repertoire ~ a coach will be happy to help you choose recital and audition programs.  The order of the program, in addition to the selections, matters a great deal.

cadenzas ~ a coach will help you choose a cadenza that fits your voice, help you write your own, or even write one for you.  Again, a problematic cadenza (i.e., someone else’s or the one from the book) can wreck your chances, while a perfect fit can be a winner.  You should not be struggling to sing a cadenza from a book that doesn’t showcase your strengths.

What coaches expect of their clients

Singers are expected to know the music in advance of a coaching session.  Coaches are not there to “feed” people notes and rhythms.

Translate the text.  If you need help with a phrase or a couple of words, that’s fine.  You can still translate the remainder of your texts.

Have your ideas about performing the music in place.  Who is your character?​  What are you wearing (in the scene depicted by the text)?  Where are you?  What are you singing about?​  Don’t expect your coach to teach you the basics.  We are there work with you.

That said, Happy Coaching!

What would you like to add?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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Related articles
  • It’s about the WORDS! (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)
  • Effective Translation (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)
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Opera and oratorio soloist auditions

13 Saturday Jun 2009

Posted by GretchensPianos in solo auditions

≈ 3 Comments

Susan Eichhorn-Young writes about feedback in her blog post today. One very important line is, ” YOU CANNOT TAKE THE AUDITION PROCESS PERSONALLY!!!!”

So true! “They” say it takes 25 auditions to get a role in an opera. That’s a lot of shoes-to-pavement time, much time amassing app. materials, filling out audition forms, PRACTICING, etc., etc.

It’s only after 25 auditions that you KNOW you’ve got it down, you enter the room & give ’em all you’ve got, & you don’t CARE what “they” think.

Why is this so important?

Very often, opera companies hold open auditions every year. They may only have one opening, but they hear everyone. So, even though you’re the “wrong” voice part that year, you sing. You go back the next year ~ maybe they’re looking for your type. It’s important that they heard you the year before, that you’re in great shape, that you’re improving/on top of your game.

A word about audition requirements: it is your JOB to cover all the bases. You’ll need 5 arias (or more) in various languages, tempi, & moods, showing what you do to your best advantage. Do NOT try to get around the requirements. You will have just wasted your ~ and their ~ time. And even if you have it together the next time around, audition panel members have good memories!

Many opera companies do a musical or two as part of their regular season. If your audition list includes a song from a musical, do it very well. And be sure to do the English diction w/a coach. A selection from a musical is not a 2nd-tier item on the list that the panel will never ask for. More likely than not, you’ll be asked to sing it 2nd.

ALWAYS begin w/your absolutely showiest choice. When the panel has been listening to people sing for 4 days, their ears are in serious need of your best. I had a wonderful opportunity to sit in on auditions for a week in NY for which I was house accompanist. (When someone brought their own pianist, I stayed in the room to listen to the audition.) After a few hours, I need the singer to enter the room and knock me off my feet/zap my ears, just to get my attention.

Every aria on your list MUST be in performance shape! The panel can, & will, ask for anything. Having 3 arias ready to go & hoping you never have to sing the other 2 doesn’t cut it. Again, a waste of everyone’s time.

If you are singing anything that is either: (a) very difficult for ensemble reasons; (b) especially difficult for the pianist (i.e., Strauss); or (c) not standard rep, it is very much to your credit if you rehearse with and audition with your own pianist. Much less opportunity for wrecks along the way, & everyone will appreciate that you took your rep seriously & knew the difficulty involved. Of course, as a collaborative pianist/coach, I think singers should ALWAYS take ME along!

It also helps to do a little research before the audition. Go to the company’s website. See what they’ve done recently. Find out who will be on the panel if you can. What do they do?

I’ll update as I think of more. Meanwhile… break a leg!!! And go practice!!!

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