Fairynne Blog 2

• Decide: Blog

• Who: Voice Student

• Date of activity implementation: 4/3/24

• Date of feedback: 4/3/24

• Need: The student expressed frustration at the expectation of stillness that accompanies public performance, so the activity is a freeform movement lesson so that the student can move as they need to and find ways to incorporate that movement into a performance setting.

Performance - the second evil “p” in music. It is common practice for a performance to be required when taking voice lessons, especially in the university setting. With these performances come certain expectations - how you enter the room, how you bow, how you stand, what you sing, how you sing, memorization, facial expressions, etc. Not only are there expectations, but then you’re graded on those things by a panel of people, usually your voice teacher and their colleagues. Sounds subjective and judgy, right? Well, it kind of is. So how do we prepare our students to succeed in these circumstances, especially when they physically cannot meet some of the “basic” expectations?

I don’t know if there is a right answer. The vocal world is pretty subjective - each teacher has their own approach to singing that often leads to the same result as another. Take a coloring sheet, for example. If you give two people the same coloring sheet with the same crayon color options, it is highly likely that the two pictures would look rather different. The result is the same: a colored picture, but the interpretations are different. Both interpretations would be equally valid, but if a neutral third party would have to choose which one they like better, it ultimately comes down to preference. It’s the same in the vocal world, which can be extremely intimidating and disheartening, especially for a young singer who does not fit the typical mold.

Through the lens of classical/formal performance, there is an expectation of stillness. Small movements are generally allowed, like a step or two or a hand motion, but they always have to have a purpose relating back to conveying the story. If there are extraneous movements, like tapping your foot or swaying, then you’ll likely get points deducted from your score and receive comments like “Don’t sway. It’s distracting to your audience” or “You seemed nervous…were you prepared for this performance?” For a neurotypical person, sure, I could see these comments as potentially helpful; we often do things when we are nervous that we don’t consciously think about. However, my student has a tic disorder. Movement is not something they can control, which was a frustration they shared when we sat and talked about performance. They mentioned that sometimes they can suppress their tics, but it costs them later when their tics increase in severity and frequency.

For this student, we decided to keep the activity simple: experiment and discuss. The student and I have been working together for a while, so there is an established relationship based on respect and safety that we have. My primary job was to provide the student with a safe space and allow them to find ways to move during a performance that are helpful to the student and provide minimal distractions for the audience. During our lesson time, we went over some of their most common tics before the exercise and identified which ones could be the most vs. least disruptive in a formal performance setting. This exercise really challenged me, because I have spent so much time conforming to the typical “performance etiquette.” For me, these were all things that I had control over changing and, most times, simply omitting a movement born out of nervousness. I had never truly taken the time to think about the impact this has on students who cannot control their movements at all times. 

My secondary job was to observe. The student knows their body and what they need far better than me, so I simply took some notes and checked-in with the student after their performance in a low-stakes setting. I informed the student that I would be critically observing, looking for things that were distracting or could cause a vocal problem in performing. I did expect that the student would find some more comfortability during their song when given the freedom to move, but what I didn’t fully expect was the freedom of sound that came along with the freedom of movement. There were many technical things that we’ve been working on that truly just locked into place simply because the student was in-tune with what their body needed at every moment. The story-telling was sincere, and I found that the movements weren’t distracting at all. They used more arm movements than a professional opera singer would, but then again, they are not a professional opera singer. This made me question why we hold every student to the same standards. Shouldn’t we consider their aspirations more in a private voice lesson setting and work towards that rather than some arbitrary requirement that someone years ago decided was important?

Anywho, we did this exercise twice with a discussion after each performance. The student found a confidence in themselves that I had only seen glimpses of up to this point. This exercise increased their confidence and excitement in their upcoming performances, while giving them time to intentionally think about what their body needs. Looking back, this activity feels like a form of self-care that would be helpful for any performer to do. What does it feel like when we can sing without restrictions and rules? Are those rules really as restrictive as we once thought? Or are those rules even worth following? 

So, now what? Pself reflection - the “p” is silent…(I really tried for a third “p” word). This student has had one public performance and will be having their jury coming up. If you don’t know what a jury is, I’ll explain more in detail in the next blog post, but it’s basically a final for voice lessons. This activity will likely be a short Google form that the student can fill out after they have done their jury and receive their comments back. It will address how they felt their performances had gone, but also have them reflect on our journey together this semester. I’ll have them answer open-ended questions: What was helpful? What wasn’t? What can we change moving forward? The goal of this activity is for the student to actively acknowledge the successes of the semester, while also giving the student time and space to express what they would like to change. It also will be a tool for me to use as I plan and get ready for our next semester together.