Vocal practice is about expressing fully and beautifully right here and now. It’s important not to wait for show time to turn on the magic.
Too often practice is only cognitive. It focuses on memorizing, or fixing the countless details that refine performance while leaving heart and soul in the hallway. The assumption is that once on stage or in a conversation, passion and creativity will magically integrate, that communication will be inspired. This is a dangerous assumption.
It isn’t enough to remember something, or to express it with precision and balance. Vocal art is created only when a listener is moved. Before practicing a passage, whether singing or speaking, connect with the reason for expressing it. The passage needs to be equally important every time it is repeated. This means using not only the critical mind to refine technique, but also the imagination.
The goal of performance is to deliver a message as though we are thinking of it for the first time in this moment. If we practice making every repetition of a passage as passionate and soulful as we can, we will never run out of variations, and we will be even more inspired in performance.
To renew your heart and imagination with each repetition:
- Imagine saying or singing the passage to a different person.
- Imagine they say something different to you each time you start.
- Play a movie in your inner mind, allowing visual details to change each time.
- Notice how the way you are engaging with the message affects your body.
- Breathe openly and completely.
Beautifully put!