What do you focus on when you sing?
What should you be focussing on?
Are you easily distracted?
Our brains are not capable of focussing on more than about 5 things at a time so you have to be selective as what gets your attention depending on what you are doing and what you want to achieve.
The various elements that require attention when singing are: interpretation of text, clarity of diction, intonation, listening to yourself and those around you, listening to the accompanist and what the other voice groups are singing, watching the MD, counting, loud and soft singing, breathing and creating the best sound you can. All of these elements must become automatic in order to enjoy your singing and to create an amazing performance.
Just like driving a car, after a while you don’t think about how to operate the vehicle you just focus on the traffic and look ahead. Ideally you will create some space within your head to be able to do more at the same time such as being able to cope with distractions from any other people in the car as well as perhaps listening to music.
This is why music making is so good for our brains as we are doing so many different things all at the same time all of which have to be co-ordinated.
Once you have worked on a piece a few times, putting into practice things I have discussed in previous weeks, the above will all eventually become automatic, what you are left with to focus on during a performance is to:
1 – watch the MD –
2 – listen to others around you and how your sound fits in with theirs – a choir should sound as one voice.
3 – focus on interpretation of the text – what message is the song trying to get across? Can you get yourself into that emotion, either from your own past
experience or by using your imagination?
4 – internally smile and enjoy yourself
A performance is not the time to work on your technique.
All of these things together elevate your singing and thus the choir as a whole, if everybody takes responsibility for their own singing in a mindful way, this will create as best a performance as possible.
Exercise
Be mindful of what you are aware of when you are singing. Notice what draws your attention away from what it is you are supposed to be working on. Can you bring your awareness to various aspects of the song?
