feature
allows the student to “be” rather than to “act.” There is quite a difference between these two ways of being that is palpable to an audience.
This idea of “living as if” also informs us that we need to take action rather than pretend. If we are behaving “as if,” then there is an action behind the intention. It is important that the objective is an ac- tive verb**, such as “to convince,” “to comfort” or “to plead.” It is difficult to “be sad” or “be happy” and it gives the student nothing to accomplish on stage. This can leave them feeling and looking awkward. Again, if we are convincing someone that “Du bist wie eine Blume” (You are like a flower), we have an ac- tion (to convince) that we are living out, and are therefore living truthfully under the imaginary circumstances of telling our love interest about the depths of our emotions. Examples of active verbs are included here:
Assault Strive Stalk Press Grasp
Revive
Flee Beg Jab
Seek Befriend
Having a purpose for telling the story, or the objective of the character, aids us in being affective. It gives us a reason for say- ing the text and then provides the subtext behind the words. Let us experiment with subtext: Say, in front of a mirror, “I love to sing,” in a variety of ways to see how subtext effects tone without even thinking about technique. Sarcastic, earnest and flippant can be your subtexts. How does your body gesture reinforce the tone? Now, say the sentence with a variety of gestures and postures. What do you sense in the story telling? How are you affected? Yes, librettists and poets have given us text, and composers have given us pitches and rhythms to sing, but we can use affect to change what the subtext and tone color convey to the audience.
Gestures and postures to experiment with in song storytelling:
Hands in pockets Arms crossed Hand on heart Shoulders slumped Military stance Hand on hip
Rubbing chin
Hands out, palms up Making fists Rubbing thigh
Rubbing hands together Twirling hair Head titled
Chin up or down
We can also encourage students to use focal points while singing to aid in the storytelling. Where are other characters and objects related to the story in relation to the student? Would the student look directly at someone while speaking or would they divert their eyes? Is the student actually living truthfully and seeing the environment in which they are singing? These details draw in the audience and allow the student’s eyes to be alive, the windows to the soul.
Throughout all of this, we must encourage a sense of play, honoring the inner artists of our students. We must not tell them what to do but lead them to their own answers. This develops not only personal artistry but maintains a growth mindset in the classroom or studio. It allows for ex- perimentation, valuing the process rather than the result, learning from failure, and framing the challenges of performance as opportunities. The experience of creating an interpretation of a song text, develop- ing a character, and ultimately sharing the piece with an audience while using brain and body can be affecting to our students throughout their lifetimes.
*Translations can be done using free online sources, smart phone apps, and of course, with dictionaries specific to each language.
**An active verbs list in PDF form is in the online version of this article, as is a list of questions that teachers can give to students while preparing songs.
Dr. Tanya Kruse Ruck is assistant professor of voice at UW-Milwaukee. Email:
tkruse@uwm.edu
Wisconsin School Musician
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