Dealing with issues during a performance

During any performance there is the possibility that certain issues and technical problems could occur and it is good to have an idea of how to deal with them should they happen.

Firstly there is the common issue of nerves, nearly every performer will suffer from being nervous. This can affect your performance as you will usually be very tense and this can affect your voice and it can throw your concentration and seriously affect your singing. There is no easy way to deal with being nervous but usually the best way to deal with nerves is to relax and take control of the situation and imagine yourself giving the best performance possible. It's good to be nervous because that means that you want to do well and you have lots energy to give a strong performance. You should always be prepared and have plenty of practise with what you are singing and when you feel like you can remember every little detail of the song then it's good to just leave the song and have faith that you know exactly what you are doing.

 For me, I can get very stressed about performing, but sometimes it's usually down to my lack of preparation! So one of the things that I'm working on is practising regularly an making sure I rehearse in front of a few people it prepares me for the actual performance. I usually visualise the performance going well and that helps a lot, deep breathing and gentle warming-up exercise help me to feel prepared and relaxed because it's just like being in a singing lesson and preparing to sing a song for my teacher. I really enjoy performing now and singing has become something I really enjoy doing when being in front of a large crowd, this is usually because I can't see past the stage lights so I can't see all of these people! 

Sometimes it's performing in front of a small intimate crowd of people that I get really nervous about, probably because you can hear every note and every little thing you're doing with your voice and you body language and posture. I shall be working on this because in later life if I were at an audition I would have to sing or perform in front of a small group of people and it's a very good skill to have. Another thing I have been trying to work on is my stage presence. Usually, at school concerts there isn't much need to have some kind of introduction but I think I should try and develop a way with interacting more with the audience and acknowledging them during performace. This can help as they will then be able to connect with the song and with me performing, this in turn makes my performance more successful. I do not have a problem with musical theatre as I feel a lot more comfortable when I am a different character and it's easier and makes the performance more enjoyable for me and in turn more enjoyable for the audience. I need to take this across into my singing recitals and have confidence in my performance. 

Then we have technical issues. This could range from microphones not working to feedback or to problems with levels and volume. If this was a large scale stage production then there would be many tech rehearsal to check every piece of equipment and prepare for the performance. A paper tech is when a written plan is produced by a meeting of each of the designers (lighting, sound, set and costume) and the stage manager. This process is so called because all of the technical aspects are written on paper and the stage manager then places this information into the prompt book. Another type of tech run is a dry tech. This is simply when the stage, sound, lighting and costume designers see how their plans work with one another and they can then adapt their designs. This is all done without the performers. A sound check is carried out to check the levels of the music, sound effects, or microphones used during the performance. Changes are made as necessary to correct volume, pitch, or feedback problems. Lastly, for stage shows, the fly rigs or battens are tested for weight and accuracy of cueing with sound and lights. If there are moving set pieces, the crew will test their operation and mechanics (if they are automated) and practice their movement, flow, and position on and offstage. Then a tech run is carried out either a full run or cue-to-cue which can be a tedious process where the performers have to go through each cue for lighting of sound, then a a full run this is when a complete rehearsal of the performance takes places with all of the costume, sound, , lighting, set and props. Then afterwards any last minute changes are made to the satisfaction of the director. Once the director is completely satisfied then the performance can go ahead. When a production is long-running then pick-u p tech rehearsals can take place; this is when any problematic scenes or bad moments during the performance are dealt with and rehearsed to make sure they don't happen again. Of course for my performance there is no need for any tech rehearsals or dress runs. However I will have a few rehearsals with my music teacher and my singing teacher. This is mostly to correct any problems they want to address with slight pitching, tuning, volume or diction issues. Before I do my performance I will have a quick level check and adjust the volume of the microphone and the height of the microphone stand. 

With this performance it should be relatively simple and to prepare myself I will do the correct warm-ups and preparations. 

Song selection: Soul

"People Get Ready" was a 1965 single by The Impressions, and the title track from the album of the same name. The single is today the group's best-known hit, reaching number-three on the Billboard R&B Chart and number 14 on the Billboard Pop Chart. The gospel-influenced track was a Curtis Mayfield composition, and displayed the growing sense of social and political awareness in his writing.
The version that I will be singing is by Eva Cassidy. 

Song Selection: Pop/ R&B

For this genre I have chosen to sing 'Clown' by Emeli Sandé. The song was written by Sandé, Shahid Khan, Grant Mitchell and produced by Khan under his production name of Naughty Boy. The story of the song talks about Sandé's first experiences in the music industry, mainly reflecting her search to get signed by a music company and the encounters with several music business people in the industry. Commenting on the song, Sandé said: “It’s about how I felt when I was trying to get signed, I was going for all these meetings and people were looking at me like ‘What do we do with you’? It’s about not allowing yourself to be judged by others or to be taken for an idiot. I feel the video reflects that.”

Singing Lessons: Working On A Song

During singing lessons after a warm up we move onto to working on a song, sometimes I will come to the lesson with a song in my mind that I want to work on or usually my teacher will choose a song for me to do. My first singing teacher that I worked with shared a lot of my music taste and we worked on lots of folk and country songs as well as some more popular songs. Another teacher I worked with got me to do a lot of different style songs so as to have a more diverse collection of work. I have to say I wasn't very comfortable with some genres for example, RnB really isn't my style! I understand why I have to try and sing more genres of song but to be honest I'm not very comfortable with some styles. Some genres I have found interesting are country; in particular bluegrass, rock, punk, and classical singing.

Firstly if I know the song I'm singing then me and my teacher will usual sing along to the original, and if I don't know the song then I'll listen to it and pickup the melody and the lyrics. Then my teacher uses a backing track and I'll run through the song a few times with them listening and then they'll give me notes and things to work on and improve. If we have the lyrics or sheet music then often my teacher will write notes on it like places to breathe and certain dynamics. Then I'll run through it several times, each time concentrating on different aspects of the song, like breathing or annunciation.

My teacher will sometimes record the song so before the next lesson I can listen to it and then practise in my spare time until the next lesson. I've done quite a few concerts and sung solos in them so, if I have one coming up I'll work on that song and my teacher will critique things more to do with performance, for example gestures and posture, or annunciation and microphone work.

 One of the first songs I ever worked on with a teacher was called 'eet' by Regina Spektor, she still has a recording of it, then on my last lesson with her we sang it together, I could really see how much I had improved on those two years and there was a huge difference. You could tell how my breathing had improved, I have a very unique tone to my voice according to my teacher and it has developed very nicely and it means I can make songs my own because my voice is different.

'A Case Of You'

 This is the studio recording version of A Case of You, it will be one of the songs that I will sing for my solo performance. It was released on the album 'Blue'.

 
This is a live version of Joni Mitchell singing A Case Of You in London for the BBC, this was recorded live in 1974. I love this version because it varies so greatly from the studio recording. You can hear the passion and spirit in her voice, and you see and hear how she emotes whilst singing. I believe it is a great skill to feel and portray the emotions of whatever song you're singing.