Choral Charisma: Singing with Expression

G-10919

eISBN: 978-1-62277-769-3

Copyright © 2023 GIA Publications, Inc.

7404 South Mason Avenue, Chicago, IL 60638

www.giamusic.com

The Boy Who Picked Up His Feet to Fly © 2002 Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Printed on pages 121–134.

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

Acknowledgments

In chronological order...

Thank you to Jack Carey, my high school choral director, and Lesley Saladen, my 9th grade English teacher—both of whom teamed up to direct the musicals. You had a formative effect on my life and I will always be grateful.

Thank you to Charlene Archibeque, my Choraliers director, Masters advisor, and steadfast supporter. Your asking me to coach the Choraliers in 1989 planted the seeds for this project, and your conducting is a constant inspiration.

Thank you to all the students I have taught, the actors I have directed, and the colleagues I have learned from. You have all contributed to my growth as a teacher, director, and human being. I am rich with fond memories because of you.

Thank you to Susan Aiken, my wife and reader—your suggestions and insights made the book much better. You have had a similar impact on the author throughout the years—without your loving support, I would not have been capable of even beginning this project.

Thank you to Michael Pease, also my reader. Your wise, perceptive, and oh- so-detailed comments have helped immeasurably. The fact that you made the time to help me is appreciated even more.

Thank you to all the choral directors and singers I have had the pleasure of coaching. Your insights, comments, and enthusiasm inspired me to write this book. I’m eternally grateful.

Thank you to all the authors whose work I have referenced and quoted. The phrase I stand on the back of giants could never be more apt. Your words have combined to create more substance and more interest for this reader, that’s for sure!

Thank you to Leon Thurman, whose help with editing enabled the first three chapters to aim for the bullseye. Your willingness to share your wisdom reveals a most generous spirit.

Thank you to Barbara Harlow of SBMP, the first publisher and editor. Without you, the book would not have been written. Thanks as well to Tom Sabatino of JW Pepper for your belief in the book—and for introducing me to Alec Harris and Bryan Gibson of GIA. Alec and Bryan, you have been so supportive and so great to work with. Thanks for making Choral Charisma available once again!

Introduction

On November 9, 2003, in a glorious stone church with impossibly high ceilings, I had the great pleasure of experiencing a concert performed by the UC Berkeley Choral Ensembles. Director Mark Sumner had created a wonderful evening of anti-war songs, interspersed with poems and readings done by individual choir members. His 160 singers (combined) did a spectacular job with the material—they felt it deeply, expressing themselves individually and collectively in such a way that I was spellbound, and deeply moved. It wasn’t until the concert was over that I realized I was in pain from sitting on a hard wooden pew for two-and-a-half hours. When talking to some audience members after the show, I realized I was not alone in my appreciation. The singers were so ‘into it,’ almost like rock singers. Their faces were so alive and expressive! was the response of one gentleman. Another audience member said, Wow! There was something so different about that concert. But in a good way! These words were proverbial music to my ears, because I had worked with these singers at their retreat and during their dress rehearsal, helping them to create just this kind of experience for themselves and the audience members. To say that I was pleased would be an understatement. The truth is that I am ecstatic to be offering a process that helps singers and directors create more memorable and exciting performances.

While people have used vocal music as a way to connect on a deep, human, soul level for millennia, this book introduces a specific approach that de-mystifies the soul connection process, empowering singers and directors to connect to the music, and the audience, with passion and poignancy. And while it’s true that there are many wonderful choirs out there, even the best choirs are capable of a deeper connection, one that will engender more exciting and engaging performances.

The self-test that follows will give you a sense of your choir’s current level of connection and expression.

Self-Test

Evaluate your experience on a scale of 1 through 5, with 1 being never, 3 being sometimes, and 5 being always.

During Rehearsals…

____ Do singers talk to each other while you are trying to address an individual, a section, or the whole group?

____ Do you continue to address the group, even though some people are talking or clearly not paying attention?

____ Do some choir members make jokes at other members’ expense, or put each other down?

____ Do you get angry or lose your temper?

____ Are there singers who don’t sing out?

____ Are there singers who seem to resist attempts to get them to be expressive?

____ Have you found rationalizations for the choir’s lack of expression: they’re too young, too old, not religious enough, a church choir, all boys, teenage girls?

During Performances…

____ Do individual singers’ faces look the same, regardless of the music being sung?

____ Do their bodies look stiff?

____ Do their heads stay still?

____ Do they have a seemingly limited range of facial expressions?

____ Do they rarely smile or lift their eyebrows?

____ Do their faces or bodies communicate one thing while the music communicates another?

____ Do they look like they’re worried about something?

____ Do you look at the choir and wish they could be more expressive?

____ Do your audiences have unexpressive faces as they experience the choir?

After Performances…

____ Do your audience members talk mostly about the sound of the group, as opposed to the experience they had when the group was singing?

While there is no definitive chart to analyze your results, perhaps the process itself led you to some interesting musings. Where do your current skills place you on the continuum of choral expression? As you take a look at how you evaluated your singing or your choir, I invite you to consider the possibilities for personal or professional growth.

How will this book be helpful in the growth process? Singers and directors have presented terrific concerts for centuries. However, while compelling and vibrant singing has been around longer than the oldest cathedrals of Europe, the process described in this book is a relatively fresh one, especially as applied to choral singing.

You might have heard directors say things like, More joy here, please! or Your face is not communicating what the music is saying. Show it on your face. You probably know singers who said to themselves, Look angry now, the lyrics are angry lyrics. They might even have looked angry at that point. Many directors have a positive intention to communicate the music’s passion and humanity. Unfortunately, the methods they use fall short—even to the degree of creating an actual disconnect between the singer, the soul of the music, and the audience. There is a more direct path, one that leads to truthful connection and truly expressive singing.

To understand the origins and underpinnings of this approach, it may be helpful to look at my background. For the past thirty years I’ve been a classically trained singer who has enjoyed singing in many choirs. I’ve also been an actor and stage director, one who got a BA in Drama Education to pursue a career in teaching. During the past twenty years I have been a teacher of English, Drama, and Speech at the middle and high school levels, and a stage director at all levels. In 1987, I enrolled in San Jose State University to work with Dr. Charlene Archibeque and sing with her wonderful Choraliers. Two years later I earned my Masters degree in Music Theatre. Those two words, music and theatre, capture my approach to the work, for I apply a distinct theatre background to vocal and choral performance. To analyze the conductor’s role, I use my understanding of teaching and stage directing.

Here is the chain of events that led to the writing of this book. As I sang and attended concerts over the last 30 years, my teacher/director self discovered a very exciting area of potential. Often in a choral performance, the soul of the music doesn’t make it to the soul of the audience. The composer pours their heart and soul into the music, then the director pours their heart and soul into it—connecting to it, knowing exactly how they are going to conduct it so that it is beautiful and exciting. Rehearsals see lots of sweat flying as the director does their best to communicate their vision to the choir. The singers work hard to blend, sing in tune, and bring the director’s interpretation alive. Then the concert happens and the audience members are impressed. What beautiful music! Such control! Listen to those sopranos! However (and this is critical) while they are impressed, they are not moved. Why not? Because the most important heart and soul connection often hasn’t been developed fully enough. Whose connection is that? That connection belongs solely to the singer. The collective audience can only be moved deeply if the singer’s personal connection to text and music is compelling and complete. In such a concert, all involved would be transported to a celebration of shared humanity, thanks to the singers sharing their authentic selves with the audience, the director, and each other.

Because I got so excited by the potential of this work, 15 years ago I started to coach the San Jose State Choraliers, working with them before important concerts or competitions. This work seemed a natural progression, since my passion had always been to help actors and singers connect personally and powerfully with the material, creating memorable experiences for themselves and their audiences. So, for the last decade I have been doing more of this type of work with directors, choirs, and soloists, and the process has been extremely rewarding. When singers connect to the text and music, their faces are alive and expressive, their singing is dynamic and nuanced, and, most significantly, their connection draws the audience into the heart and soul of the music.

Choral Charisma is written to the choral director, but is also intended for singers (of all types), voice teachers, and stage directors. In this book, I present my approach to expressive singing, and describe how it can be implemented. In addition, I discuss how directors can create an atmosphere of safety and security—an atmosphere that supports full expression. And while the book describes a comprehensive approach, it is a friendly guide, one that you can hopefully learn from readily but enjoy at the same time.

About six weeks before that profoundly moving concert discussed at the opening of this introduction, I had the pleasure of working with many of those UC Berkeley singers for the first time. After the workshop, the director emailed, You helped raise our performance bar, and the thought of its potential is almost overwhelming.

Here’s hoping that this book will help you do the same, and more.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to the memory of three special people: my parents, Tom and Terry Carter, and former student Mandy Hafleigh, all of whom loved the arts and supported personal expression in all its forms.

By extension, this book is written for all moms, dads, sons, and daughters of this our human family, as we each endeavor to find our most truthfully connected voice. May we all sing with joy and abandon!

The following is a poem written by my grandfather when my dad was an infant. It speaks of similar hopes.

To My Boy

by Pel Carter

Last night the clock struck midnight

From the steeple near at hand;

I was wide awake and sleepless

In a far—and stranger’s—land.

I counted sheep—yes, backward!

I pictured waves of blue;

But sleep was far from coming—

My thoughts were all of you.

My mind raced back to meet you

Over many weary miles

I saw you gently sleeping—

Your mouth turned up in smiles.

Your tousled head was nestled

On your mother’s loving arm

And I whispered

"Dear Lord, bless them

And keep them safe from harm."

Just then my eyes grew weary,

I slept till break of day.

An angel seemed to stand nearby

And I thought I heard him say,

"Choose now, you father, for the lad

That boy you love so true!

The years are swiftly passing

And it’s mostly up to you.

What will you that I give the boy

When he is grown—ere long?

Great riches? Strength? Or Learning?

Or in his heart—a song?"

Great riches!

Well—they’re not so much

When peace is not your goal!

Gold and silver are not balm

for a tired and life-seared soul.

Strong body? Sure, that’s wonderful

But something soon forgot

When you’re frowning at your loved ones

And happiness is not.

Learning? Yes, that’s best so far,

But what’s that to a song?

Or just a little smile, maybe,

When everything is wrong?

What do I wish for that boy of mine?

When he is grown so big?

I want to hear him whistling

Even though he’s flunked in Trig.

Latin, Greek, and History!

Wealth and a body strong!

All these I want, Dear Lord, for him

But—first and last—a song.

Contents

CHAPTER ONE: Safety First

Self-Test for Directors

A Tale of Two Choirs

High School Choir #1

High School Choir #2

High Expectations

Respect and Support for All

Help Singers Support Each Other

Unsupportive Behavior

Supportive Behavior

Why Pairs or Small Groups?

Humanistic Discipline

Respect Starts with Identity

Support the Singers

Be Consistent, But Kind

No Shame, No Blame

Earn Their Trust

Get the Whole Group’s Attention

Use a Calm, Direct Approach Once Trust is Established

Avoid Too Much Control

Discipline and the Adult Choir

The Language of Empowerment

Expect Them to Do What You Ask

Make Amends When Necessary

Director, Support Yourself

Conscious Awareness

A Director’s Anger

Conscious Awareness In Action

Trouble with Discipline

Practice Builds Confidence and Success

A Safe Conclusion

CHAPTER TWO: Emotional Vulnerability

Just About Anybody Can Do It

What’s On Your Mind Is On Your Face

The Science of Emotion

Jump-Start the Emotion

The Truth Lies In Our Faces

The Audience Reads Voices, Too

Connecting to Meaning

The Composer Can’t Do It for Us

The House of Connection

The Impact of Connection

Truthful Connection Affects Sound

Face, Voice, and Body

Emphasis and Figurative Language

The Magic Between Choir and Audience

The Singers and Connection

The Joy of Connected Singing

Each Singer’s Awesome Responsibility

Dealing with Emotional Overwhelm

The Director and Connection

When Singers Do More

The Director Can Relax

Learning the Music

The Way You Rehearse Is the Way They Perform

The Comfortable Choir

Inhibitions

The Inner Critic

The Inner Critic Questions

Perfectionism and the Inner Critic

CHAPTER THREE: Truth, Tone, & Technique

Frowning at the Inner Smile

Vocal Technique

Breathing Methods

Tone

Combining Truth and Beauty

The Road to The Inner Smile

The Outer Smile that Sounds Good

The Emotion Muscles

Tongue Position

Experts on Expression

Truthful Connection is Flexible

Movement: The Willow, Not the Oak

Be the Bunny

The Road to Uninspiring Music is Paved…

New Paradigm

CHAPTER FOUR: Analyze the Text

Text Analysis Questions

Inspect the Text For the First Time

Text Analysis: Round Two

Post Analysis

Religious Text Analysis

CHAPTER FIVE: Plot & Character

Summarize the Plot

Identify the Setting

Establish Your Identity

Clarify Your Feelings About the Subject Matter

Shifting Voice

Biography

Singing as Yourself

CHAPTER SIX: Words & Pictures

Imagery

Pegs to Hang Ideas On

Cooking for One

Imagery’s Many Benefits

The Seven Senses

Imagery and Emotion

Build Imagery at Any Time

Imagery in Action

The Imagery Process Refined

As Rehearsals Continue

During Performance

CHAPTER SEVEN: The Singer Acts

Singing Is Acting

Objectives

The Other

The Other’s Reaction

The Obstacle

The Story

Power Tools

Raise the Stakes

Building From Scratch

Analyze the Text

Compare and Contrast

Creating the Story

Plot, but Not Much Else

Plot & Character, but No Story

Singers Take the Stage

The Fourth Wall

Face the Director

The Power of the Tools

When the Language is Foreign

Helpful Communication

The House Is Taking Shape

CHAPTER EIGHT: Personal Matters

Let Your Light Shine

Plumbing the Depths

Dare to Share

The Whole Truth

The Inner Pot of Gold

Substitution

Expand Your Horizons Inward

The Religion Issue

Plunge Your Self Into the Text

CHAPTER NINE: That’s Nonsense

Engage Your Sense of Fun (the Critical 8th Sense?)

Make Sense of the Nonsense

Talk Turkey

Get Serious

Use Subtext to Affect the Other

Finding Your Groove Is Instrumental

Rock It Man

No Sense? Nonsense!

CHAPTER TEN: When the Music Changes

Interior Motivation

Motivating Musical Changes

First the text…

And now the music…

Matching Music and Meaning, Measure for Measure

Repetition

When Singers Are Silent

Before the Downbeat

When Singers Motivate Changes

The Conclusion— A Beginning

2023 Addendum

More About Movement

Look At Each Other

The Willow in a Hurricane

Not Your Granddaddy’s Choir

With a Touch of Whimsy

Cacophonous Prep

Before the Babble

The Power of Babble

Physicalize the Objective

Pairs

Small Groups

Whole Group

From Rehearsal to Performance

The Director Can Relax … Even More

What’s Wrong with Making Faces?

Two Approaches, Two Experiences

Face It

Authentic Barbershop

My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean

Contemporary A Cappella

Beatboxing, Dim Bims, and Fahs (Oh, my!)

Where to Look?

The Strong Program

The Director’s Overall Approach

The Rehearsal & Performance Environment

Repertoire Choice

The Performing Group’s Expressivity

The Singers’ Physicality

The Director’s Facial Expression

The Director’s Best Practices

Opportunities for Performance

Thinking oUTXXBOXXXS i d e

The Final Product

APPENDIX ONE: Chapter Two Exercises

Safety, Vulnerability, and Commitment

Expression Exercises

APPENDIX TWO: Questions for Singers

As I Sing, I’m Feeling…

Bibliography

Permissions

Recommended Sources

Quoted Authors & Experts

Index of Exercises

About the Author

1

Safety First

Not a gift of a cow, nor a gift of land, nor yet a gift of food, is so important as the gift of safety, which is declared to be the great gift among all gifts in this world.

Panchatantra (C. 5th C.), I, Tr. Franklin Edgerton

Fully expressive choral singing requires a particular kind of environment in which to thrive.This test will help you get a feel for your choir’s environment, letting you know what its strengths and opportunities might be.