Mirroring your emotions
Find the balance between technical perfection and emotional availability
–Katherine Werbiansky
When I first began studying voice I had two modes of singing: completely removed and robotic, or so emotional I could barely phonate.
I knew that once I let my guard down, stopped thinking technically, and really invested my spirit into a song it would open up the floodgates. The nature of singing lends itself to this cathartic experience because the instrument lies within our own bodies. There is a physical and mental release that happens when you’ve finished singing with all of your being. However, the lyrics we sing can be so entrenched with memories and feelings that our minds overwhelm our bodies and the tears start flowing. While it is a wonderful thing to let music affect you so greatly, as a singer it is our job to reflect the emotion through music so that the audience can have that emotional response instead.
There are a few tips I’d like to share with you on how to trigger this response within yourself, and also how to harness it to create art.
The first step is to find a song that truly speaks to you. For me, it was studying the American folk song “The Wayfaring Stranger.” When I was studying this piece in college, the lyrics made me think about being alone and on my own for the first time. I didn’t know it then, but I was sorely missing my family. I didn’t know who I was or how to be a whole person on my own. This folk song triggered a massive emotional response when it was assigned to me in lessons. My teacher knew how I was feeling and purposely picked this song to break me from my robotic, technical state of singing.
Once you’ve picked a song that you relate to, find multiple recordings of the piece. Avoid videos and just rely on your ears. Which artists make you feel the most connected? What part sparks a specific memory? Did you cry, shudder, or laugh? Write down specific emotional language above the musical phrases when what you hear makes you feel something significant. This will serve as your emotional map to the song.
The next step is to practice with only the lyrics and emotions. Read the lyrics aloud as a script and tell the story. It may seem bizarre and feel awkward, but stripping the lyrics from the music will help you discover your own interpretation of these words. Try speaking it directly into a mirror and look yourself in the eye. Use the text to create a mini dramatic scene. Speak the text, build the emotion, and let yourself become overwhelmed.
The last step is to harness and sculpt all of those wonderful, raw feelings you just had into a piece that resonates with your audience as much as it does with you. Grab a camera and film yourself trying out different facial expressions and body language positions. What do you look like when you’re feeling distraught? Mad? Sad? Happy? Excited? In love? Record yourself while performing your mini dramatic scene. Take note of facial and physical changes that portray honest emotion. Do the same process while singing as well. Were there certain words that created an unexpected response? Did your voice create a different color when you were feeling something more intensely? If you make the emotional expression part of a planned script, just like following a technical or musical direction, you know what to expect and how to execute it.
It can take away the fear that you’ll completely indulge the emotion, and instead allows you to mirror it so that your audience can have all of the feels.
