Emily C.: A Sop. on Her Head, Ch. 3

A Soprano On Her Head: Chapter 3

Emily Cottam

Chapter Summary: “Being moved at some deep level of awareness.” “We rely so much on our thought processes that we often think our bodies out of existence.” Sometimes, in order to add the emotional “charge” and involvement we want in our performances, it’s important to allow our bodies to feel how a song is rather than to articulate and direct how it “should” feel. Many times, performers can become embarrassed if they expose their emotions too freely to the audience, but this can be what inhibits the greatest potential in our music. 

Key Concepts: Allowing your entire body to feel the emotions of a song, rather than planning them out beforehand, which can create a robotic and an obvious meticulous feeling. 

Making Connections: I often fall into the trap of planning every little thing out before a performance, and my approach to music is often very precise and articulate--this is very bad because when I go to perform, if I make a mistake, it throws off the entire balance of the song for me. I think learning to tune myself into the emotion of the music in a freer manner would be beneficial for me as far as my involvement in the music and my stage presence goes.