Luke Shepherd SS Chapter 1

Chapter Summary: This chapter makes so much sense, it's rather intuitive. What happens when we sing well often has little to do with what we do in singing. This is why a scientific approach to singing misses the big picture. Science helps us to understand biomechanically what happens when we sing but it cannot tell us what we must do to sing well. This is because our entire person is our instrument, everything about us, our physical, emotional, intellectual, psychological, and spiritual state of being affects the physical and acoustical aspects of singing. This is where the wholistic approach comes into play. The wholistic concept focuses on what we do to sing healthily and right rather than focusing on fixing what is wrong. Focusing on what singer need to stop doing does not necessarily let them know what they need to do that is right.
Key Concept: A wholistic approach to singing allows for not just the symptoms of bad singing to be addressed but focuses on the "to do" of good singing.
Key Terms: Wholism/ Wholistic approach to singing
Self-actualization
Making Connections: I realized while reading this that this is exactly what I've been focusing on for the last month with my actors in "A Catered Affair". When we speak we NEVER miss the operative words in a sentence. We just speak and it comes out naturally. But when we give someone lines to memorize and read or music to sing we all of the sudden miss all of the operatives. It doesn't come out naturally or speech-like anymore! I spend so much time with them trying to help them just say something or let it be natural. This chapter gave me so many good insights and ideas as to how to do that with them and how to do it with myself in my own repertoire...