Luke Shepherd SS Chapter 11

Chapter Summary: To me the basic message of this chapter is to be true to yourself and follow your own path. This means that what one singer does and how they found success will not necessarily work for you or even be right for your own success. Because we have different characteristics, personalities, and goals we will find our own unique paths. This has to do as much with who we are as well as the repertoire we choose for ourselves and even what genre of music we decide to specialize in. The chapter also explores how we can have better audition experiences and how we can form positive and healthy attitudes. His three elements of positive visualization and the notion of "just go on stage and give our all" were particularly helpful. We also must keep in mind again that singers are actors and that our job is to communicate.
Key Concept: Your path is going to be yours and yours alone, and so should be your approach to repertoire and career goals.
Key Terms:
Making Connections: I'll be honest, I again disagree with some of what he says in the "singers are actors" section of the book. It's simply untrue that you can't sing freely if you 'feel the emotions' rather than only 'convey the intent'. It still can come across as insincere and fake, regardless. I also disagree with the notion that a moving performance can only be a performance in witch the singer's voice is free and that emotion, facial expression, and body language can't be a means to a genuinely moving performance without perfect vocal technique. Please don't misunderstand, I think having a free voice and good technique is of the utmost importance, but I don't believe for one second that it's the only important medium for expression and that expression isn't possible without it. Having a free voice in the professional world is expected, just as a ground level qualification, but having a free voice does NOT simply translate to expressive and moving performance without there being some kind of connection with the text and character, whether emotionally or through substitution.