Emily F. OB 19: Singing is deeply connected with emotion. This doesn't just mean the emotion that we express or feel about a song, but everything that is going on in our lives has an impact on singing. Stress of any kind has effects on the body, and the body is the instrument in singing! It's no wonder that the voice is so difficult to master. "Biofeedback, sympathy, empathy, stress, and emotional environment can all affect voice quality and control." This means that in order to be successful, singers need to understand themselves and learn good coping skills for the emotional and psychological difficulties we all encounter.
Key concept: "The thinking part of the singer's brain has to learn to control the emotional part."
Key terms: enigma, psychogenic, biofeedback, stress, emotional environment, performance anxiety, beta blockers
Making connections: I've definitely experienced ups and downs in my life that have affected my singing. Last fall when my back was so bad that I was in pain all the time, it was so hard to commit to singing, particularly the emotional connections to my pieces. On a smaller scale, things happen week to week that change my confidence and the quality of my sound. I'm grateful that I've had some life experience to help me learn how to identify and deal with difficult feelings. Something interesting in this chapter was how Brown talked about "the danger lies in succumbing to emotions as you perform." I can see how this will be/is a challenge for me. I have a hard time connecting with the audience anyway, and I could easily "over-commit" to the lyrics in order to get that connection. This is something I need to think about more.
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