Judgement
Image description: a black and white picture shows a couple pointing and viewing art in an art gallery. Below is the title Judgement.
I’ve realised my love for travel and food is linked to my nosiness to know and understand people, and why I really enjoy my job working with lots of different musicians and pupils.
When we travel, I enjoy figuring out these unique puzzle pieces. Every part of the journey gives away more clues, from the internet research before, to the airport and security queues.
What could be better than seeing how another ‘tribe’ of people describe themselves through the art they make, and the art they value? And all the arts count in this endeavour, tv, music, books, adverts, all helping to build a picture.
And so we found ourselves in an art gallery, happy to be welcomed into its smooth polished floors and air-conditioned rooms. A serene refuge from the hot, bustling, dusty streets for at least a quiet few hours with occasional benches to admire the art.
I used to visit galleries and treat every picture with equal time, trying to give it time and allowing it to speak to me, but now I’m much less patient and probably less pretentious! I’m happy to waft around and only stop at the pieces that really grab my attention for some reason. I let my gut reaction guide me, turning off any preconceived ideas of good and bad, not reading names, and choosing my personal favourites from the visit because they are unusual, because they capture a feeling or emotion like a forgotten summers day, describing an anxious wait, translating sunlight and shadows into oil paint.
At this particular gallery it seemed like there was one of almost every ‘famous’ historical painter you have ever studied at school. Some were recognisable and almost familiar in style, and some were not. As though ‘from the school of’ or ‘influenced by’ might lead you to stop longer and consider its’ merit. The paintings I might have tried to give more time to because of who they were by rather than how they made me feel. But the truth was many of the big names were not my favourites, and many were instantly forgettable. Their famous name might make you stop, but the painting was not particularly moving or descriptive.
It made me wonder if these great well-known names had any idea these pictures would one day be displayed in an art gallery as a prized possession? Were they sketches? Or maybe they hated them and didn’t get around to painting over it. Would they be horrified to know some of these made it out of the back of the cupboard? I read an account recently about an artist who regularly reconsidered a painting she was working on and painted over it. She chose to scrap hours of work because it wasn’t going the way she wanted, to the consternation of others who had watched the artwork being created.
We don’t just make good art. We make art, and sometimes it is judged to be good, and sometimes it is not.
“Don’t think about making art, just get it done.
Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it.
While they are deciding, make even more art.”
In music -and singing- we are too often perfectionists who are judged harshly for less than perfect performances by not only ourselves but others. There is an old saying that ‘you are only as good as your last performance’ which is frankly ridiculous!
Our bodies and minds fluctuate with hormones, life drama, energy levels, illness and so on. So why are we not as good at accepting that these things happen and affect our art sometimes? Why are we aiming for perfection if it is unachievable?
If we restrict ourselves to only making ‘perfect art’ when our bodies and minds are truly ready or cooperative, how often would we perform? Would this be helpful to our artistry or enjoyment? Is good art achieved in a perfect environment?
I remind myself to be kind, and teach my pupils to be kind. We sing best free of the idea of ‘perfect’. The act of making art should not be done under the restrictions of deciding whether or not it is any good, but with the freedom and vibrancy released from creation for the point of communicating emotion and stories. These are the pieces of art that I find most move me, and the artists who I admire on the concert and opera platform.
A perfect performance technically and environmentally is not necessarily the one that moves me or that I wish to experience again. Lets all aim to be kinder.
Singing and Golf: what can we learn from other hobbies?
What singing tips can we learn from other hobbies and sports?
Recently we had a little spare time and decided to head to the Driving Range for the afternoon. I’m a terrible golfer and have not hit a ball for years, but it was fun to do something different, and we hope to go back more often.
I’ve picked up a few tips over the years listening to others who play, and watching golf on the tv. It got me thinking; are there any transferable pieces of advice that might also be helpful in singing?
I often have pupils who begin learning to sing with me tell me they know nothing at all about singing or how to use their body - but the truth is there are actually lots of similarities with other sports and hobbies that you could put into your singing practice.
Golf is a search for perfection, for balance. It’s about meditation and concentration. You have to use hand and brain.
Celine Dion
#1 Swing with less than 100% effort
Yes, this gets said a lot in singing. Sing comfortably within the limits of your voice. Singing at 100% is not only very effortful, it is likely to cause your voice to tire and and a handful of technical problems with your voice to occur.
#2 Play More Break
So, this is a little more convoluted. In golf, it means
the amount the ball moves left to right of a straight line in response to contours
NCG’s Golf glossary
In singing, we want the smooth legato line (latitudinal) to be mixed with feel of the voice being connected into the body (a longitudinal feel) in what is sometimes likened to a string player playing into the string, pressing through the bow.
#3 Work Hard on the Details
Singing is a wonderful, beautiful thing, that makes us feel great! But remember that mixing a little study, some exercises, and singing some repertoire outside the usual pieces you might pick can add a huge number of positives to your favourite songs.
#4 Use a Conservative Strategy
Just starting out on your vocal journey?… Put down ‘Queen of the Night’. Put down ‘Largo al factotum’… because you’ll never sing these arias?… no. It’s just not helpful to run before you can walk! It’s also likely to be less rewarding if you feel the piece you are singing is very hard work and full of technical things you aren’t yet doing.
#5 Practice Your Short Game More that your Full Swing
You know those high notes?…. yeah, they sound great! They feel great?… good! But they are rarely the most important notes in your voice, or the song. Don’t forget that you spend that majority of your time singing the other notes in your voice, and they need to be just as well sung.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these top 5, the full list I took them from is linked below, and there are definitely more comparisons!
Your singing teacher will enjoy guiding you through your lessons, happy golfing and happy singing!