For creative folks, whatever their particular brand of art, choosing a new project is hard. Especially as a singer, our projects are so often determined by the next gig. But how do we choose what to do in between gigs? As we all know, it can be hard to be motivated to keep working on projects (or choose new ones) if there is no pressure of a hard start date or concert performance. On the one hand, you definitely feel the pressure to create SOMETHING, but on the other hand, you don’t have a specific purpose for it yet, so why not just keep on binging that show on Netflix?
First you have to wade through a sea of options. Do you start working on a song cycle for possible recitals? Do you crack open that opera score that has been staring at you for months and have a go at a new role? Do you dive headlong into research to find some undiscovered gem? Do you focus on revamping and refining your audition package with some new arias? There are so many choices, and there is only so much time in the day to get the work done. You also have to deal with setting your own goals with no external push. This will help determine (in part) what you work on, but even once you’ve made a choice it’s still there, looming. Should you focus on exploring work of an unknown composer and creating a recital based around that? Should you only choose music that speaks to you on a personal level–the whole “does this spark joy” approach? Should you be focusing on refining a role you’ve sung before, or should you work on adding a new role to your repertoire? In that aria package, what are you trying to showcase about your voice and your “brand” as a singer? Obviously there is much to unpack and consider, and there isn’t one right answer here. I’m actually in a bit of that quandary myself–I find myself wanting to choose something new to work on, but I have not really committed to a new project yet. I’m still in the limbo phase where anything is possible because no choices have been made. The trouble is, if I’m not careful, I’ll just stay right here, and never make a choice. It’s so easy for any of us to get overwhelmed by the choices available, so we choose instead to do nothing. So how do you go about choosing? I tend to start with projects that I know I HAVE to do, such as an upcoming performance job or some other event. Those are the ones that are easy, because you have a deadline, responsibilities, and someone else is generally in charge. So that hardly counts for our purposes here. Once I make it through those, I just start listening to music. Whether it’s in a voice lesson when I am helping my own students choose repertoire, unwinding after a workday with some Youtube listening, or even just listening on the classical radio station. I encounter a composer, or a piece, or sometime both, that really gets to me. And then I start a quick internet search to find out more about the composer (if it’s an unknown one), and start to build out from there. You never know what sort of wonderful music you can uncover if you just stop to listen. I’m currently in the listening phase myself - hopefully some concrete ideas will rise to the top! Basically, find some music that speaks to you, and go from there. If you choose music based on what you WANT to sing, rather than what is “expected” of you for auditions, you’ll generally show better in auditions because you actually like what you are presenting. There is no magic formula that works for everyone. We all have to do the work ourselves to discover who we are as artists. This in turn can help guide us toward the kind of music we want to perform or the type of art we want to create. Unless you are preparing for an audition or competition that is asking for specific repertoire, the world really is your oyster in terms of song selection. Rather than thinking of project selection as something you HAVE to do, think of it as something you GET to do. If you think about the situation in a positive mentality, then you can perhaps even enjoy the phases of the project when you have no idea what’s going on yet! It should be noted: this largely listening-based approach is what tends to help me as a classical singer. If your creative output doesn’t involve wading through centuries of music, your approach to project selection could be very different. The bottom line is, try to enjoy the freedom of the process as you cast about for a new project. Accept inspiration as it comes, and never limit yourself by what you think you “should” do. Taking ownership of all of the stages of your own creative process is the key to finding fulfillment in your ongoing artistic journey.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Stephen MausVoice teacher. Archives
December 2022
Categories
|