I came across an interesting article the other day: Quiet, please! The remarkable power of silence – for our bodies and our minds.
It got me thinking about how vital silence is for singers, singing and choir leading.
All music starts from silence.
Whether it’s the in-breath before a singer sings, or the charged moment before the conductor signals the start of a piece.
The problem is that many of us have forgotten that precious moment of silence. We are thinking ahead to when the song starts and pay no attention to the transition from silence to sound.
Yet we can use that brief moment to our advantage if we pay it some attention.
As a singer, we can learn to notice the onset of sound as we move from silence to engaging our vocal apparatus. What is happening with our breath? With our mouth? With our vocal cords? With the tensions in our body? Can we make this transition easier? Can we make the onset of sound more pleasing?
As a choir leader, we can use the moment of silence to focus the choir’s attention. To make sure every singer is on board before the song starts. How can we best fill that silence with anticipation? How do we use the singers’ focus to ensure that the song starts smoothly and accurately? What gestures might we use in the silence to engage the singers? What eye contact?
As a singer, we can use the silence to really tune in to the background sounds of our environment, to the breathing of our fellow singers, to the anticipation of an audience, to the presence of the choir leader. This sets us up well to really listen — to the starting notes, to the song, to the other harmonies.
As a choir leader, we can use silence during a rehearsal to draw the attention of the singers in the space. It’s a way of cutting through the chit chat. As singers begin to notice the choir leader’s stillness and silence, they will start to focus. Singers will become aware that they are part of a whole.
There are two other kinds of silence that are important.
Silences during a song, and silence after a song.
During a song, silences are used to help shape the song. The silences between verses or even phrases should never be the silence of nothing. They should be silences of intense focus and anticipation, ready for when the whole choir takes an in-breath together before continuing.
After a song has ended, the ensuing silence is full of what has gone on before. The vibrations of the song will still be hanging in the space, along with any associated feelings. This is why there is often a short gap between the end of a song and when an audience applaud. Sometimes we want to extend this magical silence.
And when the choir and audience have left the space, the silence left behind is full of life, still full of what went before.
Chris Rowbury
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