Last week I wrote about song leaders and singers in rehearsal and at workshops feeling that they’ve made a big mistake. Yet nobody noticed: Think it's all going wrong? Spoiler: nobody's noticing!
This week I want to consider live performance, both from the perspective of choir leaders and singers.
One of my choirs performed a concert once and it all fell apart. We got bits wrong, people forgot words and we missed entire sections of songs. But in the interval, people came up to us and said it was one of our best performances!
There have also been plenty of times when I’ve not felt in the mood. Or I’ve had low energy when conducting a concert. But again the audience seemed to love it.
What’s going on here?
choir leaders conducting a concert
-
wrong starting notes – I’ve done this many, many
times. It sometimes takes me a while to realise, but when I do I simply stop
and we start again. Audiences at our concerts are usually not familiar with
the repertoire, so there is a very good chance that they’ll think they’re just
“weird harmonies” rather than wrong starting notes. Once you’ve owned up to
your mistake, the audience usually visibly relax when they realise that those
on stage are simply human.
-
lost your mojo – it’s a lot to ask for a choir
leader to be on top form at every single concert. There will be times when
there’s difficult stuff going on in your life, or you’ve been unwell or not
slept properly. We all put our professional face on and get on with the job.
However, we probably won’t enjoy the concert much and feel that we’ve not
given our best. Most of the time an audience won’t notice. You’re probably
doing far better than you think. You’ll be focusing on all the bad bits
because your experience will be filtered through your low-energy state. And
even if an audience realises that you’re struggling, you’ll be amazed at the
goodwill that’s out there. They’ll almost certainly be feeling for you and
willing you to succeed.
-
parts brought in at the wrong time/place – this
is related to the wrong starting notes but is even more likely to go
unnoticed. Most audience members won’t be that familiar with the structure of
a song. If you continue with confidence, they will assume that the song is
supposed to go like that!
singers in a concert
-
singing the wrong notes (at the wrong time) –
when you, an individual singer, make a mistake, you will notice it. It will
feel like everyone else in the room will notice too. However, you are just one
of many singers and the occasional wrong note will go unnoticed. The secret is
to not hold on to the feeling of being wrong, but leave it in the past and
continue with the song, staying in the moment.
-
coming in too soon/ too late – coming in too
soon, or hanging on too long at the end of a line can be very visible.
However, I doubt if any audience members will know the specific arrangement of
the song you’re singing. It might seem a little odd to them, but, on the
whole, they will assume everything’s going to plan. If you don’t suddenly stop
or look apologetic and sing with confidence, nobody will spot it.
-
not remembering words – again, you’re just one of
many singers. Stumbling over lyrics or leaving out a few words isn’t the end
of the world (unless you’re singing a solo!). Any small mistakes like that
will disappear into the overall mix.
other posts you might like
Your singing experience depends on how you feel, not just on what you do
Singers’ big mistakes in performance usually go unnoticed by the audience
How your performance can be a disaster, but the concert a huge success
The concert was great, so why do I feel like a failure?
Not everyone experiences a concert in the same way
Chris Rowbury
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