Cognition

For a long time pedagogues have discussed the three major elements of singing as respiration, phonation, and resonance. Recent authors have added registration and articulation to the list. But the most recent addition I have read is “cognition.”

Of course, every action begins with a thought—a message sent from the brain instructing the body to behave in a certain way. Sometimes the body acts accordingly and sometimes it doesn't seem to do what we ask.

Those of you who have studied the Alexander Technique may know that it encourages a similar process called “inhibition” or “the pause.” This means that instead of doing something immediately that we instead take a few seconds to consider what it is that we're trying to do and how we should do it before we move forward with the action.

I think human beings are naturally impulsive. At least, our current cultural climate seems to encourage spontaneity or action without a lot of forethought. YOLO, dude.

In singing, however, or at least in our practicing, we may benefit from a more mindful approach. Do we just act, react, and act again, or do we stop and consider before we act? Perhaps our practice could benefit from a more conscientious approach.

Something to consider. (See what I did there?)

Take time to think.

Now go practice.

Competition

Here is an article I read a while ago that I was reminded of this weekend as I was at the NATS auditions.

http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/how-to-compare-yourself-to-others-without-getting-totally-depressed/

The whole idea of competition is strange when it comes to the arts. The best artists I know are generous, giving, kind, and genuinely interested in the well being of others. Not aggressive, cutthroat, and win-at-all-costs, like the way competitive people are often portrayed.

Unlike sports, the arts aren't ultimately about winning anything. People run races to see who can get to the finish line first, but the point of singing a song is not just to get to the end of the song.

Even if you go through an arduous audition and end up getting the role, that’s when the work BEGINS. All the audition has afforded you is the opportunity to create and explore and express and share. In my experience, people who spend energy developing aggressive, cutthroat, and backstabbing skills are not the best when it comes to creating, exploring, expressing, and sharing.

That’s one thing I like about the NATS auditions. Though they do award place winners, everyone walks away with work to do. The comment sheets, in my mind, are the point of the competition (in addition to performing in this slightly odd and unfamiliar format). We all get comments on how effective we are in practicing our art and how it is perceived by a panel of folks who work in the field.

As we were tabulating scores on Saturday, it was brought up how vastly different the scores sometimes were in each center going from judge to judge. Someone on the committee suggested that we may want to encourage conversation and collaboration among the judges in order to decide who should win each category (something we currently prohibit).

It was ultimately decided to leave the rules the way they are: independent judges with varied perspectives stating their individual opinions. After all, that’s what we get when we perform before an audience—lots of different people with their own impressions.

As the article above indicates, there are healthy ways to compare ourselves to others as we work toward our goals. And a bit of a competitive spirit isn't necessarily a bad thing. But the cliche is true, the only person you are in competition with is the person you were yesterday.

Now go practice.