Kira Wagner, Your Freedom Guide

Progressing from Novice to Artist

“A singers work is never done.” That is the first thing that comes to mind when asked to discuss the varying levels of proficiency for a singer.

To start with – the instrument itself is dynamic. It is always changing and affected by a number of items that, in and of themselves, are also dynamic. These include such factors as:

• Overall health
• Age
• Emotions
• Environment
• The performing ensemble (the ability to interact, connect with and trust the other performers and audience)
• Innate skills (God given – don’t know how or why they can do something)
• Acquired skills through practice and education

This dynamic state of flux is the single most noticeable attribute that wears any singer down. Our expectation is that that once we get a handle on a particular skill we can move on. We are finished with “that” and we don’t want to work on “it” any more. Nowhere is this more evidenced than in the breathing skills. Yet, each successive skill is built with an ever-increasing awareness of the breath, which connects us to our bodies, our sound and our music.

From Novice to Expert I believe that a singer tends to fall within one OR MORE of the “Four Stages of Competency”. The singer may move backward or forward based what is going on in their lives. For example, a woman during pregnancy may find that breathing while singing, takes on a completely new dimension, even though she had reached the point in her career where it required little thought due to her physical exercise routine during the “non-pregnant” state. Additional, recovering after any kind of vocal distress requires patience that the singer may or may not willingly accept.  

Moreover, the idea that just because I KNOW how something is to be done, I can immediately integrate it, has tripped more potential adult singers than any single perceived obstacle. As Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.” In addition, contrary to the popular saying “practice makes perfect” any accomplished artist or sportsman knows that practice makes permanent, therefore perfect practice make perfect performance.

Being one to have a firsthand relationship with the saying, “God grant me patience, but hurry”, it has taken years to find that place where “now” is filled with “joy”. I have fought with myself to own the concept that the joy is in the journey, not the destination. As singers, we will always be in a state of growth or decay – we choose. As Kim Hulbert once pointed out, a state of perfection is only achieved when you are six feet under.

So let’s briefly examine the four stages before we look at the myriad of skills, either innate or learned, that one finds in an artist who uses their instrument as their brush and the universe as their canvas.

Starting with the first stage, we have “Unconscious Incompetence.” At this level, a Novice singer neither understands nor knows how to do something beyond singing the words and generally the right notes. Moreover, they are not even aware that they don’t know. In many cases, the Novice or Beginning singer will quickly move OUT of this stage in one or more skill area1 but still have the majority of skills fall within the stage. For example while many singers begin to get a handle on breathing as to move into stage two or even three, it will be sometime before they understand or even recognize Vocal Freedom (see skill areas below) . The preconceived idea of what is “good” or what the singer “should” sound like can take time to process – let alone recognize that they are trying to sing in a style that isn’t their true voice.

Moving on to the second stage of learning known as “Conscious Incompetence”, though the singer does not understand or know how to do something, the singer does recognize it, even though they cannot execute it. The Advanced Beginner is seen primarily in this stage. They may have a limited number of these areas beginning to emerge in the third stage of competence yet it is almost a toss of a coin as to the ability to execute any of the skill (see below).

In the third stage known as “Conscious Competence”, the singer understands or knows how to do most of the skills necessary for a wonderful performance. However, demonstrating the skill or the execution requires a great deal of focus or concentration. This is where you will find many of the “good” singers – very proficient but much presence of mind is required on their part. We can easily fall into the trap of “good enough” at this stage because we are having fun, the audience enjoys the performance and we probably don’t have to spend a lot of our time outside of rehearsal maintaining this level of competency to variying degrees.

During this third stage the singer may even have one remaining skill that is still at level one due to either a lack of ability to experience it, never having had the opportunity to be a part of it, a belief that it is beyond their capabilities OR a fundamental resistance to allowing it to happen. I believe it is this ability to experience a truly Artistic moment of delivery. This experience, more than any other, will encourage the singer to progress and seek to own the final level of competency in all of the skills.

Unconscious Competence is achieved when the singer has had so much practice with a skill that it becomes “second nature” and is performed easily and effortlessly. The singer may or may not be able teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned. Someone considered an “Expert” singer exhibits the first six skill areas, as noted below, at this level to a high degree of consistency. Again, the important thing to remember here is that the human instrument is dynamic. Therefore, the Expert singer will revisit all of the skill areas during rehearsal / practice sessions. A singer who really believes that their instrument is a gift from a higher power will continue to practice these skills so that the performance is free of any effort to control the sound thereby allowing them to stay in touch and in tune with their audience.

Finally, I believe that there is a level beyond “Expert” where the singer is truly an Artist. The Artist owns all of the six skill areas and is blessed when they are one with the seventh (see #7 below). This experience is a rarity; I believe this rarity is often because we are afraid to be laughed at, to make a mistake, yes even to fall on our face. We refuse to risk much – therefore our ability to experience much is elusive. It is important to remove all elements of doubt within any performance. Knowing that we can deliver (Conscious Competence) is only a single element of the Artistry, trusting that we have the ability to deliver (Unconscious Competence) is yet another key. However, it does not stop there. In an ensemble, there are other performers on the stage. This level of Artistry means that everyone trusts each other to deliver. That takes time, preparation and Belief. Or maybe—that’s where it all starts…

The following list is a short version of an ensemble singer’s skill area.

• Breath
  • Breath Space (the sound will never be any better than the breath space that precedes it)
    • Singing in this same space
    • Ability to take personal breaths during ensemble singing
      • Breathe…while lip-syncing a word
  • Ability to use varying types of Breaths (which may include)
    • Catch—Used for emotional impact only and not in places that require air
    • Quick—Used within passages which are increasing in tempo and always preceded by an increase in volume
    • Tempo—Used in both Uptunes and Ballads, this breath has a measured space and time to be taken…within the tempo of the song.
    • Slow—Also used for emphasis and emotional impact. The entire space between previous phrase and new phrase is used for breathing.
    • Delay—Usually used at emotional high point of song and/or for setting it apart from chorus or verse. This breath offers a definitive white space…then…breath is taken in tempo of next passage.
• Posture
  • Total connection from Head to Toes
    • Head / Neck soft and flexible – almost a liquid buoyant feel
    • Shoulders – relaxed and back
    • Rib Space – lifted and expanded / free and floating
    • Chest / Sternum – lifted
    • Back – tall and in line with the body (avoiding sway-back)
    • Abdomen – free to support the sound with lift
    • Flexibility and connection in the lower body parts (particularly soft flexible knees and foot posturing that enhances the sound not adds to the body tension
    • Presence and awareness of the facial posturing (keeping it alive, lifted and involved)
• Accuracy
  • Tonal Center (always aware of key or “do”)
  • Pitch – Notes – singing the note not “in the area of”
  • Clean Intervals
  • Tuned Chords
• Articulation
  • Appropriate, well-matched vowels and consonants that enhance (don’t interrupt) the flow of the tone / a Flowing Vocal Line
  • Singing Word Sounds
    • Consonants
      • Space and Treatment: some that deserve consideration
        • M
        • N
        • L
        • R
        • TH
        • K
        • NG
        • H
        • B
    • Vowels
      • Single Vowel Sounds
        • AH
        • EH
        • EE
        • OO
        • IH
        • EH
        • UH
        • Ǽ (hat)
        • IR
        • ER
        • AW
      • Diphthongs
        • I or eye à AH-ee
        • OH à OH-oo
        • A as in say à EH-ee
        • Other word examples include;
          • You à ee-OO
          • Yet à ee-EH
          • Wet à oo-EH
      • Triphthongs
        • Y à oo-AH-ee
      • A visual chart as well as audio examples of several of these can be seen / heard at http://www.paulmeier.com/ipa/diphthongs.html
• Resonation – Backspace/Ring is where the warmth of your sound is developed
  • The back of the mouth and the throat are the resonators that are soft tissue and absorb the highs in the sound. Incorporating more backspace can lead to an overly dark sound. We want a well-balanced sound with equal parts backspace and ring.
  • Ring is developed in those resonators with hard surfaces, they put the “ping” in the sound and that is where the overtone lives. These resonators magnify the highs in the sound but too much will bring about an abrasive, less than beautiful sound.
    • An appropriate amount of backspace and ring is the balance desired.
  • There are four areas of resonation available to the singer:
    • The area from the top of the larynx to the back of the mouth – Laryngopharynx
    • The back of the mouth – Oropharynx
    • The mouth
    • The nasal passages and sinus cavities – Nasopharynx

Vocal Energy and Freedom aided not distracted by:

• Preconceived ideas of:
  • Appropriate sound
  • Your OWN sound
• Tension in the body – to be used or released
• Muscle use – is it working for the sound or against it
• Emotional state – in a state of distress or not
• Focus – are we in the moment, hanging on to something previous or anticipating something coming
• Ebb and Flow of Delivery – the ability to move with the sound

• Artistic Delivery2
  • Having all of the previous skills to a great degree of competency, the singer is able to be one with the message in the music and take the listener on a journey. During this journey, the listener is able to suspend belief transporting the audience to another place and time.
  • The artist is able to open their heart, their soul, and let the audience see beyond the mask
  • The energy is fed and created by the interaction between the audience and the artist

A thank you to the many wonderful teachers whose wisdom may be recognized throughout this writing – you see – we are a conglomeration of those in whose paths we follow. Here is a list of the ones I can recall in random order – Dr. Eve-Anne Wilkes, Dale Syverson, Jim Casey, Bonita Wall, Peggy Gram, Charla Esser, Darlene Rogers, Shirley Kout, Kim Hulbert, Betty Clipman, Jim Arns, Ron Black, Bobbette Gantz, Connie Noble, Travis Rogers, Paul Drummond, Greg Lyne, Joe Lyles, Jan Gervais, Freddie King, Judy Ashmore, Tony DeRosa, Joni Bescos, Jack Barnard, and finally of the students I’ve had as a teacher with the Napa Valley Unified School District and Sweet Adelines.

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