Making it YOUR song

I worked with a really talented young gal today who is getting ready for a state Pageant here in Utah. She wanted coaching on her song presentation, so we worked initially on opening up her words (so that the judges and audience can understand what her story is!); then on 'subtext' - what emotion was underlying the words she was singing; how and when to move (there's a definate art to this, and it has to be motivated by emotion, not by the pressure to 'use the stage'); finally, and most importantly, we worked on MAKING THE SONG HER OWN.

How do you make it YOUR song? Very simply, you BECOME the character who is telling the story. You aren't singing the song from someone else's view, you sing it from YOUR point of view. It has to be your life, your pain, your joy, your story! Get into the lyrics and feel the emotion; see the visuals in your mind, let the story be your story.

This particular song was from a musical and sung by a character full of hope, emotion and excitement. When we really got down to the nitty gritty of it all, I pointed out that it truly was my student's song! I helped her see how it was exactly her life, her hopes, her dreams she was singing about! The change in presentation was miraculous! She was so honest, so mesmerizing, so convincing that both her mother and I were in tears at the end of the song! It was incredibly powerful. When you tap into your true emotions even your voice is changed and enhanced. The high notes are effortless and supercharged; you use your voice in new and adventurous ways; you stop thinking about technique and start feeling the song.

I always tell my students to sing with their hearts, not their heads. It's great to be technically perfect, but I would much rather hear a singer who touches my soul with their raw emotion, rather than hear a perfect, but emotionally cold performance.

So how do you make it your song? You sing it from your personal perspective. You relate the story to something that has happened in your own life that has touched you, changed you. Do you see how important it is to choose your material carefully? If it doesn't mean anything to you, it won't mean anything to your audience. Make it matter! There are millions of great songs out there. Don't waste your time, or your audience's time with fluffy material that has no emotional mileage. The greatest gift you can give someone is a song and performance that touches someone's heart. Make each song YOUR song.