![\"Maria](\"http:\/\/commons.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:MarieAntoinette1769-70.jpg\" "\\"Maria")
<\/a><\/p>\nIf you did not assume that it started with this task; stop reading now.<\/h6>\n
Practice<\/a> is going to be our key to the kingdom of diva town. I can bore you with all the adages about why practicing is good for you but we are going to focus on solutions. You’ve heard it said that experience is the best teacher. However, learning from sad (and potentially career damaging) experiences is not how you want to gain your diva wisdom. Preparation will help you manifest a training mindset, ward off negative stage-fright, and develop a deeper connection with the music.<\/p>\n Let’s dish about the training mindset: Practicing to develop a deeper connection with the music: Sight-Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n “Effortless Sight-Reading<\/a>.” An article on The Musician’s Way Blog. <\/em> Musical Interpretation<\/strong><\/p>\n See p. 23-34 of The Musician’s Way<\/em><\/a>. Memorization for Musicians<\/strong><\/p>\n See p. 82-93 of The Musician’s Way<\/em><\/a>. \n You have your mission. Day #1 – Set up your practice schedule. Goodbye, excuses. Hello, prepared super singer. Make sure you join us tomorrow for our next 29 Days to Diva task. (#29daystodiva)<\/p>\n Have any other resources you’d like to share with the crew? Have a training plan that works well for you? Tell us about it in the comments below.<\/p>\n
\nDr. Shin’ichi Suzuki, inventor of the international Suzuki method<\/a> of music education, has oft been quoted as saying, “Practice only on the days you eat.” This is the bedrock of the training mindset. We all know that operas can often feel like marathons<\/a>. We must train our bodies, our instruments, to welcome that exertion. To that extent, your task for 29 Days to Diva: #1 is to set up a practicing schedule. <\/strong>We meticulously schedule rehearsals for our church jobs, opera gigs, professional choirs, etc. It is time to take that same mentality and use it to set up your own schedule.<\/strong> Download a calendar right now<\/a> and start planning out the way that you want to practice. If you need some extra guidance on the training mindset, check out this article from Runner’s World: Your Ultimate Half-Marathon Training Plan.<\/a> Here are some the running training universals that I have modified for our use as singers:<\/p>\n\n
\nRemember that practicing is not just about locking yourself in a room and singing scales and arias on repeat. There is the silent study that goes along with singing. This is often an area in which singers try to cut corners. It is absolutely necessary to understand the translations, the phonetic pronunciation, and the poetic meaning of the music you are rehearsing. Check out some of these resources culled from MusiciansWay.com:<\/p>\n
\nAlso see p. 99-102 of The Musician’s Way<\/em><\/a>.
\nPracticeSightReading.com<\/a>. Generate rhythm exercises; multiple levels.
\n\u201cEye Movement in Music Reading<\/a>.\u201d A well-referenced article on Wikipedia.
\n\u201cSight-Reading<\/a>,\u201d by Lehmann & McArthur, in The Science & Psychology of Music Performance, <\/em>eds. Parncutt & McPherson, 135-150 (Oxford, 2002).
\n\u201cStrategies for Sight-reading and Improvising Music<\/a>,\u201d a chapter in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance<\/a>, <\/em>edited by Aaron Williamon, 143-159 (Oxford, 2004).
\nSight-reading\/sight singing methods for instrumentalists and singers:<\/em>
\nSolf\u00e8ges des Solf\u00e8ges<\/a>, <\/em>by A. Dannh\u00e4user (3 vols.). Free download.
\nA New Approach to Sight Singing<\/a>,<\/em> by Berkowitz, Frontrier, & Kraft.
\nRhythmical Articulation<\/a>, <\/em>by Pasquale Bona.<\/p>\n
\nNote Grouping<\/a>, <\/em>by James Thurmond (Meredith, 1982).
\nRead Musical Interpretation<\/a>, <\/em>by Tobias Matthay (Schirmer, 1918). Free e-book.
\nThe Rhythmic Structure of Music<\/a>,<\/em> by Cooper & Meyer (Chicago, 1960).
\nThe Composer\u2019s Advocate<\/a>, <\/em>by Erich Leinsdorf (Yale, 1982).
\nBaroque Music: Style and Performance Handbook<\/a>, <\/em>by Robert Donington (Norton, 1982).
\nThe End of Early Music:<\/em><\/a> <\/em>A Period Performer’s History of Music for the 21st Century<\/em>, by Bruce Haynes (Oxford, 2007).
\nInterpreting Bach at the Keyboard<\/a><\/em>, by P. Badura-Skoda (Oxford, 1995).
\nSinging in Style: A Guide to Vocal Performance Practices<\/a>, <\/em>by Martha Elliott (Yale, 2006).
\nDeepening Musical Performance Through Movement<\/a>,<\/em> by Alexandra Pierce (Indiana, 2007).
\nWatch videos on YouTube<\/a> of master musicians teaching interpretation. Search using keywords, e.g., “Pavarotti masterclass.”
\nDalcroze Eurythmics<\/a>. Merging interpretation with movement.<\/p>\n
\n“The Four Stages of Memorization<\/a>.” An article on The Musician’s Way Blog.<\/em>
\n\u201cMemory<\/a>,\u201d by Rita Aiello and Aaron Williamon, a chapter in The Science & Psychology of Music Performance, <\/em>edited by Parncutt and McPherson, 167-181 (Oxford, 2002).
\n\u201cSinging by Heart<\/a>: Memorization Strategies for the Words and Music of Songs,\u201d by Jane Ginsborg, a chapter in The Music Practitioner,<\/em> edited by Jane W. Davidson, 149-160 (Ashgate, 2004). Purchase from AbeBooks.com<\/a>.
\n\u201cMemorization: Psychological Data and Some Practical Tips<\/a>.\u201d An article by pianist and educator Dr. Scott McBride Smith.
\nRead the abstract of \u201cThe Value of Performing from Memory<\/a>,\u201d by Aaron Williamon, in Psychology of Music,<\/em> Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 84-95 (1999).
\n\u201cStrategies for Memorizing Music<\/a>,\u201d by Jane Ginsborg, a chapter in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance <\/em>edited by Aaron Williamon, 123-141 (Oxford, 2004).
\n\u201cMemorising Music<\/a>,\u201d by Aaron Williamon, in Musical Performance: A Guide to Understanding, <\/em>edited by John Rink, 113-126 (Cambridge, 2002).
\n\u201cPerforming from Memory<\/a>,\u201d by Chaffin, Logan, & Begosh, in The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology,<\/em> eds. Hallam, Cross, & Thaut (2008, p. 352-363).
\nPreview Practicing Perfection: Memory and Piano Performance<\/a><\/em>, by Chaffin, Imreh, and Crawford (Lawrence Erlbaum, 2002). Purchase from AbeBooks.com<\/a>.
\nRead the Preface to Guide to Memorizing Music<\/a>, <\/em>by Alfred John Goodrich (1906)<\/p>\nRelated articles<\/h6>\n