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In Favor of Practicing
By Lisa Houston
“If you want to be different, and really stand out, do something nobody else wants to do: Practice!”
—Pianist Ellis Marsalis, paraphrased by his son, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis
Originally published in Classical Singer Magazine, November 2007
The violinist, or pianist begins his or her musical studies early and develops habits (good and bad) around the all-important art of practicing, spending hours a day locked in a room playing scales, scales, and more scales. With a few exceptions (Jean-Pierre Rampall began the flute at the relatively late age of 13), instrumentalists train in the art of practicing from an early age, just as ballet dancers must train the body as it develops.
In any case, you don’t have to study from an early age to become a classical singer. For one thing, we don’t even get our real instrument until after puberty, and even then, especially for dramatic voices, it keeps changing. Many of the professional classical singers I know came to singing late. A broken ankle ended the dream of a tennis career, for example, and led a college student to take up singing. An organ major discovered a genuinely operatic instrument almost by accident. A guy follows a pretty girl to a choir rehearsal and the rest is history. Or, in my case, an actor who has always loved to sing finds herself performing at La Scala in an avant-garde production combining actors and singers, and decides to get more serious about voice lessons.
As you would expect with such a myriad of backgrounds, the practice habits of singers vary widely. Some seem to be more like actors, who don’t practice much on their own and do best with a role in hand to train for, much as an athlete trains for a specific event. At the other extreme, some singers feel that a day without singing scales is like a day without sunshine.
I was prompted to reflect on practicing, and revisit my own practice habits and beliefs, after reading a new and very lovely book on the subject, Practicing: A Musician’s Return to Music, by Glen Kurtz. Kurtz comes to the issue from the perspective of a classical guitarist, but the questions he raises are relevant to anyone living a dedicated musical life. Kurtz quit playing for many years after conservatory when the possibility of a career path as a concert performer disintegrated and he could not sustain his practice without that goal in sight. Kurtz’s return to playing is a beautiful and inspiring story, and I loved the book, cover to cover.
From the vivid picture the book paints of life at my alma mater, the New England Conservatory, to the exploration of thoughts and dreams that flit across the mind of a musician during practice, Kurtz looks deeply into the essence of what it means to be a musical performer, and what it means to practice toward a goal or for its own sake.
In the wake of reading this book, I have discussed the subject with some fellow musicians and infused some new ideas and energy into my practice routine. Here are a few of my favorites:
Keep a Practice Log
A practice log can be any kind of journal or desk calendar, or any other way you like to record what you’re working on. You might create a document for yourself on the computer that includes the day, the time I started, and my mood and health, plus observations before I begin, my intention for practicing, a notation of my methods and repertoire, and finally, the time I finished and my mood and observations upon finishing. Or you might just keep a journal or notebook in your practice space, and jot down a thought or two. The idea of noting how you’re feeling before and after practice can be helpful in deciding if repertoire or methods are helpful to you. Also, some repertoire feels fine in the moment, but then you feel tired vocally the next day. A practice log can help you keep track of this.
As for intention, including it can be very helpful in setting the tone for your practice. If you are likely to rush, or be very hard on yourself, you might set an intention to “find ease” in your singing, or “enjoy the breath.” Or you might be more specific, setting goals such as, “memorize Act I, Scene III.” Try to make entries as simple and factual as possible. As Kuntz discusses, there is always a difference between our ideal and where we actually are. An honest, nonjudgmental practice log can be an important step to getting a clear picture of the distance between the two.
Keep a Regular Schedule
Take advantage of habit energy. Practicing at the same time every day can help you to stay on the ball. Remember Newton’s first law of motion: Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it. When you sing every day, you are in motion, and likely to keep singing. The longer the time between practices, the tougher it can be to get going again. Choosing the time when you have your very best energy (mornings for many) helps to send a message to you that your practicing is important. Create an Inspiring Practice Space I know of a singer who strings up a line across the wall of her practice space and clips sheets of paper with goals on them. I’m a fan of photos of grand theaters and productions from the newspaper. Looking out at ornate gilt boxes, or huge orchestra pits. Put up your performance photos and posters, for those days when you really don’t feel like a performer and need to be reminded who you are. Have a couple of well-placed mirrors for checking technique, and the very best keyboard you can afford. Keep the space clean and update it frequently. Nothing is better than quality time, when you’re rested and in a safe environment you’ve created, setting your intentions carefully. That is the core of your work. Practicing every day, even on days when you have cramps, don’t feel like it, or just had a fight with your girlfriend, that is the best preparation you can give yourself for singing well at any given time.
Some Other Ideas
These next forms of practice provide some specific ways to practice that simulate real-world situations. The more you can practice singing under those conditions, the better. Some of them are adapted from ideas offered in Making a Musical Life: The practice, the profession, the joy, by Tom Heimberg, who was a longtime member of the San Francisco Opera orchestra and a beloved teacher here in the San Francisco Bay area.
Environmental Practice
String players are taught to carry their instrument into different rooms in the house to get used to the different acoustics. Have you ever been to an audition where the only place to warm up was the bathroom? Or your car? To simulate a dead space, try singing in the closet. For a live space, try the bathroom. If possible, practice in the actual space in which you’ll be singing. In an audition situation, one way to do this is by signing up for the second day of auditions. Show up on the first day just to check out the space. Maybe you can try out the room a bit while the auditioners are at lunch. If not, you’ve at least gotten familiar with the locale so your brain won’t be firing off all of its “new place” warnings.
Alarm Clock Practicing
Set your alarm clock or egg timer to some random time to go off during your practice. This is to simulate the feeling you get of the knock on the door, or the “you’re up next,” or if you’re lucky, the intercom barking, “Ms. Soprano to the stage please. Ms. Soprano to the stage.” Something happens to the nervous system when it’s time to go on, and you can simulate that by practicing this way. I also like to listen to a recording of the orchestra part just before my entrance. When I hear it, I get a flutter in the stomach, and I keep replaying that bit until the flutter is gone.
Real-world Practicing
If you have to sing after working all day at a desk job, practice singing after work. If you take half an hour to do your makeup and hair, and have to walk the dog or feed the kids before going to sing, practice singing after doing that. If you’re singing in heels or in a skirt, practice that. If you’re singing at 3:00 in the afternoon, after you’ve been driving for two hours, when you have your period, with a new pianist, and then walked two blocks in high heels while carrying a shoulder bag full of music, practice singing after doing that, and that, and that. Practice under whatever conditions you will have to sing.
Lastly, I’m a big believer in Singers’ Forums, as long as your fellow-singers are supportive. These are get-togethers of singers only, to sing in front of each other to try out new repertoire or prepare for auditions. Having an audience is something you can and should practice, too. Update Your Story “Practicing is training; practicing is meditation and therapy,” Kurtz writes in Practicing. “But before any of these, practicing is a story you tell yourself, a Bildungsroman, a tale of education and self-realization.”
As we age and develop, that story changes. Maybe you’re not practicing to sing at the Met any more. Maybe you’re practicing to be a better teacher, or to challenge yourself, or for a particular audition, or even because you enjoy practicing. If the story dies and you don’t replace it, your practicing will lose energy, so stay in touch with yourself and your reasons for practicing. Sometimes, the reasons are hard to describe. It’s only a quiet knowing, from experience, that once you’ve practiced you know you will feel somehow more yourself, more alive. And that is plenty reason enough.
There is a shortened version of a quote from Kurt Vonnegut that is in vogue these days. The quotation is taken from a letter he wrote in response to some high school students who had written to him as part of an assignment. Vonnegut, then 84 years old, replied, and at the end of the letter instructs the students to write a poem, show it to no one, and then tear it up in many pieces and throw the pieces away in various trash cans. It is the writing of the poem itself that will be of benefit, as he explains in this now well known quote.
The underlines are his, and his letter included an iconic sketch of himself as well.
“Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.”
Book recommendations:
Practicing: A Musician’s Return to Music, by Glenn Kurtz
The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music from the Heart, by Madeline Bruser
Making a Musical Life: The practice, the profession, the joy, by Tom Heimberg
By Lisa Houston
“If you want to be different, and really stand out, do something nobody else wants to do: Practice!”
—Pianist Ellis Marsalis, paraphrased by his son, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis
Originally published in Classical Singer Magazine, November 2007
The violinist, or pianist begins his or her musical studies early and develops habits (good and bad) around the all-important art of practicing, spending hours a day locked in a room playing scales, scales, and more scales. With a few exceptions (Jean-Pierre Rampall began the flute at the relatively late age of 13), instrumentalists train in the art of practicing from an early age, just as ballet dancers must train the body as it develops.
In any case, you don’t have to study from an early age to become a classical singer. For one thing, we don’t even get our real instrument until after puberty, and even then, especially for dramatic voices, it keeps changing. Many of the professional classical singers I know came to singing late. A broken ankle ended the dream of a tennis career, for example, and led a college student to take up singing. An organ major discovered a genuinely operatic instrument almost by accident. A guy follows a pretty girl to a choir rehearsal and the rest is history. Or, in my case, an actor who has always loved to sing finds herself performing at La Scala in an avant-garde production combining actors and singers, and decides to get more serious about voice lessons.
As you would expect with such a myriad of backgrounds, the practice habits of singers vary widely. Some seem to be more like actors, who don’t practice much on their own and do best with a role in hand to train for, much as an athlete trains for a specific event. At the other extreme, some singers feel that a day without singing scales is like a day without sunshine.
I was prompted to reflect on practicing, and revisit my own practice habits and beliefs, after reading a new and very lovely book on the subject, Practicing: A Musician’s Return to Music, by Glen Kurtz. Kurtz comes to the issue from the perspective of a classical guitarist, but the questions he raises are relevant to anyone living a dedicated musical life. Kurtz quit playing for many years after conservatory when the possibility of a career path as a concert performer disintegrated and he could not sustain his practice without that goal in sight. Kurtz’s return to playing is a beautiful and inspiring story, and I loved the book, cover to cover.
From the vivid picture the book paints of life at my alma mater, the New England Conservatory, to the exploration of thoughts and dreams that flit across the mind of a musician during practice, Kurtz looks deeply into the essence of what it means to be a musical performer, and what it means to practice toward a goal or for its own sake.
In the wake of reading this book, I have discussed the subject with some fellow musicians and infused some new ideas and energy into my practice routine. Here are a few of my favorites:
Keep a Practice Log
A practice log can be any kind of journal or desk calendar, or any other way you like to record what you’re working on. You might create a document for yourself on the computer that includes the day, the time I started, and my mood and health, plus observations before I begin, my intention for practicing, a notation of my methods and repertoire, and finally, the time I finished and my mood and observations upon finishing. Or you might just keep a journal or notebook in your practice space, and jot down a thought or two. The idea of noting how you’re feeling before and after practice can be helpful in deciding if repertoire or methods are helpful to you. Also, some repertoire feels fine in the moment, but then you feel tired vocally the next day. A practice log can help you keep track of this.
As for intention, including it can be very helpful in setting the tone for your practice. If you are likely to rush, or be very hard on yourself, you might set an intention to “find ease” in your singing, or “enjoy the breath.” Or you might be more specific, setting goals such as, “memorize Act I, Scene III.” Try to make entries as simple and factual as possible. As Kuntz discusses, there is always a difference between our ideal and where we actually are. An honest, nonjudgmental practice log can be an important step to getting a clear picture of the distance between the two.
Keep a Regular Schedule
Take advantage of habit energy. Practicing at the same time every day can help you to stay on the ball. Remember Newton’s first law of motion: Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it. When you sing every day, you are in motion, and likely to keep singing. The longer the time between practices, the tougher it can be to get going again. Choosing the time when you have your very best energy (mornings for many) helps to send a message to you that your practicing is important. Create an Inspiring Practice Space I know of a singer who strings up a line across the wall of her practice space and clips sheets of paper with goals on them. I’m a fan of photos of grand theaters and productions from the newspaper. Looking out at ornate gilt boxes, or huge orchestra pits. Put up your performance photos and posters, for those days when you really don’t feel like a performer and need to be reminded who you are. Have a couple of well-placed mirrors for checking technique, and the very best keyboard you can afford. Keep the space clean and update it frequently. Nothing is better than quality time, when you’re rested and in a safe environment you’ve created, setting your intentions carefully. That is the core of your work. Practicing every day, even on days when you have cramps, don’t feel like it, or just had a fight with your girlfriend, that is the best preparation you can give yourself for singing well at any given time.
Some Other Ideas
These next forms of practice provide some specific ways to practice that simulate real-world situations. The more you can practice singing under those conditions, the better. Some of them are adapted from ideas offered in Making a Musical Life: The practice, the profession, the joy, by Tom Heimberg, who was a longtime member of the San Francisco Opera orchestra and a beloved teacher here in the San Francisco Bay area.
Environmental Practice
String players are taught to carry their instrument into different rooms in the house to get used to the different acoustics. Have you ever been to an audition where the only place to warm up was the bathroom? Or your car? To simulate a dead space, try singing in the closet. For a live space, try the bathroom. If possible, practice in the actual space in which you’ll be singing. In an audition situation, one way to do this is by signing up for the second day of auditions. Show up on the first day just to check out the space. Maybe you can try out the room a bit while the auditioners are at lunch. If not, you’ve at least gotten familiar with the locale so your brain won’t be firing off all of its “new place” warnings.
Alarm Clock Practicing
Set your alarm clock or egg timer to some random time to go off during your practice. This is to simulate the feeling you get of the knock on the door, or the “you’re up next,” or if you’re lucky, the intercom barking, “Ms. Soprano to the stage please. Ms. Soprano to the stage.” Something happens to the nervous system when it’s time to go on, and you can simulate that by practicing this way. I also like to listen to a recording of the orchestra part just before my entrance. When I hear it, I get a flutter in the stomach, and I keep replaying that bit until the flutter is gone.
Real-world Practicing
If you have to sing after working all day at a desk job, practice singing after work. If you take half an hour to do your makeup and hair, and have to walk the dog or feed the kids before going to sing, practice singing after doing that. If you’re singing in heels or in a skirt, practice that. If you’re singing at 3:00 in the afternoon, after you’ve been driving for two hours, when you have your period, with a new pianist, and then walked two blocks in high heels while carrying a shoulder bag full of music, practice singing after doing that, and that, and that. Practice under whatever conditions you will have to sing.
Lastly, I’m a big believer in Singers’ Forums, as long as your fellow-singers are supportive. These are get-togethers of singers only, to sing in front of each other to try out new repertoire or prepare for auditions. Having an audience is something you can and should practice, too. Update Your Story “Practicing is training; practicing is meditation and therapy,” Kurtz writes in Practicing. “But before any of these, practicing is a story you tell yourself, a Bildungsroman, a tale of education and self-realization.”
As we age and develop, that story changes. Maybe you’re not practicing to sing at the Met any more. Maybe you’re practicing to be a better teacher, or to challenge yourself, or for a particular audition, or even because you enjoy practicing. If the story dies and you don’t replace it, your practicing will lose energy, so stay in touch with yourself and your reasons for practicing. Sometimes, the reasons are hard to describe. It’s only a quiet knowing, from experience, that once you’ve practiced you know you will feel somehow more yourself, more alive. And that is plenty reason enough.
There is a shortened version of a quote from Kurt Vonnegut that is in vogue these days. The quotation is taken from a letter he wrote in response to some high school students who had written to him as part of an assignment. Vonnegut, then 84 years old, replied, and at the end of the letter instructs the students to write a poem, show it to no one, and then tear it up in many pieces and throw the pieces away in various trash cans. It is the writing of the poem itself that will be of benefit, as he explains in this now well known quote.
The underlines are his, and his letter included an iconic sketch of himself as well.
“Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.”
Book recommendations:
Practicing: A Musician’s Return to Music, by Glenn Kurtz
The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music from the Heart, by Madeline Bruser
Making a Musical Life: The practice, the profession, the joy, by Tom Heimberg
©Lisa Houston 2022