Singing For Dummies
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When singing in a concert, knowing whether to acknowledge your audience or stick to your own little world is tricky. You can’t always sing intimate songs in an intimate locale, but you can imagine being in an intimate locale by creating a fourth wall in your mind: Pretend to be in a room alone, with a wall in front of the audience.

If your song addresses a group, make the audience part of your story within the time period of the song.

To get a feel for whether to include the audience as part of your song, watch the seasoned pros. The casual atmosphere at a pop concert is different from the more formal atmosphere of a classical performance. Know your audience and behave appropriately. When in doubt, watch the singers who perform before you.

Waving to your sister may be just fine at the children’s concert in the park, but it isn’t okay when you’re singing with the symphony in a big concert hall. When in Rome . . .

Televised performances may or may not have an audience. If you have an audience, you can communicate with them and let the cameras adjust to you. Otherwise, you have to pretend the camera is your audience.

The director will tell you which camera is recording and tell you when to adjust your focus. It’s tricky to sing well, tell your story, communicate with your imaginary audience, and move on cue to the next camera angle.

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Pamelia S. Phillips is a professional singer with over 35 years of teaching experience. She has designed curriculum for high school students, college BFA programs, and professional training programs, helping thousands of singers refine their singing technique.

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