One of the hardest musical dances to perform is the dance of committed vs. exaggerated.
We seek musicality with deep commitment, but often we end up with musical elements exaggerated, almost to a parody.
Rarely do we really want that sort of exaggerated musicality – perhaps the occasional sforzando or molto ritardando. Mostly we’re looking for phrasing that is musical, with the ebb and flow that great music-making has…music-making with a thousand dynamic changes that never go above mezzo forte or below mezzo piano.
How do you encourage committed musicality without inadvertently encouraging exaggerated musicality?
I think a lot of choir directors, myself included, will use the “I’ll tell you if it’s too much” approach – which has its benefits. But we need more. Kinesthetic expressions of musicality, substantive conversations about the meaning of the musical line and expression, and most importantly, training our students to talk music in a real and deep way – so they can feel and express the music in more powerful and subtle ways.
It’s TIP JAR week! If you’ve appreciated my writing this year, please consider chipping in to support my continued work.