Stay Focused. Have Fun.
Those were the two potentially contradictory instructions I gave Shades of Blue, the vocal jazz ensemble I direct at Grand Rapids Community College, just before we walked onstage on Saturday.
How can you stay focused when you’re busy having fun? How can you have fun when you’re focused on the music?
The answer is preparation. When the music is known by heart, you can stay in the moment, performing without fear of error. At that point, you can give all of your focus to the music, having fun in the moment.
It’s only if the music isn’t ready that you have to sacrifice one or the other in performance.