There are times when Seth Godin’s oft-repeated phrase, “reassurance is futile“, is wrong. (It’s a central theme of his recent book The Practice.
Over the summer, I meticulously recorded each of my students, one-at-a-time, on various recording projects. For both Shades of Blue and The Rockford Aces, this was a new approach to recording, necessitated by the production goals. (Usually we record as an ensemble.)
I’m working on the recordings now – they all did a great job. But over and over, almost to a person, the singers doubted their performance. Part of it is the novelty of the studio process, which required me to stop and go back repeatedly to get good takes. Part of it is the challenge of singing alone. And part of it is the way our ear changes in recording.
I did my best to reassure along the way – “This is how it always is!” But I think I could have given even more reassurance. Take the time to describe the process, and how to interpret it, before we start. Never stop a take without praising something. Give them context for evaluating their own performance generously.
In general, reassure your students that they’re doing fine. Because they almost definitely are.