Out of the Box

It's easy to build boxes around yourself and your singing: I don't like (genre/composer), I'm not a jazz person, I can only sing well when I'm next to Mary, I don't like being pushed, I don't do chest voice, I have to sing the melody because I can't read music...and on and on.

I'd built a box around my allowable experiences. I liked Classical and Early music, most especially Renaissance. Sure, I could do my part in the chorus's "pops" concerts just fine, but I'd convinced myself that it would always be a second-rate experience.

Then, several years ago, I hit a wall. I loved my group but we'd been doing the same repertoire for more than a decade. Certain pieces felt stale. It was proving hard to convince most members to try a more experimental approach to our arrangements. In order to do something about my frustration, I signed up for voice lessons at the best-known local music store-school, and requested a teacher specializing in jazz - something completely new for me.

Int he end I was surprised at the degree to which jazz & pop techniques helped at singing madrigals. My teacher's emphasis on solo work, including her twice-monthly open mic at a coffee shop, made me a stronger singer and forced me to develop stage presence, something not usually required of choral singers. I learned how to shed the Pretty Voice and put on a more earthy style when the material seemed to call for it. Most of all, it opened my mind up to a whole new range of possibilities. These days I find myself singing along with Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee as well as the Boston Camerata.

My Renaissance group has quasi-disbanded and I've joined a large chorus. Currently we're rehearsing for a Broadway-inspired show. It requires a totally different singing style and lets us ham it up. And it's more fun than I would ever have guessed it would be.

If you're feeling bored during rehearsals or it seems like you've hit a glass ceiling - the director always overlooks you when casting small groups or solos; no one seems to notice your extra efforts; you can't advance from the B choir to the A choir - maybe it's time to ask yourself if you've boxed yourself in. The good news is that if the answer's "Yes," you can get yourself out. Find something completely new to you and dive in.