Which Voice Speaks Loudest?

Which voice speaks loudest?

Another post designed to be shared with your singers :)

We all have an internal monologue - that voice that speaks to us inside our heads that no one else can hear. Sometimes we have more than one internal monologue running at the same time. It usually happens when we have decisions to make. It’s an iconic image - the angel and devil sitting on opposite shoulders, each trying to persuade the listener into a course of action. What should we do? Which voice speaks loudest?

As singers we often have two monologues, but instead of angel and devil, we have the MUSICIAN monologue and the CIVILIAN monologue (I refer to non-musicians as civilians ;) ). In rehearsal, our MUSICIAN monologue might say things like “check your posture,” “remember that crescendo,” “what key are we in?” or “sing through this four-bar phrase.” At the same time, our CIVILIAN monologue might be blathering on about things that have no bearing on rehearsal: “I’m hungry,” “The Walking Dead is on tonight,” “I wonder what happened with Sue’s date this weekend,” or “how long until we get out of here?” Which voice speaks loudest?

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When in rehearsal, there’s nothing to be done besides having a great/focused rehearsal or not having it. Every other aspect of life is on hold. No point in worrying about anything but the musical tasks at hand. Have you ever been counting something when someone else tries to throw in other numbers to mess you up? 1,2,3...97!, 4,5,6...42! 7,8... What do you do? COUNT LOUDER until you can’t hear them. That’s the plan here - make sure your MUSICIAN monologue is so loud that your CIVILIAN monologue can’t even be heard. When rehearsal is over, the voices can change places.