This is an article I took from southerngospelnews.com that was written by vocal coach "Bill Baize" He has got some incredible things to say. I know it's long read, but it is worth it!
This month I feel that I am writing about one of the most important elements of quality performance of songs before an audience. That is the element of INTERPRETATION such as how we express ourselves in front of the audience. We all know that we need to sing our songs so that the audience enjoys them. In turn, if the audience is enjoying what they are hearing, they are more likely to receive the message that is being conveyed by the words of the song. HOW WE EXPRESS OURSELVES IN FRONT OF THE AUDIENCE IS A COMBINATION OF SEVERAL THINGS SUCH AS: STYLE - The pronunciation of words, the way we stand and move on the stage. the way we react to the audience applause, the way we enter and exit the stage. the way we dress for the concert, the obvious respect that we show for our audience in our talking between songs and IN the GOSPEL MUSIC ministry, THE ABSOLUTE RESPECT WE DISPLAY FOR OUR LORD.
A. We should always work on pronouncing our words clearly enough that everyone in the audience is able to understand what we are saying.
B. We should stand erect when we are singing , most of the time, except for the times that we might alter our stance in an expressive action to emphasize a certain word or phrase in interpretation during a solo performance or, in the case of a group performance, moving around some and perhaps altering your physical stance to a degree is very acceptable for the featured singer on a song.
One of my pet peeves, is when a quartet is singing and there is one person featured , some joker behind him or her is moving around, fidgeting, buttoning and unbuttoning a coat, grabbing a drink of water or doing one of many other inane activities which distract from the featured message being delivered about Jesus. If you have to be the center of attention that much, then you don’t belong singing in a gospel group. You need to start your own solo show! Because that is what you are doing trying to draw the attention to yourself and away from the group , which in turn draws attention away from the message being delivered in song. After all, isn’t Gospel Music all about the message? I hate to break it to you, but it is not all about you! (Or me) When one singer is featured on a song, then the rest of the group should stand in an orderly respectful manner with their eyes on that singer, not because that singer is all that good looking, but because he or she is delivering the message at that particular time, and if you are distracting from that then you are doing just what the old devil wanted. You are taking people’s attention off of the message being delivered. Then when that feature is finished the group needs to move into some orderly, respectable , stance as a group to sing whatever parts the group is going to sing. One of the best ways this situation can be worked out, in a pleasing manner to the group and the Lord, is to practice this (what I call staging) in front of some of the groups family members who can give an unbiased opinion about what the group looks like on the stage. You might also ask a mature singer, who has been working in a group for many years, to watch your group and help you to eliminate the distractions from your message. You can have one of the best songs, and a great voice, but if you don’t understand how to deliver your message, then you will miss a real good opportunity to really minister to people in a way that will draw attention to JESUS and help them find their way to HIM. Singing Gospel Music is not just a GIG, as singing is called in most other kinds of music. Singing Gospel music is a ministry to be done to the very best of one’s ability, because he or she is doing it for the Lord, and to be done in a manner that represents the absolute AWE that we should have for our Jehovah God.
C. Thirdly, in the effort to bring honorable interpretation and expression to our singing in front of a crowd, we should understand how to react to audience applause. I know that I am older and really from a different era, but when I grew up the only place that there was applause was in an auditorium. Today we clap for the Lord in almost every church that I go into, and much of the applause really seems to be for the worship band and not the Lord. (That is another subject). If you are singing a concert in an auditorium, then you should react to the applause that your singing receives in a mutually respectful way to your audience. They are respecting your ability to perform music and showing their appreciation for your performance by applauding. In this setting it is very appropriate to take a bow. Don’t overdo it or under do it . The bow needs to be done in a classy and humble way, that makes people understand that you are grateful for their kindness and appreciation of your singing. If you are using a church auditorium for a concert venue, then the same rules apply.
However, if you are in a worship service and sing a song that elicits applause, I believe it is very acceptable to slightly bow your head only and wait until the applause subsides, then tell the people thanks for their kindness to you. Find a place to sit down and do it immediately so the rest of the service can continue. The only exemption to this should be if the minister of the church where you are singing feels led of the Lord to have you sing that song again or another song.
You must remember when you are a guest singer in a church , during a regularly scheduled service, that you are to always respect what the leader of the service feels is right to do, and we should always be cooperative with that. I have heard some singers complain because they thought their singing was so important that they should have been able to sing more songs or give more testimony etc. in a church service where they were invited to sing as a part of the regular service. Get over yourself, you nor I neither one are that important. God has many workers, and we as singers are just some of them. We must respect other people’s callings, if we are ever to be successful in ministering in music for our precious Lord.
D. Fourthly, entering and exiting the stage or platform is a very important part of our expression and interpretation of music. In the first few seconds of your appearance on the stage or platform, people will make a decision about whether you are worthy of listening to or not. How you do this, is extremely important. I should do an entire column on this, and I may later, but for now I will hit a couple of high points. 1. Enter the stage or come to the platform, when it is time for you to sing , in a respectfully enthusiastic manner. This will vary from an auditorium, where things are a little more relaxed, to a church service, where things are generally a little more formal. Both venues need the respectful enthusiasm, however the church needs to see it more in your body language in how you approach the area where you are going to sing, which needs to necessarily be more respectfully done. In the auditorium the approach, when entering the stage, can still be respectful, but can have a bit more of enthusiastic body language especially when the auditorium is very large and there is a large crowd.
Most of your entrance, and performance in a large auditorium, can make use of larger motions physically than what you can use in a church, even a large church, and especially a smaller one.
Most of what I am trying to say is that to minister to everybody, we must understand that different venues should be handled in a somewhat different manner. They all have the basic need to be approached with respectful enthusiasm, but each one needs different levels of respectfulness, and enthusiasm. It is your job to pray about, and to use good logic about, what you need to act like on each occasion.
E. Fifthly and lastly, I want to approach the topic of RESPECT YOUR AUDIENCE.
1. Don’t prate on about a lot of inane things. When you talk, say something intelligent or don’t talk at all. Just sing your songs and let them minister to the people. This is especially important in a large concert, whether it is in a large church or a large auditorium. Not everybody wants to hear all the problems you had in the past week. They have come to be lifted up in spirit. God sent you with a message in song to do that. If you defeat that by lingering on negatives, and talking on an on about things that matter only to you, then you will ruin your opportunity to actually minister to the people who are in the audience. BEFORE YOU GO OUT TO SING, PRAY THAT GOD WILL HELP YOU TO DISCERN WHAT IS REALLY NEEDED IN THE PARTICULAR SITUATION THAT YOU ARE IN AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME. I believe that more singers, especially groups, are hindered in their ministry by trying to talk when they need to just sing. IF YOU ARE EVER IN DOUBT at all about whether what you are going to say is relevant to the situation you are in, then DON’T SAY IT. There is much more that needs to be said about this topic, but I will have to leave it for a later time.
Remember: Psalm 118:6 “The Lord is on your side” Until next time God bless you and keep you in the “Shelter of His Arms”
In His Service,
Bill Baize
