Showmanship & Choreography

Another in my series for school teachers with barbershop groups, this topic covers some basic fundamentals of the Showmanship category...

Choreography

Choreo should be relevant, vocally supportive (or at least not detractive) and naturally expressive (not mechanical). Having a visual plan is simply ensuring that what is seen enhances the musical product and is entertaining rather than distracting from the music.

Facial expression is more important than choreo.

Physical freedom during singing is vital for vocal freedom and emotional involvement. The freedom of sound you hear from a true Gospel Choir is due in a large part to the fact that they move freely and constantly throughout their songs.

Showmanship

Showmanship is about identifying with the character of the song's 'voice' and putting across that character and message to the audience. Most people are highly visual in they way they take in information, and visually matching / enhancing the music is an important part of the barbershop artform. As with Opera and Broadway, barbershop is a dramatic musical form - this is why we have choruses not choirs, and directors not conductors.

Involve your Theatre Arts teachers in this process. Older students can contribute on the costuming side ('character' or 'classic' costuming) especially if you have a textiles programme in your school. Dance teachers may also be helpful to you.

Performance Planning

Most people know that to perform at a high standard, they need to plan their performance. In fact, you get marks for it in more than one judging category (SAI). So most barbershop quartets will have a plan for each song: dynamics, tempo, rhythm, phrasing, breath plan, choreography. Some will even have planned for embellishments, emotions, faces, vocal colour - and will plan a SET of songs as a whole performance - that is, the bits in between too!

Sometimes planning what the audience is doing can help lift your performance from great to standing-O.

At a certain level of singing, we may sing a phrase and be emoting the message: for example "come back and forgive me, please do (please do)" from O How I Miss You Tonight. Go from the introversion of feeling that message, to thinking about sitting in the audience, listening to the phrase being sung. As an audience member you want to music to wrench at your heart on "come back" then be released as the lead soars up to "and", then the abject piteousness of "forgive me", then the transfiguring beauty of the "please do" echoes drifting to perfect silence should leave you holding your breath, totally suspended in the music.

OK, I've really gone to town on that one, but that's the idea! How does that change the way you think about singing the phrase? You may not end up articulating it in quite that detail (!) but feeling from the audience's perspective as you sing will totally connect you with them (that's called Audience Rapport on your score sheet) and will result in a magical experience for all of you!