#1. Awareness:
A singer’s instrument is different from other instruments, because it is contained within a singer’s body. This means that singers have to have an excellent awareness of their own body, and they need to visualize their voice in a way that other musicians don’t have to. The inability to see one’s instrument allows singers to think uniquely, and create their own picture of their voice, and the singing process in their mind’s eye.
#2. Characterization:
When singers perform a piece, they think about the meaning of the piece, and often the character embodied within that piece. Performing requires singers to adopt the persona of the music itself, and to think about the emotions, and events described by the piece. This ability gives singers a unique perspective, and insights into how others view the world; a valuable aspect of creativity.
#3. Teamwork:
Singers rarely sing alone. Whether they’re singing with others, or accompanied by other musicians, they need to be taking the other musicians into consideration. Performing live with other musicians requires incredible communication, usually through nuanced body language and cues, subtleties of performance, and consideration for the musical elements the other musicians bring to the performance.
#4. Expression:
All musicians express emotion through their music; it is part of what makes music so compelling to listen to. But singers have an added layer of emotive power because we sing text as well. This allows singers to make connections between the music itself and the text. Often, composers have written music to reflect the words in the text, and singers need to identify those moments, and respond to them musically, to best communicate the message of the music to the audience.
#5. Vulnerability:
To get up on a stage in front of other people and perform, requires an immense amount of courage. Any performer understands that every time they get up on that stage, they might fail, and fail in front of other people. This kind of courage comes from the ability to express your vulnerability, to expose your innermost thoughts and emotions, and then communicate them to an audience. and it is a powerful tool for any singer.
“Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself, believe.” – Winston Churchill
Do you think singing can contribute to creativity? Tell us how in the comments!
