Table Of Content

Stage Presence from-H ead to Toe A Manual for Musicians Karen A. Hagberg The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Lanham, Maryland, and Oxford 2003 SCARECROW PRESS, INC. Published in the United States of America by Scarecrow Press, Inc. A Member of the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.scarecrowpress.com PO Box 317 Oxford OX2 9RU, UK Copyright 0 2003 by Karen A. Hagberg AlZ rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hagberg, Karen A., 1943- Stage presence from head to toe : a manual for musicians / Karen A. Hagberg. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. 103) and index. ISBN 0-8108-4777-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Music-Performance. 2. Concerts-Handbooks, manuals, etc. 3. Concert etiquette. 4. Self-confidence. 1. Title. ML3795.Hl3 2003 781.4'34~21 2003004846 Printed in the United States of America eTM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO 239.48-1992. Manufactured in the United States of America. This book is dedicated to the survival of live, acoustic music in the twenty-first century. This Page Intentionally Left Blank Contents vii Illustrations ix Checklists Acknowledgments xi ... Introduction Xlll 1 Stage Presence 1 2 The Soloist 7 3 The Page Turner 27 4 The Small Ensemble (No Conductor) 31 5 The Large Vocal Ensemble 39 6 The Orchestra 47 7 The Conductor as Leader 65 8 On the Day of the Concert 71 9 The Stage and Its Furnishings 75 10 Nonperforming Personnel 81 11 Auditions and Competitions 87 12 How to Teach Stage Presence 95 V vi Con tents Bibliography 103 Index 107 About the Author 109 Illustrations Figure 2.1 Bare Skin over Hosiery Looks Sloppy Onstage. 10 Figure 2.2 Long-Legged Performers May Require Low-Heeled Shoes. 11 Figure 2.3 A Disorganized Bow Projects a Lack of Confidence. 16 Figure 2.4 A Tense Facial Expression May Make the Performer Appear Angry or Disdainful. 18 Figure 2.5 Keep Your Music from Spilling over the Stand. 22 Figure 3.1 The Page Turner Can Seriously Detract from a Performance. 28 Figure 4.1 Makeshift Solutions Reflect Poor Planning and Inattention to Detail. 34 Figure 5.1 A Single Distracted Chorus Member Can Affect the Audience's Concentration. 42 Figure 6.1 Examples of Standing Position 54 Figure 6.2 Examples of Full Rest Position 55 Figure 6.3 Examples of Semirest Position 57 Figure 6.4 Examples of Ready Position 58 Figure 6.5 Poor Posture Conveys Disinterest in the Performance and Lack of Discipline in the Ensemble. 61 Figure 7.1 When Not Tailored to Accommodate Required Body Movement, Clothing Will Look Stressed. 67 Figure 9.1 A Cluttered Stage Is an Inappropriate Setting for a Concert. 76 Figure 11.1 End the Audition with a Look of Success (Regardless of How You Think You Played). 91 vii viii Illustrations Figure 12.1 Lack of Proper Equipment Results in Poor Posture and Balance; Good Equipment Allows Student to Achieve Strong Posture and Equilibrium. 98 Checklists List 2.1 Performers: Avoid Doing These Things on Stage 26 List 4.1 Ways to Keep Your Performance from Looking Like a Rehearsal 38 List 5.1 Do’s and Dont’s for Chorus Members 45 List 6.1 Things Your Conductor Should Never Have to Say 64 List 8.1 Things to Do on Concert Day 74 List 11.1 Things to Bring to the Audition or Competition 88 List 11.2 Ways to Keep Judges from Eliminating You 94 ix