PROJECT PRESENTATION, 21.10.2009

Norwegian Artistic Research Fellowship Programme

"SINGING ON THE STAGE - WITH A PSYCHOPHYSICAL APPROACH"

My theme for the Artistic Research Fellowships Programme is: “Singing on the stage – with a psychophysical approach”.

I intend to investigate how a resource-oriented psychophysical approach can be used to enhance my development as a singer and, in addition, give basic input to staged music performances. This approach will be tested in all phases of the artistic progress - from conceptualization right through to actual performance. Various exercises will be put together in new ways, tested and integrated into the project. The culmination of this work will be a staged performance in 2013.

What is a “psychophysical approach"?

Norway has a strong tradition of psychomotoric body therapy, which is based on the recognition that the mind and body form one functional unit. Psychiatrist Trygve Braatøy and physiotherapist Aadel Bülow-Hansen developed psychomotoric thinking in the 1940s, inspired by the psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich. The Grand Lady of psychomotoric teaching, psychologist and physiotherapist Berit Heir Bunkan, has developed a resource-oriented form of body examination - a detailed method for mapping posture, breath, muscle tonus, movement and body image. This examination is the basis of what psychomotoric physiotherapists in Norway use in their resource-oriented treatment. Bunkan’s examination method is unique and has aroused international attention. She insists that the therapeutic approach must be highly individual and strictly focussed on encouraging people to gradually transform themselves into a position where they can choose - to see things in new ways, to feel differently about important matters and to seriously consider new actions and new ways of organizing posture and movements. The transformation process is based on psychomotoric enlightenment, including body memory and physical knowledge.

This transformation has striking similarities to a performer’s approach towards personal and artistic enlightenment, and could contribute considerably to a healthy development of a sustainable vocal technique.

Berit Bunkan is a senior researcher at the University College in Oslo. She will assist me in bringing this approach one step further, beyond the therapeutic - into the artistic domain. To distinguish from the therapeutic term, “psychomotoric”, I will hereafter use the term “psychophysical”, a term that is fully accepted and used by theatre directors influenced by Stanislavski’s ideas. Berit Bunkan will assist me in developing new psychophysical exercises for singers - focusing on breathing, body awareness and self-knowledge.
The idea is to help singers rejuvenate the passive areas within them and release rigidness in a holistic context of body, mind, emotions, personality, vocal technique and musicality.

Core questions

My core questions concerning this psychophysical approach are as follows:

1. Will psychophysical exercises contribute to liberating creative thought processes?

2. Can the psychophysical approach contribute to a more subtle understanding of musical, textual, dramaturgical and theatrical content and structure of a work of art?

3. Will psychophysical preparation contribute to better performances - musical and theatrical?
   

These three questions relate to a set of questions concerning artistic research: Innovation is necessary to achieve a combination of playful and serious thought processes in relation with what is to be presented and how it will be done? Could other media (e.g. sculpture, photo or film) be integrated into the performance? Which elements turn a performance experience into something exciting, relevant and comprehensive?

Will a psychophysical preparation help me to penetrate deeper into the textual and musical basis of a work, to discover its ideas and deeper objectives? Will it help to find out what inspired the authors and composers - to come closer to the basis of their motivation? How can we as performers enhance the atmospheres, lines, colours and contrasts of a work of art? How can different, parallel interpretations of a work create ambiguity and depth?

What exercises will promote vocal perfection and stage presence? What is the relationship between physiological functions and the dynamics - the flow of energy in a performance? What is the relationship between emotional states, and the tone qualities and the linguistic shades? Will this type of preparation lead to a greater acceptance for unexpected, and surprisingly good solutions during a performance? Will it provide increased sensitivity to other participants and a greater ability to react positively to highlights and turning points? Will a psychophysical preparation lead to less stress, less anxiety and a reduction in control mechanisms in a performance situation? What effect will this have in relation to other performers and for the audience?

Context

Performers live with a high level of pressure relating to time limits and performing ability. We are mostly self-employed, and our performances have to be of high quality. We are practical, and make the most of what we have. When we work together with colleagues, we work as a team - and help to cover each other’s shortcomings and reinforce each other’s strengths – in order to boost the performance’s value for the audience. Perhaps we recognize that some areas lie untouched, but time is precious - why should we try to mend something that actually works? To mention each other’s inadequacies is considered not the done thing - the boundary between constructive feedback and unwelcome interference is extremely subtle. We rarely take the chance, because it may have negative consequences. If the criticism is perceived as negative, the effect can be devastating. As a result of this, musicians seem to have a tacit agreement. Since most artists by definition work at the threshold of their own inadequacy, artistic development is considered to be a personal matter. The fact that we frequently meet in situations of high performance pressure reinforces this agreement.

Blind zones

This is unfortunate, because detecting and working with functional blind zones could liberate hidden resources. Functional blind zones are defined as that part of our activity that has not been touched upon in our education or through our professional practice. Areas that we are not aware of - and which, therefore, cannot be recognized, developed or adapted. Sometimes we actually displace uncomfortable realizations into our blind zones to keep them out of sight, thereby avoiding to have to take action.

To prioritize the work with blind zones requires a gentle approach, a considerable amount of time and the opportunity to obtain professional expertise both within and outside of our immediate professional environment. Being confident and positive - experiencing one’s self as prepared to embark on this kind of work is essential. The exciting part is: we do not know what we will find. After 20 years as one of Norway’s most active singers, I realize that this can be of crucial importance for my further development as a singer, performer and as a teacher. I need constructive feedback - new insights - and The Artistic Research Programme allows me the time and financial space to work on these themes. I hope that this work can contribute to a change of attitude amongst musicians - and that it can lead to inspiration for professionals who wish to tap into their undiscovered resources.

Biography

At the age of 20 I decided to become a professional singer. Singing without a microphone requires a specific singing technique, and I studied with distinguished teachers and singers from Norway, Germany, USA, Great Britain, Finland and Russia. When I had my debut seven years later (in 1991) I was already an established singer, performing opera, oratorios, recitals, early music and contemporary music. Today I can look back on 34 recordings and nearly 2000 performances - of which approximately 600 have been staged performances.

Like most singers and singing teachers, in my efforts to achieve greater self-knowledge and body awareness, I have intuitively included various exercises of a more comprehensive kind (like for example, martial arts, Feldenkrais and Gyrotonic). These exercises have been useful, but have only contributed to vocal development in an indirect way. I have read numerous books on singing technique and respiration as well as psychophysical literature. I have studied the bel-canto technique, where deep dorsal breathing is a very important issue. And I will carry on investigating relevant exercises, trying them out and combining them. Working together with experts in different fields, enables me to develop more accurate methods that can support both song technique and scenic flexibility.

Through the years – and the various phases of my life - my motivation for singing has changed - many times! Today, as a performer, I would say that music is mainly about sharing human experiences with other performers and with the audience. Sharing means leading and being led - simultaneously. It requires intense communication and a variety of professional skills. A musical moment cannot be forced. But it can be prepared. When it occurs, it is magical.

A singer’s workspace

For those of you who are not musicians, I will present a simplified overview of the most widely used musical variables, so you can get a picture of our workspace. It’s not only about staying in tune. It’s all about balancing contradictions: Strong or soft – high or low – flowing or withholding – emphasis on a melody or emphasis on unified sound – long sounds or short, fractured sounds, rich colour or superficial colour. By balancing these multiple contradictions simultaneously, we establish changing atmospheres, moods, or states - where the transitions can be either sudden or slow. Polarizing and balancing these transitions gives a sense of timeline in which the quality of passivity or activity can be achieved, and it gives one’s artistic motivation greater clarity. We can also choose to create a sense of continuity or shorter sequences of different expressions. When we work together with other performers, we can highlight interaction or counteraction. In staged performances, motion, light, colour, shape and space are added. Moving the focus between the musical, textual, and theatrical, elements and by using colour and space, what may appear to be a complex story can be brought to the surface - and expressed by individual elements or through relating the various elements to each other. Thus we create a more subtle story or several parallel stories perhaps, or total chaos. To summarize: Music on the stage is all about balancing different artistic modes of expression.

Enlightenment is a personal matter

A singer may be considered both an artist, a musical instrument and a stage actor - where each of these parts can be processed and refined – truly a lifelong process. Ideally speaking, artistic ideas should flow freely - and immediately transform into voice sounds and scenic activity - without being hindered by too much tension - or for that matter a lack of it. We are looking at an activity that demands the ultimate in natural self-awareness, generating power from our basic human states and instincts, expressing our feelings naturally through voice and body language. But personal blind zones prevent this from happening. Working with oneself is never easy; basic issues are interwoven in one’s personality and professional pride, and any improvement is linked to personal change and may be hard to accomplish. It requires a comprehensive, positive, resource-oriented psychophysical approach!

My goal is to use the Artistic Research Programme to put this whole issue into a larger, more professional context. As a fellow, I am attached to the Faculty of Performing Arts at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, which includes the three fields of theatre, opera and dance. In this environment, I will have the interdisciplinary expertise necessary to go ahead with the project.
The Faculty also has the technical staff and equipment necessary to conduct meetings, rehearsals, performances and video recordings.
In addition to discussing key issues with instructors, and observing classes, I intend to establish an interdisciplinary resource group of professionals from a number of environments. This will hopefully give feedback from the various disciplines represented in the group: music, text, movement, directing, dramaturgy, lighting- and set design, and the use of stage space.

Supervisors

Composer Henrik Hellstenius from the Norwegian Academy of Music and choreographer Anne Grete Eriksen from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts have agreed to be my supervisors.
Having two prolific artists with such extensive knowledge and experience as critical partners and constructive opponents is essential to ensure the quality of my artistic development.

Schedule

In 2013 I’ll be presenting a performance that will be the basis for the final evaluation, and I have absolutely no idea what it will contain. I’m preparing an event I know nothing about, and I’ll need to work on a tight schedule. Here is my plan: I will conduct six investigations with different instructors, who will contribute with a particular artistic approach according to their field. As instructors, I have asked the opera director Veselina Manolova, the actor Kim Haugen, the designer Stein Rokseth, the stage director Hans Henriksen, the choreographer Anne Grete Eriksen and the composer Henrik Hellstenius. After each investigation, I will present a 15-minute staged presentation to a interdisciplinary resource group. Their feedback will be incorporated into the preparations for the next investigation.

Resource group

After each performance the resource group will have a 2,5 hour meeting giving me 360 degrees feedback, discussing and reflecting on central questions concerning artistic activity. The members of the resource group may vary somewhat, depending on the issues that come into focus. The performances and resource group meetings will be recorded and used as reference for my further work, as documentation of the project - and of the artistic development that I hope to achieve. Based on the footage and the feedback of the group, issues will crystallize - addressing my blind zones and exposing my various limitations. I will choose themes and a repertoire (maybe new commissions) that will be best suited to transform the psychophysical approach into appropriate artistic expression.

Major challenge

Now, this will probably be the major challenge in this project.
Learning new things and developing myself as a singer and a stage performer during the next three years is a likely effect of the time and effort that I put into it. But – will I be able to process the feedback and produce new modes of artistic expression? Will this be of interest for the professional world and for an audience? Will the performances represent something new in the field of "singing on the stage"?

Exercises

To get as much as possible out of this artistic exploration, it will be essential to work with various exercises that prepare and support the relevant themes. Doing these exercises as effectively as possible will be vital for the final result. It will also be a way of giving the instructors concerned the liberty to work with the artistic process rather than having to struggle solely with my limitations. I will closely examine relevant exercises used in The Faculty of Performing Arts, in the dance, theatre and opera programmes, and work with those that can be relevant to my project. I will work with Jan de Miranda (former ballet dancer in The Norwegian National Opera) who is Master Trainer in Gyrotonic – a training system, working with the body in an integrated manner. Main issues are core muscles, breathing, movement and balance. And, as earlier mentioned, I will be working to develop new exercises assisted by Berit Bunkan - based on her psychomotoric understanding.

Formulation

Formulating the steps of these processes and building up relevant psychophysical exercises will help to create the necessary discipline for my own work. The exercises can be discussed and tested by others in the Faculty of Performing Arts, and the results could provide a source of revitalization for other professionals who need a similar approach to their blind zones.

Contextual aims

1. to inform and discuss on The Singer’s list - a mailing list for singers and singing teachers that I initiated in 2006. “The Singer’s List” currently has 270 users from all over the country.

2. to discuss specific exercises promoting air support, vocal technique and body awareness with Norwegian singers and singing teachers.

3. to put a resource-oriented psychophysical approach to blind zones on the agenda for musicians.

4. to establish contact with the voice researcher Johan Sundberg at the department of Speech, Music and Hearing, at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm - and discuss certain technical aspects about vocal technique and acoustics.

5. to discuss the exercises with singing teacher Susanna Eken in Copenhagen. She is the author of the book: “The Human Voice” - describing the dynamic relationship between psyche and soma, between heredity, environment and professional imprint - from a teacher’s point of view.
   

Artistic results and documentation

1. Video footage from the performances, documenting the development.

2. Minutes of the resource group's meetings, as a basis for reflection.

3. A summary of the work with the instructors.

4. Logbook, describing the psychophysical exercises and the effects.

5. Publish short articles and some test results on the internet.

6. Engage myself in teaching, lead some courses, and make a publication.

7. based on what has been accomplished during these three years, I will invite you all to a performance. I don’t know what its about. All I know is that I will be singing on the stage.
   

There are probably many issues I have missed out, and if you do think of something that might be relevant, I hope you will share your thoughts with me.

Njål Sparbo, 2009