How To Move While Singing
When you sing for an audience, you want the story to come through and the listener to see and hear you connect your story and singing. The movements you make around the stage or around the room should enhance both your singing and the story. Being able to move and sing is important, yet starting small is best. The following suggestions may prove helpful to you in matching your movements to your music:
Begin by doing simple chores around your house while you practice singing, this will allow you to get the feel of moving around while you sing. Once you can move around easily while singing, try speaking the words to your song and take note of what gestures you use. The way you move your hands when saying the words to the song will help you to identify the most natural gestures for when you sing the words.
Some songs don’t require much movement at all. Err on the busy side at first when you’re practicing and then pare down the movement until you’re moving in response to what you’re saying. Moving around just for the sake of it when you’re singing doesn’t really enhance your song. Classical songs don’t require much movement and usually not many gestures. Limit your movement to only those that are absolutely necessary when singing classical music.
For those of you who have just begun singing, your first priority should be to concentrate on your singing and technique rather than movement. Starting with the basics and mastering good technique first is always a wise decision when performing a new song in front of an audience. When you’re ready to go from just good technique to coordinating that technique while telling a story you need to know how to move. Learning how to make eye contact with your audience and how to move will help you connect with your audience and help them connect with your songs.
Most beginner singers want to move their hands a lot when they sing because they assume that gesturing makes their song more interesting and exciting and it can when done properly. Just remember it is not just your hands you should be moving, move your entire arm so that your elbows are not glued to your sides and make sure that your hands are not clenched but open.
Because you normally move your hands when you speak, you should do so when you sing as well or you will feel stiff and uncomfortable trying to force your arms to remain still during your song. Read the songs lyrics aloud like it is a part in a play so that know what is going on in the story and how the character feels and would react to what is happening. Basically you gesture when you react so if you recognize opportunities to move your hands as a natural reaction to the text your singing then by all means do so because it will make your performance more interesting. However, you should never gesture simply for the sake of movement.
I hope this information will help you to improve your singing performances. There are loads of great ways to learn how to sing online. Yes, that’s right, now you can affordably teach yourself how to sing with video lessons from acclaimed vocal coaches like Per Bristow. All the best with it!