Stage Presence From Head To Toe: A Manual For Musicians

Stage Presence from-Head 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 02003 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., 1943Stage 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 Checklists ix 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 Contents Bibliography 103 Index 107 About the Author 109 Illustrations Figure 2.1 Bare Skin over Hosiery Looks Sloppy Onstage. Figure 2.2 Long-Legged Performers May Require Low-Heeled Shoes. Figure 2.3 A Disorganized Bow Projects a Lack of Confidence. Figure 2.4 A Tense Facial Expression May Make the Performer Appear Angry or Disdainful. Figure 2.5 Keep Your Music from Spilling over the Stand. Figure 3.1 The Page Turner Can Seriously Detract from a Performance. Figure 4.1 Makeshift Solutions Reflect Poor Planning and Inattention to Detail. Figure 5.1 A Single Distracted Chorus Member Can Affect the Audience's Concentration. Figure 6.1 Examples of Standing Position Figure 6.2 Examples of Full Rest Position Figure 6.3 Examples of Semirest Position Figure 6.4 Exampl