What I Did Before Music School As An Opera Singer That I’m Grateful For Now
By Juliet Rand
Though opera training often begins later in a singer's development, here are some tips that might help you at any stage of your singing journey!
I. Start Piano Lessons
I started piano lessons at age eight and later began organ lessons. By the time I was twelve, I was playing the organ and singing at my local church. This job became invaluable, challenging me to learn new music each week. My church community supported me and gave me confidence as I learned to play the organ, how to time the mass parts, and balance the challenge of singing while playing.
So why should you take piano lessons?
Learn Faster!
When you are familiar with the piano, learning music becomes a faster process. When I was only singing (from age 8-12), the pianist took the time to record the music for me so I could practice with recordings each week. But it became much more convenient when I was able to play for myself. This freedom allows you to set your own practice schedule and no longer have to arrange for a teacher or coach to accompany you, saving a lot of time and money!
Learn Better!
Additionally, when you develop basic keyboarding skills, you no longer need to rely on listening to recordings. Not only is this especially helpful with learning different voice lines in choral pieces where parts might be buried, but it also breaks you free from any one version of a solo piece. This allows you to create your own ideas and interpretations!
Communicate with Collaborators
A general familiarity with different key signatures, rhythms, and accidentals accelerates your grasp of a piece and gives you the ability to better communicate with your accompanist or other musicians you may collaborate with.
For example, when I sang Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, a song for voice, piano, and clarinet, communicating in terms of harmony proved most efficient because the clarinet score did not have the vocal or piano part, and the measure numbers did not align.
Honest tip: You don’t need to be an amazing pianist; just having a general understanding makes a huge difference! It is important to constantly challenge yourself with memorizing new pieces as often as you can!
II. Practice Memorizing Constantly
Memorization practice is immensely valuable. Learn art songs in different languages (Italian, German and French are most common in opera), join your school’s musical or plays, and memorize monologues you find engaging. This practice makes memorizing operas, choruses, or leading roles so much easier later on. The sooner you can develop a memorization routine that works best for you, the more efficient your process will become.
The strategy for memorization that I find most effective is repeat, repeat, repeat! Like a hiker starting a journey through an overgrown trail, the singer has to take the first step. The first time through the trail, pushing through high grass is difficult. But the more you traverse the terrain, even in varying increments, the clearer the path becomes, the firmer your step. Memorization through repetition works the same way!
But memorization isn’t just about knowing the words. It's also about interpretation and muscle memory. Incorporating your artistic ideas and understanding the material from the beginning not only makes the memorization process easier, but also helps shape you into a well-rounded performer.
So what’s my process?
Translate and understand your text
If your text is a poem, understand the overall meaning and the text subtleties
If you're working on an aria, know your character's full story. What happens before you start singing? Is there anyone on ‘stage’ with you at this moment?
Play through your vocal line on its own
Incorporate dynamics right from the start
Begin to form your musical ideas and make note of them in your music
Speak your vocal line in rhythm under tempo
Speak softly but with full dynamic intention
Mark sing your vocal line under tempo
To mark, sing down the octave and/or half voice
Speak your vocal line in rhythm up to tempo
Mark sing your vocal line up to tempo
Sing full out up to tempo
Now that you have the piece familiar and in your body, you can start to leave your score…
Take memorization slow, starting with a few sentences
Repeat the phrases you’re working on over and over
I find it helps to not stay seated when memorizing but to stay engaged physically, even if simply standing or pacing
Give yourself time to let your memory marinate, don’t try and force too much information in at one time
My first opera experience at Curtis was as a freshman joining the chorus of Mozart’s Così fan tutte the week the show was to open! They needed an extra soprano for the chorus, and I was honored to be asked to join the cast on such short notice.
Since I was so comfortable with memorizing a large amount of music in a week, this task was exciting instead of stressful to me. My keyboard skills served me well as I spent many late nights playing and speaking my vocal line to memorize quickly in time for opening night.
I remember that by opening night, I was feeling confident on stage with the other singers and fully enjoyed my first Curtis Opera Theater production. Since then, I have had many amazing last-minute opportunities offered to me that I eagerly accept.
III. Perform for Anyone Who Will Listen
How do I gain confidence and be more comfortable performing?
Getting yourself in front of any audience is invaluable. You might feel shy and nervous about performing, especially when you are just starting, but getting in front of an audience will increase your comfort level. Singing for friends, family, and in churches or local venues, helps reduce feelings of nervousness and build a level of confidence in performance settings.
Even after performing for most of my life, I still get some nerves. Deep breathing keeps me calm and centered! I simply breathe in through my nose for a count of five seconds, and then release the air through my mouth. Repeating this as many times as I need before a performance keeps me feeling grounded and refreshed.
Final Takeaways
You don’t have to be perfect, but small, consistent efforts really do add up. By developing these skills you will feel confident in your music ability and be ready to take on conservatory learning. Most importantly, love every step of the process, stay curious, enjoy building your skills, and have fun!
Juliet Renée Rand, a 22-year-old soprano from Southold, NY, began her studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in 2021. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Opera at Curtis. Visit https://www.julietrandsoprano.com/ to learn more.