When first approaching a piece in acting, ask yourself the following questions:
- Who? (Who is this person?)
- What? (What is going on in this song?)
- Where? (Where is this taking place?)
- Why? (Why are you singing this song?)
Where is your character objectively and emotionally at the beginning of the song and how do the lyrics help your character make a journey that progresses dramatically until your song ends?
What are the problems your character has to overcome during the song?
What do the lyrics mean specifically and what do they mean to you as the character singing, and which words help you get that meaning across the most specifically?
When words and phrases repeat, how do you keep these repetitions dramatically propelling the story forward?
A well performed song not only sounds great, but incorporates the answers to the above questions to produce a well acted, dramatically effective presentation. This not only demonstrates that you are a fine singer, but a great actor telling an intriguing story. After you have answered these questions you can move on to focus.
Kerilyn Johnson Vocal Studio 