Performer Masterclass - Haley Stamats
Izaac Garcia (vocals, guitar) covers Foo Fighters - My Hero.
Haley Stamats:
The main thing that I think that would be helpful in a performance setting like this is to try to look up from the guitar, and I know that it's hard, right? Like I also play guitar but it's the practice of landing on the cord. And then training ourselves to look up. And so I kind of want to talk about focus a little bit. Actors, singers, and musicians need to pick focus points while performing.
Haley Stamats:
So what I talk about with focus is that it's just kind of this slight 45 or straight ahead, because the main thing is that if you're trying to get the audience to connect with you, the eyes are the windows to the soul. And so if they see your eyes, then they're able to feel what you feel. But that doesn't mean that you can't look down at your guitar because they also want to see you play. So finding this balance is up to you.
Benjamin Kawsky:
For those of you who are just logged on this is Haley Stamats. She's a opera and theater director. She's an amazing teacher! She's a new teacher with boss studio. So if any of you are interested in working with her in the future, please let us know. The students that you'll hear tonight are all BAWS students. We just wanted to give plugs to the teachers, working with our students.
Haley Stamats:
Thank you, Ben. Yeah. I do want to say this: there's like a lot "what is this song about"? It's always good to know, but at the end of the day, you're the one performing it. You're the performer. So you have to take away, what are you trying to say with that? Who do you visualize? You should be able to think about them and visualize them in your heart and in your head. So that's kind of like a little like acting woo-hoo that you can put in the back of your mind.
Haley Stamats:
Usually in this kind of circumstance, not good to stare directly at the camera. But I loved what you did with the intro, because you actually used your body. Our bodies are the most expressive things other than our words. I was immediately pulled in because you were using your body to express what you're trying to get across with the music, even though you weren't saying anything.
Haley Stamats:
I also wanted to talk about the part "truth and consequence". Those are some fighting words, you know what I mean? So I really would love to see more of that on your face. So I actually would love for everyone do with like facial expression exercises called mouse and lion and we make our face super small and we make our face really big.
Haley Stamats:
So when you say "truth or consequence" we need to feel that on your face. And we need to feel that within your body, right. It's like the pulse, it's like your heart racing, right. So we need to feel that heart racing with, with the, with the strumming pattern, but not as a way to make you more nervous, just a way for your body to respond to the music that you're creating.
Wichie Artu:
I am singing “In Summer” from Frozen. It's about a magical snowman wanting to experience what summer is like, and just imagining what something could be.
Haley Stamats:
One more beat when pausing. It's gonna always feel longer than you actually think it's re it's really. We always want to like rush, like when we do speeches, right? Everyone says, slow down, slow down, slow down. When we're performing, moments and pauses seem so long, but they're actually not. Hold for one more beat, think one Mississippi in your head.
Haley Stamats:
Perfect timing. That was great. I loved everything that you're doing. Your comedic timing is so good. Just so you know, your comedic timing is really great and that is something that doesn't come naturally to everyone. So I really want to give kudos to you for that.
Alex Schofield:
I'm going to be singing a song that I wrote with a good buddy of mine. I'm a singer-songwriter here in Nashville, Tennessee. And so I write a lot of songs with other people. I write a lot of songs by myself too, but this one is called soulmate.
Haley Stamats:
I love it! What inspired the song?
Alex Schofield:
Well I had the title in my head for a while and I brought it to him and we actually wrote it at another angle. And then I sat with that for a while and it just wasn't right. And so I brought it back to him and we, and we chopped it up again. We're similar in age, I'm 27. He's, I think 28 or 29, he's just about to get engaged and I'm at this age, it's the same thing. Hopefully, something comes about.
Haley Stamats:
Cool, so the performance was great. I felt like your body responded to what you were singing about. What I would love is to add variety to the happy lyrics. Some of these lyrics should put a smile on your face. So I want to insert that, especially in the chorus section, and have fun with that. So the smile always corresponds, right? Like we're reacting to what we're saying, but we're also reacting to what we're playing in this performance setting.
Haley Stamats:
Audiences love to see musicians love that they're playing. And love what they do. Insert these smiles, these flirts, and I want you to kind of visualize, like, what does this person look like? Even if they don't exist? The more that you're able to visualize here, the more the audience will be able to respond and be taken with the narrative. So I want to start with inserting a little bit of a smile here and there
Benjamin Kawsky:
I said it before singing is flirting. So that smile just, you have to flirt with the audience. Like Justin Bieber is famous because he gets all the little girls to fall in love with them. That's your job. We got another original song for you guys.
Haley Stamats:
Tyler, how are you?
Tyler Abegg:
This is just a song I wrote, I think a few weeks ago. I think I just looked out a window and then started writing it.
Haley Stamats:
Yay! I am going to give you the same note as Alex. Try to find a variety of emotional states, right. Like different layers. Rather than sad, happy, sad, happy, but just find those little layers of where you can flip, maybe find variety in the repeated lyrics. Like, oh, well maybe this is a kind of a different emotion that I feel the second time or the third time that I say that. Because again, Ben is right. Singing is about flirting with the audience. So I do want to see a little flirt and a little charm, but still keep within the context of the song. Right. So maybe visualize someone that you adore in your head that you're singing this to.
Haley Stamats:
I call the audience the kelp (swaying motion). Sometimes you have to help the kelp, you know, flirt with them, you want to engage them. You want them to keep listening. And that was so great. I loved what you did, right. There was a little smile.
Benjamin Kawsky:
It's time for questions. Haley, maybe give us a little bit of your background your process for singing and developing a character, and the tools that we can take away from today.
Haley Stamats:
Nerves are good. They give us the energy, but it also can completely overtake your head and performance, and then everything's out the window. That's why we rehearse. But you need to visualize exactly where you're going to be. Am I going to be at a back of a bar sitting on a stool? Am I going to be standing? How many people are going to be there? Any information that you can get to mentally prepare for the actual performance is great.
Haley Stamats:
This is the same for auditioning - practice how you're going to walk into the room. Practice, how you're gonna walk on stage. Literally, do it, and then watch yourself do it. It is so awful, but it is so good for your growth. Record yourself and only allow yourself to critique after. Never let yourself critique while you're performing, because then you'll get in your head and mess up. That's just the way it is.
Benjamin Kawsky:
I want to watch you have the time of your life on stage. Have fun and like what you're doing. The silent moments that are awkward, you have to like that time too. You have to like connecting with your audience.
Benjamin Kawsky:
Alex wants to know how important appearance is, what you wear when performing.
Haley Stamats:
Appearance is part of your product. It should be coordinated, but it doesn't mean that you need to like, look nice, but it does mean that it needs to fit your genre of music. Like Isaac playing Foo Fighters, wearing the Nirvana shirt is so ironic and great. The main thing is the vibe of the music should fit you. But you also need to be able to move and feel comfortable in it too.
Benjamin Kawsky:
I think if it's a great performance, nobody will remember what you wear - unless you're wearing a meat dress.
Haley Stamats:
Ha, this is true!
Benjamin Kawsky:
How long have you worked as a director? She was a singer first. So maybe talk about why you fell in love with directing instead of singing.
Haley Stamats:
I started as an opera singer. I'm actually trained as a classical musician. But I grew up in a visual arts household. My mom owns a gallery and my dad is an artist. I found in college that I loved being able to have an idea, have a concept, and then be able to execute it. I didn't want to let go of the visual aspect of art - collaborating with designers and creating a world.
Benjamin Kawsky:
What are the challenges of working with singers and how you direct them?
Haley Stamats:
I think that singers get way too in their head. And that's true for actors as well, but with singers, there's an extra step involved. You have to think about vocal technique or the high note coming up. To get over that, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Don't self-critique while you're doing it. When you're leading up to the high note, just go for it. Just be in the moment.
Benjamin Kawsky:
Awesome. Thank you so much, Haley. This advice has been amazing. Thank you, singers. You made me so proud. You all did an amazing job! If you guys have any questions for Hayley, feel free to reach out to me or Haley or BAWS. Thank you everyone, and have a great, great night. Thank you!