Developing Your Own Interpretation: A Key to Confident Singing
What’s the key to performing a role onstage with confidence?
After many years of coaching singers, I think it comes down to two main factors. The first is having a solid technique, of course. The second is having your own interpretation of the role you’re performing.
While that might sound obvious, many of us pass through a stage in our musical training where we’re focused on doing exactly what we’re told—that way, when we step on stage, it will be “right.” When I listen to recordings of my performances from that time, it sounds like I was playing someone else’s ideas.
We can carry this “good student” habit into our professional careers, trying to incorporate every suggestion—even at the expense of our own perspective. Singers in particular gather a lot of input during the preparation process, since they often work with voice teachers, coaches, and conductors.
The problem? If that 'good student' habit carries over into your professional work, your approach to a piece might be shaped more by others’ opinions than your own. And how can you fully own a performance if the ideas aren’t yours?
Build your own interpretation before you coach
If you don’t already have a process for learning a role, that’s worth discussing with your teacher or coach (and it’s a topic I’ll write more about soon). But in general, the more time you spend with the libretto and score on your own, the more confident you’ll feel later. By the time you walk into your first coaching, aim to have:
A clear understanding of the plot and your character’s role in the story.
Insight into why your character speaks up when they do, and how they relate to others.
A complete translation in your score—plus the ability to speak your text from memory in both the original language and English.
IPA marked and rehearsed away from the music.
Solid musical preparation.
When you’ve done this groundwork, you’ll be able to take advice and decide how—or if—it fits into your vision for the role. Without your own foundation, it’s easy to feel pulled in too many directions.
Know what advice to keep (and what to set aside)
Good advice should make singing feel easier. If it makes things seem harder, pause and consider whether it’s truly serving you right now. Sometimes it’s just a matter of working it in technically—but sometimes the advice might not be relevant for your upcoming performance.
It’s okay to set something aside and revisit it later. The goal is to use what genuinely helps you prepare for your gig, not to pressure yourself into applying every suggestion you hear.
Collaboration with your coach
When I work with singers, my job is to help them develop an interpretation they truly own. I might pose questions to help them consider aspects of their character more deeply, and highlight ways in which the composer writes for their character. I find that bringing these ideas to singers’ attention allows them to create their own opinions and bring a sense of ownership to their role.
I also often record coaching tracks for singers, which I think empowers them. If they use recorded tracks to practice, they arrive at our first meeting musically prepared, which reduces the need for multiple in-person sessions. It also makes it possible for me to work with singers who live in other areas and don’t have a real-time online setup.
Confidence through preparation
The more preparation you can do on your own, the more confidence and authority you’ll have over your performance. Thoroughly informing yourself about your role before stepping into a lesson or coaching not only makes that time more productive (and worth your investment), but it also builds confidence early in the process.
By the time you arrive at your gig, you’ll feel grounded in your own interpretation—singing in a way that’s both informed and unmistakably yours.
Every singer’s process is unique, and I’d love to learn from yours. What’s one thing you do that helps you feel most confident when stepping onstage?