I was so wrapped in tackling the
BBHoF that I forgot to tell you …

I met Bobby McFerrin!

Now, I’m not much into star-chasing,
but Bobby McFerrin is one of my improvisation inspirations and I was excited at the prospect of getting to meet him. (He sings a duet with another of my vocal inspirations — Judi Donaghy! — in the video above.)

Since I knew any introductions/conversations would likely be brief (and I was proved correct), I was maybe more excited to attend his Q&A session/performance at my alma mater last Friday.

He sang and chatted with us (er … I mean the audience) for about an hour. I particularly enjoyed hearing about how he created this identity he calls a solo vocalist (I wanna be a solo vocalist!) and the story, which includes a date and time, of how he decided to become a singer. (He’d been a pianist up until then.)

He talked about challenging himself to stay on new musical edges …  which is why he opens all his performances with an improv.

Big and profound for me was his definition of improv. So obvious and useful. If you’re nervous or unsure (or just plain scared) about improvising or scatting, you should listen to Bobby’s practical and simple definition of improvisation.
…

*The song “Bobby’s Girl” was made famous by Marcie Blaine and written by Hank Hoffman and Gary Klein.

Sometimes while singing together, the energy stops. Things stop working, clicking — you know, gelling. It happens in different situations and under different circumstances.

Like when we don’t know each other. When we start something new. When we close our eyes and cast our voices (and our selves!) into the void. When we don’t know what to expect or how we’ll be received.

Any and all of these situations can lead to … big black holes of fear (BBHoF).

BBHoF absorb and distill the energy of any singing circle. The energy gets diverted — it heads to one or two places in the circle and then drains away.

…

If you look you can see them. BBHoF cause singers to become very small in their bodies and to focus away from the group. Other symptoms may include furtive glances, hunched or clenched shoulders, white knuckled grips, inappropriate laughter and, sometimes, tears.

BBHoF make us unable to participate, unable to give back, unable to reflect. That’s why the energy stops.

(Hey, wait a minute! This is how fear works everywhere.)

Fear drains away excitement. It makes us unable to be open and connect or to imagine positive possibilities and outcomes. It limits our ability to express ourselves. It sends the shiny newness of our experiences down a big black hole.

…

I’m not saying we shouldn’t be afraid. Doing new stuff is scary. (Quitting my job of 9 years to return to music school – terrifying!). It’s also exciting, invigorating, instructive and can even be fun and rewarding.

I’m reminded constantly how much fear singing brings up for people. How vulnerable it makes us feel. How little permission we get outside of church choirs or other structured activities to sing. It makes me sad for singers and angry. I get such good stuff from singing — I want all of you to get it, too!

I commit to creating singing circles and communities where we allow our fears, face them and then let them drain away down big black holes all their own.