Jazz / Pop Singing at the Crossroads of Movement and Musical elements by Daniela Fanelli

Research question - How can focusing on the connection between body movements and the key musical elements of rhythm, lyrics/mood, pitch and dynamics positively affect the expressiveness and vocal freedom of jazz / pop vocalists? When considering the attributes of captivating performances, jazz and pop singers often tend to underutilize their bodies on stage. This observation prompted a deeper examination of the interplay between body awareness, singing, and movements, resulting in the question “How can focusing on the connection between body movements and the key musical elements of rhythm, lyrics/mood, pitch and dynamics positively affect the expressiveness and vocal freedom of jazz / pop vocalists?” The research aims to address this question through a series of investigative stages. Firstly, the analysis of my 2023 end-of-year performance revealed a clear correlation between gestures, expressiveness and the four musical elements mentioned. Further research supported this finding and led to the development of movement-focused singing exercises, whereby vocalists sing while consciously engaging their bodies in alignment with each key musical element individually. This methodology underwent testing with six vocalists, yielding valuable empirical data. The data shows that this set of exercises can be a helpful, holistic tool in increasing expressiveness, enhancing awareness and improving embodiment while singing, as I have also experienced for myself. By sharing this research, I hope to encourage all musicians to deepen their connection with themselves, their instrument, and the audience through movement and body awareness.

H. Personal Reflections

In conversation with my individual teacher Yvonne Smeets, I reflected on the fact that it took me quite a while to clarify how I was going to take on this research, what would be the value of the end result and how I was going to keep the research doable within the two-year timeline. I struggled to find which specific slice I could successfully investigate and would make a difference for myself and my peers. At first, I searched for a topic that would allow me to better integrate my experiences with Alexander Technique to my practice of singing. However, considering my limited knowledge in the fields of psychology, body awareness and body movement, I was lost in my own enthusiasm and abstract concepts. I found it challenging to come up with the concrete idea that I wanted to focus my research within the broad theoretical fields of singing and movement.

I eventually settled on researching a practical way to investigate my personal experiences of singing whilst dancing, moving and applying body awareness exercises from Alexander Technique and to share the takeaways from those experiences with others. I chose to further narrow my labeling and analysis of the movements according to four musical elements, although of course there are many more parallels between movement and music. Once I established the three part methodology, I quickly identified many more steps I could take to further the research process, which I discussed previously in the Conclusion chapter.

Nearing the conclusion of this research in mid February 2024, I was asked to identify three keywords from this existing list that would fit best my research. I found out that other master students had already researched similar topics in previous years, including “The singing performer who am I on stage would not singing?” (2022) by Julia Pallanch, Gestures and their role in restoring a singer’s performance focus (2020) by Aimée Hautvast, Concepts of embodiment in interdisciplinary work within a musical context (2019) by Sarah Albu, “Shall we Dance? Integrating bodywork and dance in singer’s daily practice” (2022) by Alessandra Marangon and Dancing about music (2016) by Isa Goldschmeding. Although finding these works filled me with a sense of belonging, I also deeply regretted finding these wonderful works so late into my research process. Integrating and building upon their methodologies, conclusions and suggested next steps would have greatly enriched my research and my experience with carrying out this research.

Overall, working on this research and creating a set of exercises gave me not only a clearer way to explore the intersection of singing and moving, but it also brought me one step closer to fulfilling my goal of integrating the knowledge I’ve gained from various studies and professional experiences into a unified artistic identity, which is what initially attracted me to this master program. Additionally, testing the model on other singers and taking steps to improve the methodology has increased my confidence as a voice teacher. Lastly, through this research process, I confirmed that I am greatly inspired by fellow singers, as we all bring our own set of knowledge, interests and personal experiences when it comes to being and moving on stage. By seeking to raise awareness within myself and my peers about the expressive use of our body, I hope this will have a ripple effect in our musical community at large.

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Daniela Fanelli - Jazz / Pop Singing at the Crossroads of Movement and Musical elements - 2024