What is Charisma?
What
is this magical mysterious quality that attracts us with such a
powerful magnetic force? Is it possible to teach and learn charisma?
Musical pundits describe it as a pure, mystifying gift – unobtainable
unless you’ve somehow always had it. However they are perhaps better at
describing what it is not, agreeing that it cannot be created by mere
virtuosity and flawless technique. However, the question remains: as
performers, is our charismatic appeal automatically created – or
constrained – by some intangible force of nature arising at the time of
our birth?
I don’t think anyone has completely unravelled the
mystery, but my teaching experiences have shown me that many of the
contributing factors can be taught and learned, giving rise to authentic
charismatic performances. Some of the factors are surprisingly simple.
Beyond the music, we have to learn and practice
the art of performance until it became spontaneous and natural. It led
me to ask myself: can we teach young players and singers to perform with charisma?
Now I truly believe so. For genuine charisma to emerge, important skills
must be learned and practiced in addition to the music. In other words,
the right ingredients must be there first.
Interviewed
in her film, Portrait, Anne-Sophie Mutter recalls von Karajan’s
response to her audition to play (at 13) with the Berlin Philharmonic
as, “come back in a year” or words to that effect.
For professional
musicians, the first obvious step is to make sure the piece is
relatively perfect – confidently accurate at the right tempo and
securely memorized. For this reason we choose solo pieces that the
student has been playing well for some time; at least 6 months. A year
is better. Then I ask the student to play the piece for me and some of
the other teachers, in the presence of the parent. If we all agree the
student is ready, we conduct a series of mini masterclasses with them,
working mainly on musicality and expression.
Times
have changed. Almost any body movement when playing was once considered
excessive and showy, but music is not just sound, it is also visual. It
comes from living musicians who move and breathe with the music. But
there is also a cultural factor – take a look on Youtube at the contrast
between the way Yehudi Menuhin and Janine Jansen move in the
Mendelssohn Concerto in E Minor. We resolved to teach students to move
with the music from the beginning. Even 3 year olds love to move. Over
time it becomes a natural part of expression, amplifying emotions such
as drama, energy, calm, pathos and humour in the music.
Because
charisma has such a strong visual component, wearing the right clothes
helps to spark it off. Take time in selecting clothes to
suit the performance. It’s no accident that the most charismatic
performers dress well. On the other hand, many professional musicians
turn up on stage poorly dressed – too conservative or with wrong shapes
and colors, exaggerating the body in an odd way. Perhaps they should
ask a Parisian – or at least someone who dresses well. Don’t choose your
own clothes.
Your performance begins whilst you are still off stage. Walking on to stage you
are already communicating with the audience. If you step confidently
with a welcoming demeanor, the audience will be with you – even before
your start singing or playing. Practicing the walk on to stage also
minimizes and eliminates nerves.
The
friendly unrushed bow on center stage is the musician’s opportunity to
greet the audience with genuine appreciation for their presence. It is
more natural to look towards the feet when bowing. It is preferable to hold for a count of three, before arising quickly with a smile.
Too
many performances are tainted by poor and unusual posture. Drooping instruments, strained necks, open mouths are ingrained habits practiced
unknowingly and can be an unwelcome distraction to an otherwise good
performance. There’s little point in trying to fix them up on stage.
Attractive playing posture is an integral part of studies. Play in front
of a mirror sometimes.
The ability to project
well into a large space takes practice. Musicians know that making a
larger sound means practicing for more tone resonance either in singing or playing. Professional
soloists work hard to produce a big and beautiful tone, one that has
the power to reach the far corners of any auditorium. They can then
adjust their projection to suit the space.
This leads me to
related point. Rehearsing in the actual performance space is good
professional practice, because the hall or room space forms part of your voice or your instrument's, with a large influence on your sound and confidence.
A
good finish is as important as a good beginning, e.g. Is the ending
dramatic, graceful, or fading into silence? As with every consciously acquired ability, they are
achieved by mindful and guided practice, one skill at a time. Stars are
made, not born. (Just ask their parents.) We are born with our
personality, our view on life, our take on the world, to colour our star
in our own unique way, illuminating our music with our own distinctive
light.
Have
your young student stand upright, holding out his or her left arm, palm
facing up. Gently measure the distance from the left side of the neck
out to the line where his or her wrist meets the hand (in inches or
centimeters). At left is a picture of that natural line at the wrist,
which have I darkened with pen, so that you can see what I mean. You can
use a tape measure or a yardstick. 
The
chart below will tell you what size violin is appropriate. I find these
measurements to be extremely accurate -- more so than the old trick of
having the child attempt to grasp the scroll. If you are a private
teacher or a school teacher, you easily can make your own "Fiddle
Stick," with a yardstick (or meterstick) and some permanent markers. (If
you are feeling like collecting some goodwill karma, make one for your
local overworked and underpaid public school teacher!)