[Dixielandjazz] Courses in acting was stage p[resence

[Stephen G Barbone]

I think perhaps we are approaching "Stage Presence" from several  
different angles, but here's my bottom line.  Can it be taught only  
through a course. probably not. It has to be honed through trial and  
error in performance or in front of a mirror.

Are courses then to be avoided? Probably not. Stage presence IMO is  
really a form of acting and there are a myriad of formal acting  
courses that actors take in addition to the trial and error method.  
Both in schools like the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute or those at  
various Universities, or from personal coaches.

Best, IMO is a combination of both, plus video taping your  
performances to check on how you are doing. And going to concerts of  
all types to see how the other musicians do it. Note how they make of  
fake eye contact to different sections of the audience, etc.

If you don't want to go to Juilliard to study Stage Presence, (In this  
class, students build repertoire and address issues of performance  
anxiety, including focus, memory, technical problems, and stage  
presence.) but want to read a book about it, check out "Stage Presence  
 From Head To Toe - A Manual for Musicians" by Karen Hagberg. Gamble  
that the $30 it costs, won't be wasted. <grin>

http://www.amazon.com/Stage-Presence-Head-Toe-Musicians/dp/0810847779

One review of it on the site says:

"Although it is not generally mentioned, a musical performance is more  
than just the playing of music. The audience notices all kinds of  
things - what a musician is wearing, what is on the stage, how  
performers enter and leave, and how they conduct themselves on stage.  
Poor stage presence can damage or even ruin the performance of even  
the most accomplished musician. This book highlights the many non- 
musical things that can seriously affect a musician's performance and  
their audience's perceptions. It is very enlightening - there are so  
many factors that you might not have thought of but that really affect  
what the audience experiences! If you want to win more competitions,  
have more successful auditions and better attended performances, this  
straightforward, practical and very helpful text is definitely worth  
reading."

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband