In September, the WCMS Voice Department had the opportunity to hold two master classes—one for youth, one for adult learners—with Grammy-nominated soprano Maggie Finnegan. Each class ended with a Q&A where participants asked Maggie questions about a wide range of topics. Here are a few highlights, which include some tips that could be really helpful for developing musicians across many disciplines. 

On Practicing

Practice can look different depending on what the objective is. Are you preparing for an audition? For that, you might focus on the specific pieces you’re preparing—trying out different gestures and figuring out what works, then doing it over and over again to get really comfortable and get it in your body. Learning music? That might consist of sitting with the music, listening to different performances of it and mouthing the text to get comfortable with it. It’s important to be clear on what you’re hoping to accomplish when you practice, and tailor your practice session to those objectives.

On Staying Healthy

Sometimes I forget that I have a whole body to keep healthy, not just my voice! I’ll do exercises to engage my lower body—this really helps with my support, especially if I’m feeling tight or tense. It’s also important to take your time when warming up. It’s very easy to focus on the “action items” in your practice routine, but taking the time to warm up slowly and thoroughly will really pay off.

On Interpreting Music and Making it Your Own

Making it personal is what you bring to the music based on your experience. After learning the music, I go to the text and speak it into a mirror; delivering the text as you would speak it can give you great insights about physical gestures or vocal inflections that you might not think of otherwise. It’s also important to try out different approaches. Find out what works for you and makes you feel like you’re communicating; once you find the right approach for you, it will come through in your performance.

On Managing Pre-Performance Nerves

It’s important to recognize that all performers will usually have some performance anxiety. Usually I’m mostly excited, but having some “healthy nerves” can also be really helpful and give you energy for your performance.

Many thanks to Maggie Finnegan for spending the afternoon with us, and to Voice Department Chair Norina Rowen for making these master classes possible!