Oh Say Can You Sing?
Have you ever been asked to sing your national anthem at an event?
Quote Of The Day:
“O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave” – American National Anthem
Singing the National Anthem
It’s playoff time. There’s a lot of anthem singing going on. Being asked to sing the national anthem for a televised national event is an incredibly daunting thing. One can’t help but feel a little nervous. There are so many variables that could potentially hinder even the best singer’s performance. These variables may include: not getting a sound check, how badly the sound bounces around in the arena and affects what you are hearing, the quality of the microphone, or overworking a simple melody that was written over 100 to 200 years ago. (Haven’t we all heard that one a few too many times).
When Things DO Go Wrong
I was quite shocked in the past, when I heard the American national anthem sung very badly on a North American televised Stanley Cup playoff game. It wasn’t that the singer over sang the anthem this time, it was just that she was not a good singer at all. I felt embarrassed for her, the team, and whoever thought it was a good idea to let this person sing on television. It was not a good fit.
Now, I am a firm believer in giving everyone a second chance and that maybe they didn’t hear what they needed to hear to sing well or whatever, but I have also been around singers and coached singers long enough to know when someone is not quite ready for a spotlight such as singing the national anthem on international television.
Anthem Singing Tips
The following tips are to guide anyone finding themselves asked to sing a national anthem in any kind of arena, from your neighbourhood little league opening day (I’ve done that for my son’s team, and it was a career highlight!) to singing for a nationally televised sporting event, which I have also done many times over the years. Here’s a pic of Farmer’s Daughter singing O Canada, (the Canadian National Anthem) for the Calgary Flames – and they let us keep the hockey sweaters (unlike Edmonton who took theirs back!). It’s always fun to be on the Jumbotron.
Your Secret Weapon – The Pitch Pipe
Often, we singers perform the national anthem acapella, or without accompaniment. If you are unable to choose the proper key out of mid air, you might want to invest in a pitch pipe to help you start on the exact note you need to. When we used to sing the anthem with Farmer’s Daughter, we always used a pitch pipe. (One time, I hit the note as our cue, then a cow mooed on a different note just before we sang our first note, and we ended up singing in the key of cow… true story). When you use a pitch pipe it is less likely that your nerves will have you start too high or too low for the anthem. It helps put your mind at ease that you will be singing in a comfortable key.
Keep it Simple
The next piece of advice I like to give new anthem singers is to go easy on the vocal gymnastics and refrain from singing too many notes annihilating the melody so it is unrecognizable. It is my humble opinion that the whole purpose of singing a national anthem in a public forum is for people to come together in a proud moment to sing their national anthem together, and celebrate their country. If the anthem singer is trilling a million notes per second, this does not invite the audience to sing along to their own anthem. Yes, it is a performance, but in this instance, the anthem singer is mainly a leader for others to sing with. There is room for some stylizing and tasteful trills, just don’t overdo it.
A Good Example
For a brilliant example of tasteful trills and dynamic anthem singing, here is Whitney Houston’s rendition of the Star Spangled Banner from the 1991 Super Bowl. That was perfection.
It’s All About the Breath
Lastly, don’t forget to breathe. Breathe, breathe, breathe. The first thing that happens when we get nervous is that we hold our breath. Take a couple of big deep breaths before you walk out into the spotlight and be sure to take the required breaths between each phrase to keep your nerves calm, your pitch great and your notes floating effortlessly out onto the airwaves for everyone to enjoy and be moved by your vocal prowess, and ability to make them proud to be from where they are.
Go Canucks Go… oh, too late (yet again).
Until next time… Breathe (don’t over sing the melody)
And Happy Singing!
