If you want thousands of opinions from singers, teachers, conductors, and stage directors- just mention marking and let the heated exchange begin. It’s really no wonder this topic can cause such a stir because each singers’ needs during a rehearsal period are personal. There are singers who hardly ever mark and there are singers who mark most of the time. There is also the element of circumstance and environment. Maybe a singer doesn’t have a lot of time with the role and will want to use the rehearsal time to sing it through. Maybe a singer is sick, tired, or has a full performance schedule and needs to mark. Maybe it’s just that singers’ preferred way of rehearsing.
100% of the time, singers are navigating the expectations others have of them. They have expectations from the music staff and conductor and another set of expectations from the stage director. Add our own personal expectations, and there is a lot to contend with. The decision of whether or not we mark affects all three of these expectations and requires constant negotiation.
That’s the purpose of what you’re about to read. My goal here is to clearly lay out what is generally accepted in the industry in terms of marking. There will always be exceptional situations, but publishing a working guideline can help us all stand our ground when negotiating the expectations of conductors and stage directors — and protect our vocal needs and health.
What is marking?
Marking refers to a technique in which singing is done at reduced intensity. This means less volume and often taking sections of the role up or down an octave, depending on the range. Marking is still supported singing, with the musical shapes agreed on with the conductor. Diction and dramatic intent should also both be energised and clear. The purpose of marking is to allow us to preserve our voices to avoid injury, to maintain the high energy level needed for our job, and to preserve our best singing for the stage- all the while still being able to rehearse and meet the expectations of our conductors and stage directors.
The Three Biggest Pitfalls of Marking
There are 3 dangers of marking and they are:
- singing unsupported
- poor diction
- loss of dramatic focus and energy
I’ll get to some more ‘Do’s and Dont’s’ later in this article. But if you take away anything about marking, let it be these 3 most common pitfalls I have personally learned over the last 7 years in the German Fest system!
Unsupported Marking
Make sure your singing is supported! Take extra time to check in with your breath and your pelvic floor. If you plan to mark a rehearsal, you still need to warm up. If you’re marking because you’re fatigued, this is extra important and it helps to focus the warm up on stretching, massaging, breathing exercises, and SOVT exercises. Keep the phonation in your warm-up to a minimum.
The consequence of unsupported marking is the same as unsupported singing. You will suffer from the fatigue you are trying to avoid in the first place. This is why you will hear many singers, myself included, complain that marking just makes them more fatigued.
My theory for this is that our bodies often get tired, sometimes before our voices do. This can make supporting any type of singing an olympic event. If you find yourself in this category, I’ve found one of two options that don’t involve marking should be considered. First, If your body is tired but your have minimal or no signs of vocal fatigue, it may be in your better interest to sing out. This increases the likelihood that more of your singing will be of the supported kind. Especially if you have an afternoon or morning afterwards where you can get some rest.
But if both body and voice are below, say a generous 40% capacity, then you should consider option number two: canceling a rehearsal and opting for some rest. If you’re not bouncing back after 2–3 day maximum, then you should see your ENT or doctor. So, in order to stay healthy sometimes marking isn’t the best option. Sometimes singing out can be in your best interest or, when you can, taking some time off to rest the voice and body is often the right decision.
Poor Diction
First of all, having good diction is just the right thing to do. But if there’s any request that I’ve heard time and time again from conductors and stage directors is that the diction does not fall to the wayside when marking. This is because diction is an often undervalued scaffolding of musical and dramatic structure in singing. You can sing softly with very present consonants no matter what. This will help signal to the conductor where you are musically and also help keep the dramatic energy alive when you are saving the voice.
Clear and well-articulated diction also helps you maintain your support when marking. Of course, I’ll bring Lamperti into this:
‘When the top and bottom of the lungs are equally full of compressed air, the voice will focus in the head, and awake all the resonance in head, mouth and chest. Diction then is master over all.’
Even in marking, diction is master. Lucky for us, diction, when melded with thought and intention, will activate our support. Our support- the breath- is a reaction to our diction. In other words, maintaining intention in your diction will help insure that you are singing supported, even and especially when marking.
Loss of Dramatic Focus
If diction and support are maintained then likely the dramatic focus needed by the stage director or you as an actor will be adequately present. Without the full experience of the voice, I’m not convinced that 100% of the dramatic focus can be there when a singer is marking, but certainly building enough awareness of this is the path to having a still-useful rehearsal.
The biggest unexpected pitfall in this area though is what I consider to be a mindset problem. Because marking can sometimes be misunderstood and singers often are juggling many expectations, including their own — there can often exist an unrealistic expectation to sing out. When a singer then needs to mark, the result is a flood of distracting thoughts about if what they’re doing is acceptable, what the conductor or stage director are thinking of them, if they are frustrated, etc. This takes up so much mental space it can cause unnecessary mistakes and loss of focus.
It makes complete sense. We are singers. Without the full dramatic of our voice we aren’t able to play with our best cards. But it is also our job to perform when it’s time and know when to conserve in a rehearsal. So when you make the decision to mark, don’t lend a spare thought of what others may think of you for protecting your instrument or energy. Keep the focus where it should be: on the work.
The Do’s and Don’t’s of Marking
Marking is preventative. Sometimes you don’t need to mark, sometimes you need actual time off. If you mark for a day or two of rehearsals and still have trouble, then it’s really time to give yourself a rest. If you aren’t bouncing back after 1–2 days of rest, then it’s time to see a trusted HNO (ENT). For when you’re in a lucky situation where everything is functioning according to plan, here’s a list of Do’s and Don’t’s.
Do:
- support
- maintain clear diction
- maintain dramatic focus and energy
- communicate with the conductor beforehand
- mark if you’re feeling under the weather or if you are on your period
- mark if you have a performance that evening or a heavy performance schedule in general
Do Not:
- mark when you should cancel
- mark performances or orchestra rehearsals *unless an extreme circumstance
- rehearsals with orchestra or specifically musical rehearsals *unless an extreme circumstance
- do not always mark a passage you’re scared of- you need the rehearsal period to grow your confidence
- do not always mark the high notes or difficult passages- you need to sing them sometimes or else it can be a truth that the conductor will begin to worry you aren’t capable of the role if it is a new role for you- BUT- singing them confidently a few times is absolutely enough
Rehearsal specific:
Musical rehearsals
It’s a good rule of thumb to sing out in these rehearsals because their focus is on coaching the singing and music. However, when learning the music in a coaching, it is absolutely acceptable to mark. It’s a good rule in general, if you can’t imagine the pitches and rhythms, don’t go at the music with full vocal force. In other words, never learn the music with your voice. Learn it with your imagination.
If you’re working with the conductor then it’s generally time to sing out. If you’ve repeated a phrase 1–2 times then it’s acceptable to mark. In exceptional circumstances and with communication before, you can mark. This is if you have a performance that evening but must rehearse in the morning, if you’re in a jump-in situation and you’re simply going through the music with the conductor for tempi and problem spots, or if you’re under the weather or tired but must still rehearse because of time restraints.
It’s good to note here that marking doesn’t have to be all or nothing. It is very helpful to sing full out in rehearsals in passages that are not tiring. Feel free to mark anything in extreme range. As a coloratura soprano, my rule of thumb is to sing out the first time to build confidence for myself and to assure the conductor in the first musical rehearsals. Mark these high passages in most scenic rehearsals, except if we are running a longer scene I will use the opportunity to test my fitness, and then save the high notes for the stage rehearsal and the premiere.
Scenic Rehearsals
Here is where a lot of argument can happen. In my opinion working in a fest job, it is absolutely okay to mark as much as a singer wants in scenic rehearsals. These rehearsals are about staging and our acting anyway. In fest jobs, often singers have a full performance schedule on top of their rehearsal schedule and need to conserve.
That said, it is also a great time to build your confidence in a role. It’s easy to forget that rehearsals aren’t just for the conductor or director, they are also for you. You need to be sure that you’re using them in a way that is best for you. Personally, I like to sing out the first 1–2 times and then mark when we repeat. This is also a great space for the mixed approach of singing the easier passages and marking the more difficult or extreme ones.
Orchestra and Endproben (Final) Rehearsals
Except in the case of illness or extreme fatigue, these rehearsals should not be marked. If you need to mark in one of these rehearsals, then communicate with the conductor beforehand. However, there are some ways you can save yourself in these rehearsals. If you are repeating difficult or high passages then sing it 1–2 times and then mark the high notes when you repeat. If you have a big high note at the end of the aria and you need to repeat, feel free to mark after singing it through once or twice. This is totally acceptable.
Rehearsals you should not mark include: Sitzproben, Bühnen Orchester Proben (Stage-Orchestra rehearsals), Orchesterhauptproben (Main Orchestra rehearsal), Generalproben (Final Dress rehearsal). One endpropen (final dress week) rehearsal you can mark, is the Klavierhauptprobe (piano dress rehearsal). In fact, even if you are feeling great in Endproben, it’s always a great opportunity to get some rest and mark this rehearsal. Anyway the focus for this rehearsal is tech, costumes, and props. No need to exhaust the voice here.
When Should we Learn or Teach Marking to Singers?
I was never formally taught how to mark. I learned over the years by watching and learning from more experienced colleagues. I believe this is the case for many singers and in a way, I believe this is okay. Learning how to mark is not necessary in the earlier years of voice training. Marking should only be learned when the very basics of technique have some durability and resilience.
I do think, however, that singers should be taught how to mark when they take on their first role. Often young singers in their later years of undergrad or graduate school fall into this category. It is when a singer prepares for and enters into the rehearsal process for the first time that a lot can go awry. This is when a lot of tools of the trade come into play that can make or break a young voice and technique. This bag of tools ranges from mindset, sleep and health habits, how to learn a score, memorisation techniques, communication techniques, understanding a conductor, singing with orchestra for the first time, nerves, the list goes on. Most of these tricks of the trade, so to say, aren’t taught by voice teachers or in universities.
Marking is one of these tools and a great low hanging fruit for students and teachers when it comes time to prepare for and rehearse that first role. Not only is it an easy skill to teach, it asks for extra attention to a singers’ vocal technique during a time when it is being tested and it has a huge reward payoff in terms of vocal health and building a confidence in professionally.
If you’re a singer who has often struggled with the when and how of marking, then I hope this article helps you create some guidelines for yourself. Remember, marking is preservation and not something to be done when you truly need a rest. If you’re a teacher, I hope this helps clarify when a student will need this skill and when it could be appropriate to teach it. If you’re a conductor or stage director, I hope this helps the general understanding of the precautions singers need to take for their voice to consistently perform at a high level. When done correctly and at the right moments, marking is beneficial to everyone involved in the opera making process.
Interested in more resources or in following my career?
Find me at my coaching site www.operacareerguide.com or my performance schedule at www.marthaeason.com or follow me on Instagram @marthaeasonsoprano
Happy Singing!