Here are suggested ways to engage students with this video and with activities related to this topic.

• Encourage student performers to work on something that is outside their usual repertoire. Ask them to choose an area that they don’t think of as a strength. For instance, a singer who feels most at home with slow romantic ballads could learn a fast comic song. An actor who works mostly in improvisational theater could learn a speech from a published play, or vice versa. Ask students to think about how working outside their comfort zone can help them as performers.
• The coach works with a student to help her relax as she sings and to lessen the physical tension that is leading to “singer’s face.” Ask students how they define “singer’s face” and how they might address it.
• How to stand, what to do with your arms, and how much or little to move while singing is often a challenge for performers. The coach remarks that some students need to move more and some less. Have students think about this as they rehearse in a mirror, with video, or work with a partner to find approaches that work for them and their songs. What is the effect of moving more or less as they sing? They can also develop a list of questions to elicit feedback from classmates: what they like, what could be improved, are the words clear, are they moving in a way that is appropriate for the song?

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