Questionnaire the Cechov-Method Workshops
1. Which exercises/plays did you like the most and why?
Marie: the game with the „eyes and in the back“, the „warmth of the heart“ and the „keep a sentence in your head“ (main sentence), game to improve the expression (?)
Manuel: The exercise of using one sign withe the body to represent the song (psychological gesture). It helped me realize how important the body is in connection to the music.
Narim: Awareness. I could feel the difference of awareness-on and off very clearly when I spoke with awareness (of ice or sth.) and when I heard others’ speaking.
Maria: I liked all exercises related to improvisation together and working on a song by finding one main emotion/word because in first case it was beautiful moments creating music in a moment and as for second case I felt more connected to the song (idea of the song) I was singing.
Sebastian O. : Everything with free improvisation and meditation
Amelie: The exercise where we had to say a sentence, but think of another underlining sentence. „I hate you because you left me“ …“Where is the key“
Leonie: Meditation/sound: I liked how the sound was created together in the group from a meditative state of mind naturally.
Imagination during improvisation: I experienced the improvisation as a consequence and expression of my imagination so that I learned to keep my focus beyond the music. which floated naturally then.
Gesture/Keyword: It is very helpful to find the essence of the lyric and emotional meaning and express it through the body/the body is supporting the emotional expression
Open heart: It is powerful to speak/sing/…/ from the heart
2. In which ways do you think the technic can help/support you ?
Marie: Improving how I stand on the stage, being aware of my body language. Improving my impact on lyrics and how to bette transmit it to the audience
Manuel: I’m thinking more about the meaning behind the music and lyrics.
Narim: I found that the immersion in the narrator, speaker and singer’s character with lyrics or sentences (I hate you! where is the key?) makes a big change. And the immersion is caused by awareness. The consciousness(understanding) of the character gets a person absorbed.
I’ve been assuming that acting and singing have a common area rather than acting and playing instruments. However, before this workshop, the word ‘acting’ seemed a bit pretending somehow so I tried to contrast between singing and acting. I can say I become to understand the performer&narrator’s role as an interpreter.
Maria: It can reveal fears related to stage presence, inner critic, etc and can help to understand and get to know yourself as a musician better.
Sebastian O.: It can help me to let go of my thoughts and to feel the situation the song is about better
Amelie: With this technique you can sing sentences in way more different moods, from the heart more openly.
Leonie: It supports me in exploring my emotional expression; exploring imagination; discovering possibilities and creativity.
3. Is there something what you didn’t understand ?
Marie: No Not hat I remember
Manuel: –
Narim: No
Maria: I can’t recall anything that stayed as a question mark for me.
Sebastian O.: No
Amelie: How to habe fun with making weird sounds
Leonie: –
4. Can you imagine to integrate the technic in your work as a singer/musician? And if yes how?
Marie: Yes, I think I would, at the …of a song, add some of your C. Techniques to make more of a statement of the song.
Manuel:Yes. At the time of using the instrument, in my case imagine the gesture that goes with the song to express it better
Narim: I’m still thinking of the workshop with eyes on the back. What happened to the brain and other muscles? That changed a lot just like a switch on and off. This is a personal thought, out of the workshop. I just realize that every sentence or phrase of lyrics can have a different scene or story, which doesn’t need to be connected. That makes music more colorful, less flat. I can apply what we did to small fragments. ex. different gestures or setting up on every sentence.
Maria: I think I could use this material for warming up my body and my mind. We always talk about warm-up for voice forgetting that is not the only part we probably should work on. Before singing it is important to check on how our body feels/reacts( is it relaxed enough or is it tensed).
Sebastian O: I can definetly intigrate the „imagine a sentence“ thing to support bringing the emotions I want into a song +
Amelie: I can imagine writing underlining sentences for lyrics and like this having more emotion and a background story set.
Leonie: Yes as a singer, dancer, teacher I start to integrate it in my work for example to get closer to emotional expression of a song and improvising through imagination (movements, emotion, gestures, colors that are connected to the meaning of the song or the message you want to say). The technic is a powerful tool to strengthen the artistic message through focussing the mind and support through the body. It only needs practice to focus
5. What do you recognize as a listener hearing the others?
Marie: They change the Sound (even when they change it for the first time) because of their presence and expression. They are not thinking: „What am I doing, what are the others thinking?“ But they are thinking about the music.
Manuel: That it actually has a big impact in their way of approaching the music.
Narim: pure curiosity. longing to express better.
Maria: Their stories, insecurities, musical taste.
Sebastian O. :You could clearly hear a difference in the others singing. I think it was because they concentrated more on the music and the meaning of the song than just on the singing technique.
Amelie: The singers got way more confident and we’re transferring messages of the song more authentic.
6. Did there happened a change when the others using the technic and how?
Marie: at the first time they perform the song it was kind of empty and with the gesture/sentence the mind was occupied with the lyrics. They seems more concentrated and the message comes much more out because they think about it.
Manuel: My answer is yes, I did see a change in the others way of approach. Specially with the gestures. It helped to get the emotions out and it made me as audience more attracted to it.
Narim: When other singers added a gesture from lyrics, it sounded more convincing.
Maria: Noticeable differences before and after the exercise, people’s development, more confidence and projection(focus) on what they were doing.
Sebastian O: They sounded more secure. Also their bodylanguage changed a lot. The songs sounded „fuller“.
Leonie: I saw more the essence of the emotions and colors; they were more focused and connected and so the voice change. When they use the technic the body and voice was much more powerful and grounded
7. Did you missed something during our workshop-time?
Marie: No. I think it would be nicer to have it weekly, but of course thats a lot of time and work for you.
Manuel: Would have been nice to have more time for for all the people, so they could show more songs, demonstrate how it works for them.
Narim: No
Maria: Maybe small explanations on which circumstances we could use certain exercises.
Sebastian O.: No
Amelie: Just have more time to develop the technique (long term)
8. Any wishes, remarks?
Marie: No, you are a very nice teacher! I guess the fact that you are convinced by it makes it interesting for us.
Manuel: Would be nice to open the workshop and expand it also to other instrumentalists, since we get a lit of theory but not so mich about how to approaching feeling.
Narim: Great workshop!
Maria: Would be nice to have a material on hand after each workshop to have it systematized in order to refer to it any time. Not everything stays in the head:) I hope there will be a Second edition of this Workshop! Thank you Sebastian for your work!
Sebastian O.: Thank you so much for giving us your time! I enjoyed it a lot. It was a really inspiring workshop!
Leonie: Please more
Sebastian Stert 