"The young singer should always practice with a mirror--do not forget
that; she must look pleasant under all circumstances. No one cares to
look at a singer who makes faces and grimaces, or scowls when she sings.
This applies to any one, young or older. Singing must always seem easy,
pleasant, graceful, attractive, winning. This must be the mental
concept, and, acted upon, the singer will thus win her audience. I do
not mean that one should cultivate a grin when singing; that would be
going to the other extreme.
"Let the singer also use a watch when she practices, in order not to
overdo. I approve of a good deal of technical study, taken in small
doses of ten to fifteen minutes at a time. I myself do about two hours
or more, though not all technic; but I make these pauses for rest, so
that I am not fatigued. After all, while we must have technic, there is
so much more to singing than its technic. Technic is indeed a means to
an end, more in the art of song than in almost any other form of art.
Technic is the background for expressive singing, and to sing
expressively is what every one should be striving for.