These are the notes from a series of training sessions given at St Peter-in-Chains in July 2010. Our thanks to Charles Serio who prepared and gave the sessions and has allowed us to reproduce his notes.
The Wind and the Fire:
As the Spirit manifests itself through ‘Wind and Fire’, so we need Wind and Fire to express the Living Word. The Wind is our Breath. The Fire is our interpretation of the reading and its momentum.
Some Basic Things:
I accept that I ‘will be seen’.
I accept that I ‘will be heard’.
So I intend to be seen and I intend to be heard.
These are “Givens” and we must accept that.
Relaxed Position:
When nervous or fidgeting, I check my body position. What is in contact with the floor is in touch with the floor (Feet). My head is level-neither raised nor lowered (Head). My hands are on the lectern or ‘heavy’ by my side (Hands).
Don’t tell yourself to relax, do something to relax.
The Good Start:
To prepare myself to give my reading, I do the following. I begin by saying a prayer to the Spirit so as not to get in the way of His Word.
As I begin to walk to the altar, I look for something in the Church that I did not notice before. I do this to ‘draw myself out’ and to get out of the Little Room (My Head) and into the Big Room (The Church).
I feel my body displace the air as I walk in order to draw myself out of myself.
As I approach the lectern, I check and/or adjust the microphone so that it is level with my mouth as much as can be possible. I do not ‘lean into’ the microphone. I keep my head level. I let the microphone do its job.
Then before I begin my reading, I BREATHE.
The Sound is Carried on the Breath:
As I read, I imagine that there is a stream of air carrying my words away from me.
This helps me to avoid swallowing my words. It also reminds me to breathe throughout my reading.
I try to speak to the end of a thought or idea on one breath. Then breathe again to express the next thought or idea on one breath.
There should be a ‘forward momentum’ in the reading. Not raced, but paced.
Try to avoid breathing in the midst of a single thought or idea. It breaks up the momentum of the reading. It also causes a disconnection with the congregation.
Cast your Net:
As I read, I try to project my voice just beyond the people furthest from me. I imagine my voice enveloping the congregation. This allows me to ‘let my voice out’ and helps with clarity and making my reading easily heard.
If it is Sounded, It is Heard:
This is about articulation. If a letter in a word is sounded, then it must also be sounded in the reading. Work to be clearly heard by sounding the letters in words that should be sounded. Watch out for sounded letters in the midst of words such as ‘Judge’ as well as final stop consonants. This allows our reading to be clearly heard and prevents the congregation from having to work to understand us.
Preparing our Reading:
Preparing our reading and preparing to give our reading are two distinct activities. When preparing a reading at home, look for the places where one should breathe. Look for the sounds that should be articulated in every word.
If possible, practice your reading aloud to one other person. Work to convey the reading to them as an individual. This allows us to develop a sense of connecting our reading to the listener.
Use a source of your choice to understand the “Key Point’ of your reading. I use a website called http://www.secret-harbor.blogspot.com/.
Charles Serio
5 July 2010