By Laurie Niles: "You make such funny faces onstage!"This was an early review of my playing from my family. It was true, when I was a kid, I grimaced and made all kinds of funny faces that I could not control when I performed! My early faces were largely involuntary, but as I got older and more experienced, I learned to control that better (save for the occasional "D'oh!" face!). I also learned that it's possible for facial expressions to channel musical feelings, rather than channeling feelings about one's performance. Many performers are quite good at this - they make expressive faces that reflect the moment in the music - peaceful, boisterous, mischievous. When the face is in harmony with the music, it can signal what is going on and enhance the performance. Of course, also sometimes people find that to be too much. Do you find yourself making faces while performing? Do they feel controlled, or not so much? How do you feel about watching a performer who makes faces? Please participate in the vote and then share your thoughts in the comments. You might also like: Discussion: The psychology of making faces when making a mistake Discussion: Facial expressions and how to control them * * * Enjoying Violinist.com? Click here to sign up for our free, bi-weekly email newsletter. And if you've already signed up, please invite your friends! Thank you.

View Entire Post