It is probably safe to say that the “dynamic inertia” found in Mezzoland is a problem that afflicts all of us at one time or another. This article examines some of the possible causes of the problem and proposes some pedagogical solutions.
While dynamic inertia has a variety of root causes, chief among them must be the fact that we live in a dynamically monotonous world. From our popular music to the Muzalc in the shopping mall, our ears are constantly exposed to the numbing effect of music that is devoid of dynamic expressivity. As professional musicians we have experienced the expressive power of dynamic nuance. Compare that to the expressive experience of the average singer in a school choir. If their listening experience is limited mainly to popular music, they are likely to be dynamically illiterate. Our obvious goal is to help them become more dynamically aware.
Part of the conductor’s lack of attention to dynamics may be a result of poor professional training. Studies in theory and aural skills are centered primarily around learning combinations of pitch and rhythm. (How many of us ever took dynamic dictation?) Vocal training, while having a dynamic element, is concerned largely with matters of technique, tone, diction, and so forth. Consequently, our ears often are first drawn to the identification and correction of these details, while dynamics often are relegated to the status of cake-decoration instead of being part of the original ingredients. Also, while pitches and rhythms are either accurate or inaccurate, dynamics are relative and subjective. They require an expressive and perhaps emotional judgment, something that is more difficult to teach.
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