Stage Presence from Head to Toe - by Karen Hagberg (Paperback)

About the Book

Stage Presence From Head to Toe: A Manual for Musicians is the only resource of its kind: a practical, authoritative guide to accepted practices of stage presence for performing musicians. It answers the basic questions every musician has about a performance: how to prepare, h...

Book Synopsis

Stage Presence From Head to Toe: A Manual for Musicians is the only resource of its kind: a practical, authoritative guide to accepted practices of stage presence for performing musicians. It answers the basic questions every musician has about a performance: how to prepare, how to dress, how to walk out on stage, how to bow, how to look confident and put your audience at ease, how to interact with other musicians on stage and with backstage personnel. The book discusses the specific needs of soloists and small and large ensembles, both instrumental and vocal. Includes illustrations, several helpful checklists and a comprehensive bibliography.

Review Quotes

...a complete, yet concise guide to fine-tuning the visual aspects of a live musical performance....The volume is highly accessible to students; the chapters dealing with the soloist and the large vocal ensemble should be required reading for voice students at the high school and college levels. Musicians who need help looking more comfortable, confident, and appropriate on stage, and those teaching these skills, will find Stage Presence from Head to Toe a valuable resource.

...a practical, authoritative guide....

...comprehensive....the manual gives specific directions for different types of performers and, thus, is a handy reference for all musicians.

...covers basics of performance 'styles' so often forgotten by students and professionals alike. Highly recommended. All levels.

...provides a wealth of practical advice in a book dedicated, provocatively, to 'the survival of live, acoustic music in the twenty-first century.' Especially handy for the nervous, unfocused, or inexperienced performer are her checklists, which include 'Ways to Keep Your Performance from Looking Like a Rehearsal, ' 'Things Your Conductor Should Never Have to Say, ' and 'Ways to Keep Judges from Eliminating You.'

As the title suggests, the approach is thorough, detailed, and intensely practical...I would recommend this book for consideration by anyone who performs or teaches.

Especially handy for the nervous, unfocused, or inexperienced performer...

Hagberg takes you through the essential do's and don'ts of musical performance from a uniquely visual perspective. Full of nuggets...a serious book outlining the importance of small details...This gem is a must-read for anyone wishing to make their name in the business we call 'show'.

I think Stage Presence from Head to Toe is valuable to those with little experience on stage and I am sure that musicians around the globe will want to get their hands on it.

In Stage Presence from Head to Toe, Karen Hagberg gives us an invaluable educational tool, one that has been lacking until now. Especially in these challenging days for the development of the classical music audience, this sensitive and extensive work lays a foundation for performer/audience interface and makes the strongest possible case for the importance of being skilled and knowing in all aspects of stage presence. We musicians now have the resource that we have needed.

Karen Hagberg's Stage Presence from Head to Toe: a Manual for Musicians is a clear, concise and absolutely to-the-point guide for performing artists. Ms. Hagberg reminds us how important our posture, appearance, demeanor, and grooming all communicate to our audience. She insightfully offers excellent advice that is valuable for both the amateur and seasoned professional musician.

The range of material covered is impressive and the influence of the author's long experience and extensive bibliography is evident...I am not aware of another book on this topic that is as practical, accessible, and authoritative as this one. All performing musicians, studio teachers, and ensemble conductors would do well to consider this a basic reference.

This book is a worthwhile reference for every performer.

This superb 109-page manual could become a significant reference text for anyone involved in public performance....With a very engaging writing style and the use of illustrations (both of good and bad stage demeanor), Hagberg conveys the importance of this overlooked aspect of musical performance.

About the Author

Karen Hagberg is a consultant and workshop presenter on stage presence for soloists, ensembles, teachers, and students. Her prize-winning piano students have performed around the United States, in Europe, and in Japan. Dr. Hagberg is author of numerous articles on piano pedagogy and contributor to Grove's Dictionary of Opera and Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians.