1. EASILY FORGOTTEN LINES
When you come across a section of a poem that you tend to forget more often than any other, it can help to recite the line you cannot remember with the line you can remember that comes before it. For example, if those two lines are “Johnny rode the bus to school/He was never late” and you seem to always forget “He was never late,” then it can be helpful to recite the pair of lines together, separate from the rest of the poem.
Do this about 25 to 75 times. It seems like a lot of tedious work, but you may never forget the line again.
2. PRACTICE
Perform your work in front of a mirror. Question everything you do. Performance poets can very easily fall into the same movement patterns when they perform on stage. If you have access to a video camera, get to know what you look like when you read a poem. Get into what the audience sees. Don’t hate it, it’s you. But get used to what you’ve got; if you can move with rhythm, utilize it. If you can stand still at the right moments, do it.
Practice in front of friends and family, if that is possible. ASK FOR TRUE CRITICISM! If your best friend knows nothing about grammar or good poetry, they can still tell you what they thought, but seek out somebody who has knowledge of the language of poetry.
Seek out teachers, librarians, and all you think may really listen to your words and not just tell you want you want to hear. What you need is far more important. You intend to recite and perform these poems to the masses, so why not have them sound and look their best?
Practice with other poets, but beware of starting to sound like each other. Influence, not copy.
3. MEMORIZE
One of the keys to memorization is having a good understanding of your subject matter. If the poem is about your sibling and you like that sibling, then that’s a subject you know well. If you’ve been hurt by someone you love, then you know that subject. But if it’s a subject you know nothing about, then you may want to get more familiar with it before you start to memorize the poem. You have to question why you’re writing this poem to begin with.
Sometimes poets have a hard time memorizing a poem because they aren’t very confident in the subject matter or the writing itself. Sometimes we’re not confident for a reason. You have to try to put yourself in the audience’s seat: If I were listening to this poem from someone else, would it hold my interest? Does this audience need to hear my story about how I just broke up with my boyfriend/girlfriend when we were only together for two weeks? Does the audience need to know my “former” best friend lied to me about something.
We all break up, we all lie and we are all very good and very bad people. The audience, for the most part, is there to be inspired. Is this poem you’re memorizing going to inspire them, and ultimately, does it even inspire you?
4. FOCUS
Do not try to memorize or train your voice during times of incredible stress. You can find the time later. The poem’s not going anywhere. Find your favorite spot to be alone and breathe. The clearer you mind is, the easier it will be to give the poem it’s proper respect.
5. VOICE
- Extremely cold and hot drinks damage your voice, throat, and stomach. Attempt to drink beverages closer to room temperature from now on. Seems hard to do, but you must attempt to.
- Never drink milk or orange juice before a performance. They cause mucus. Mucus causes coughing. Coughing ruins your performance. Audiences don’t like ruined performances, especially when they’ve paid to get in.
- Sing all the time. Never be afraid to sing. If you can sing at work or at school, you can perform a poem on stage. Imagine how you will feel when you start to sound good singing. So much of a good voice comes from tone. Singing is all tonal!
- Never ever scream for no reason. Never bring your voice above a level that needs full lung capacity to accomplish, unless it is to speak fast. When at a sports event, show or something that requires cheering, just whistle and/or clap. You need your voice. Let the others scream.
- Know your vocal limits.
- Find alternative influences outside of your interests. If you love hip hop, try to find a performer with a great voice in a field of music you don’t like. Why do you like their voice? What can you do that they do?
6. PARTNERS
Find someone that is as interested in spoken word and poetry as you are. Schedule a certain amount of time during the week to meet and help each other practice writing exercises and memorization. Be honest with each other. If you tell someone early on that a certain poem sucks, they may be able to fix it and get better, and who better than a friend to say it?
