Amelia Kearl-Masterclass-Sept 30

 Masterclass Notes

For Masterclass this week, Venicia taught. Venicia is my teacher, so it was interesting to see her teach in masterclass. Last week I actually asked her about how to have better posture because I had seen that many of the singers in VRH had posture issues. She put her hand on the back of my rib cage and lifted up and it made a huge difference. In masterclass she went into so much more detail though so I’m really interested in trying those things out. The first thing she said to Annakibella was to reach her hands up to the sky. Then bring them down like cactus arms. Then try singing with them under your armpits. 

Another thing she tried was lifting Annikabella’s head up by placing her thumbs on the name of their neck and lengthening up. Her pinkies pressed the jaw slightly down, not creating tension but making the singer more aware of their jaw movement. Annikabella's voice and all the other singers at masterclass, really opened up when she corrected their posture. I really like a lot of these ideas and want to try them on my own. I’ve tried things like this in the past like standing against a wall or singing while lying down but they create a lot of tension in my neck. Thinking about the lifting in my rib cage has already improved my posture a lot. I’m glad I’ve found something that corrects my posture in a natural way. And because of this and other posture changes, my body is better aligned and creates a sound I like better not only orally, but physically. 

Sarah King - Sep 30 - VRH

Olivia C. singing “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm” from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying: Very well done with the precise notes, especially at the more chromatic sections when the accompaniment was playing something vastly different. There was a consistent mood and volume throughout, which is in no way a bad thing, however in a setting where this is the only piece we have to gauge the character, it allows a little more freedom to change the momentum slightly. To spice things up a bit, maybe trying playing with the character and exploring different avenues for character growth during the song (basically, build up to something big). Beautiful pure notes in the higher end of your range, well done 😊

Tanner Pruett - VRH - 9/30

 Tina A.

Cockeyed Optimist - South Pacific\

-stayed in her head voice for the entirety of the song (would love to hear some more depth in the sound)

-more contrasting musical levels would help bring the piece alive 

Brynlee D. 

With You - Ghost the Musical

-some small intonation issues when in head voice (maybe it isn't supported enough)

-would love more bite and "speaky" singing in the verses of the song

-what an incredible belt; I think some more focus in the breath would help support the sound

-need more rhythmic clarity in the singing (don't take too long on every phrase)

Tanner D.

Out There - Hunchback of Notre Dame

-very young sound (I think the lower, more speak-y sections could be more supported and deep)

-such a floaty voice; great and supported sound

-avoid singing from the jaw and making jagged movements with the body

Lily G.

What I Did for Love - A Chorus Line

-lots of extra air in the sound (how do we get young singers to utilize their air for efficiently?)

-there is way more sound in her voice (feels like she singing from the nose-up only)

-think some help with mixing the voice would really help this student

Hannah H.

The Cloak, the Boat, and The Shoes - Lawrence Brownlee

-kind of air-y tone; there is WAY more sound in this singer

-would love to see a story being told through the music (more emphasis on certain syllables, dynamic levels, etc)

Kinley H.

Little Girls - Annie

-love the commitment to the character

-love how the sound changes based on what the character is feeling

-I think the higher belt can be less "loud" and more efficient 

-would love to find more of a "mixed" tone on some of the higher parts

Emily H.

On My Own - Les Mis

-keep arms at side when possible (let your voice and body language do the story telling)

-would love a strong mixed-belt on the second "chorus"

-overall more confidence and specific character choices would help support the performance and the sound

Cassie I.

Stupid with Love - Mean Girls

-need more expression in the eyes and face

-make specific character choices to help ground yourself during the performance

-would some stronger dynamic contrasts

-there is way more sound in this singer (probably a combination of breath support and focus would help)

Annica K.

Somebody Somewhere - The Most Happy Fella

-very full and mature sound

-avoid squeezing the fists when going to the higher sections (trust me, I understand this)

-more character choices! The sound is great, but it needs the character to accompany it

Patrice-Recital Hour-09/30

 Madison Black

The Color of Your Eyes- Daddy Long Legs

• The color you have on the higher parts is beautiful- bring that tone to the lower parts
• Is this song a belt song or mixed? Both would be fine, but pick one for consistency
• Focus on breath support more than dynamics, dynamic can come later

Olivia Call

Happy to Keep this Dinner Warm- How to Succeed in Business Without Even Trying

• Quality of tone stays relatively the same
• Tone loses support when you sing higher
• Breathier tone
• Not very full, imagine sound like a laser coming out and pinpointed to a specific class

Sadie Carlson

Somewhere of the Rainbow Wizard of Oz

• Nasal tone
• Diction is good, but sometimes too much like choir diction
• You have a full sound
• Birds isn't as nasal
• Sound gets swallowed when you sing higher, bring the vowel forward, not as far back and up

Lauren Clark

God Help the Outcast- Hunchback of Notre Dame

• More breathy tone on higher notes
• Sound loses focus
• Sustained notes are more focused and full
• Key change your tone changed and is much more poignant 
• Last note was lovely!

Archer Dame

Behind- Spring Awakening

• Man. I was not expecting that type of tone from you!
• You have a similar tone to Jeramy Jordan
• Bring the sound more forward on the parts in the falsetto, it gets swallowed
• Don't sacrifice support for dynamics
• Slow down your riffs to make sure you hit each note with accuracy
• Relax your hands

Tina Avery

Cockeyed Optimist- South Pacific

• Every time you say cockeyed the focus is great
• Relax your hands
• Be a unicorn!

Brynlee Downes

With You- Ghost the Musical

• Don't sacrifice dynamics for support
• Engaged for the entirety of your sustained notes
•  Relax your hands
• When you don't think about singing soft the fullness increases tenfold.
• Your tone is consistent throughout
• Beautifully done

Tanner Doyle

Out There- Hunchback of Notre Dame

• I am craving a fuller sound from you with song, maybe less bright
• Relax your hands
• "One" of the first one day was a glimpse of what can be!
• The bridge is what I want for the whole song!
• Have that intensity throughout

Lily G

What I Did for Love- A Chorus Line

• You have a great quality to your voice, but it's shadowed by the breathy sound sneaking through
• When you sing higher, there is less breathiness, but the sound gets swallowed
• Right at the key change had great support, less breathiness, and less swallowed. What are you doing differently?

Hannah H

The Cloak the Boat and the Shoes- Lawrence Brownlee

• Wonderful job!
• This song sounds great, but also has a TON of potential!
• Open your mouth more
• Lengthen the vowel, have a taller sound

Kinley Hess

Little Girls- Annie

• Sometimes your vowels get swallowed
• I feel like your vowels and tone was sacrificed for character choices, find the balance between the two
• Honestly thought, fantastic performance
• Love your belts

Emily Hill

On My Own- Les Miserables

• Nasal tone
• Hold out the vowel, not the consonant
• Relax your hands
• Sit in your heels
• Each breath is very loud
• Almost every attack sounds aspirated
• Let's get you to belt those notes!

Cassie Ingles

Stupid with Love- Mean Girls

• Your lower register is very full
• Bring the sound forward when you get to that higher register
• When you riffed on that last note the sound moved more forward in your mouth and was much more focused

Annica Kroff

Somebody Somewhere- The Most Happy Fellow

• "Aglow" felt tight until you added vibrato, how can you bring that freeness to the beginning of the note?
• Very full sound
• Beautiful job!

Gideon Benge- A Time to Sing... A Time to Cry

 Voice Recital Hour

I probably spelled basically everyone's name wrong

Madison Black - "The Color of Your Eyes": Fantastic diction, the words were really easy to understand. Lower sustained notes could use some more support. Most high notes were fantastic, but a few did not have the focus they needed. 

Olivia Call -  "Happy to Keep this Dinner Warm": Did a great job with the humor. Confidence and support could really help bring out a more clear character into the song. 

Sadie Carlson - "Somewher Over the Rainbow" Really strong start. Great sustained notes and vibrato. Some of the higher notes got a little bit nasally, and could really be helped by openess.

Lauren C - "God Help the Outcasts": Really great lower voice, but it is often held back by a lack of support and suboptimal mouth shaping.  When she really gets into the climax of the piece she really starts rocking it.

Archer Dame - "Left Behind" The very start could be stronger; having a focused breath could really help some of the entrances. Very rich, beautiful tone. Mostly good transitions between falsetto and chest voice, with a few standouts. The highest part of the song could use a little more workshopping.

Tina A- (I missed the title of this song) The character she put into this piece is so much fun to watch, without being distracting at all. We can really tell you are into this piece. Some of the lower notes are swallowed and there is a bit of breathiness.

Brynlee Downs- "With You" There is a loss of focus and some breathiness in the quieter parts of the song. They still need to be energized. Facial expressions and the character you put into the song are on point. Sustained higher notes are beautiful and pure, although one did go a bit sharp, which is something to watch out for. I can see a lot of neck tension. Great contrast between the climax of the song and the following quiet segment. Meter lost some times

Tanner Doyle - "Out There" Quieter parts need to still have energy and focus. Could use better breath support. Great job with the words on the faster passages. The crescendo was fantastic, he really filled it with energy. Lots of jaw tension.

Lily G- "What I Did For Love" Really rich lower range, though it is a tad breathy. Watch intonatinon. A beautiful portrayal of the song. Louder sustained notes need more support so they don't fall off. Keep the focus and energy in the quiet notes.

Hamah Hakes- "The Cloak, the Boat, and the Shoes" Sound needs to be more open. The vowel was a bit pinched at times. Great consonants. Very pretty song.

Kinley Hess- "Little Girls" Love choosing a bold character at the start and staying in it. Dynamics are great. Great focus to the higher voice, some of the lower chest voice could have used more focus.

Emily Hill - "On My Own" Really great quality to the voice, very rich. Some of the vowels are ruining the sound. Transition to head voice could use a bit of work, it is losing resonance and focus.

Cassie Ingles - "Stupid With Love" Tension in the throat, needs better engagement in her core. Great job having fun with song. Great job hitting all the notes on the fast part that is jumping around.

Annica Kropf - "Someone Somewhere" Beautiful tone and great support. I may be wrong, but it seems like there is too much vibrato on some parts that is somewhat forced. Amazing job on the high notes. There was a little bit of throat tension on a couple of parts, but I was very impressed that for the most part you were very relaxed.

Kaylee Borchert - Lesson Sept. 30

 S-hiss = pushing out at the last minute to show that there is still 

25 breathifiers - core tight (ha movement)

Ha hey he ho who x5 chest, middle, high, nasal placement 

1 minute of breath sleading

e ooh ee oh on 1 note.

He he he ha ha ha he ha ho starting on middle C, going to high C

Zee Ahh 5-1-898989-1

All of these warmups are to help with my air flow and breathe management because its not consistent when I'm performing and singing.

The Sun Whose Rays - Keep working on phrasing 

Notre Amour - De and vowels, on blah blah, lip trills., and then skiing breath. 

This lesson was all about breath work and management so that is going to be my big focus this week and probably for the rest of the semester to get it constant. 

Auditory and Speech Areas of the Brain

Dear Pedagogy friends,

As per my announcement in class today, here below are the descriptions of the auditory and speech areas of the brain which Scott McCoy mentions. Feel free to use this as a reference when completing your current assignment due Friday night.

Auditory Area - The auditory cortex is the part of the temporal lobe that processes auditory information. It is a part of the auditory system, performing basic and higher functions in hearing, such as possible relations to translation and language switching. It is critical to the discrimination and localization of sounds. 

Sensory Speech Area - a.k.a. the Wernicke area, is a region of the brain that contains motor neurons involved in the comprehension of speech. This area is located in the posterior third of the upper temporal convolution of the left hemisphere of the brain, and is the language comprehension centre.

Motor Speech Area - Located in the frontal lobe, the motor cortex tells the muscles of your face, mouth, tongue, lips, and throat how to move to form speech.

Motor Cortex - The primary motor cortex, located just in front of the central sulcus, is the area that provides the most important signal for the production of skilled movement. Electrical stimulation of this area results in focal movements of muscle groups on the opposite side of the body, depending on the area stimulated. 

'Cheers,

Thomas G.

The Gospel of Thomas, according to St. Hayden - Chapters 1-3, Parable of the Voice Lesson - circa 28 Sept., 2021

Chapter 1

Warmups come, and come quickly. "I can sing hIIIiigh todaaaaay," sings the angel of the Lord.

1 Thus sang the angel of the Lord: "Hmm 123454321."

2 Thus continued the angel of the Lord: "Vvvvaaa 54321."

3 And he sang: "rrrrirrreerrraaa rrrrooo rrrrruuu" on a descending five-note scale, similar to the previous exercise. Said he: "Five shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be five. Thou shalt not sing a six-note scale, neither shalt thou sing a four-note scale, excepting thou then proceedeth to sing another note. Six notes is right out. Thou shalt embellish every note with a nice little turn. [i] shall be the vowel thou shalt sing, and thou shalt really roll those r's (vigorously)."

4 He sang: "9-note ah ooh."

5 And again, he sang: "nnnnnnoooooo." This was a 5-note scale as well. And it came to pass that he really rounded those lips! They closed nearly to "u." And it seemed strange to him. And it came to pass that he said: "once this exercise gets uncomfortably high, thou shalt place the n in the zygomatic arch, and place the o in the same place, and thou shalt get thy desired resonance."

6 Another warm-up exercise sang the angel of the Lord: the 9-note ah oh exercise, not to be confused with the exercise two exercises ago, which is plainly different but which often gets confused with this one nonetheless. Keep the lips round up top. Keep the o in the same place as the previous exercise. Thou shalt not change the vowel to make the shift in pitch more comfortable. Just do it, saith the angel of the Lord.

7 A final warm-up sang the angel: 1358531 [i][a]. Keep the focus in same spot, and make "ah" more "uh."

8 Thus spake the angel of the Lord in the office that was potentially once a restroom. Amen.

Chapter 2

The song Non più andrai is worked on. One problem is worked on for about twenty minutes, only to be solved when Hayden makes a connection with other pieces he's been singing five minutes before the lesson ends.

1 Thou shalt add the recit.

2 Thou shalt not chop off so much with double consonants.

3 Thou shalt sing "riposo" using those round lips that have brought thee such wondrous success. And don't forget to open thy mouth (a good inch and a half).

4 Sing through the consonants, lest you perish! O man, sing correctly, and be saved!

5 If thou couldst race the piano and win, thou mightest stay in time successfully and not drag the pianist into the depths of slowness with thee.

6 Thou shalt better support the B section of the piece, and not sing weakly when thou must sing quietly.

7 Thou shalt write out a handful of cadenze. Perhaps thou canst steal some from professional recordings.

8 Concerning the placement for "per valloni," the focus must err towards [i].

9 We didn't talk about this in the lesson, but keep both vowels in "fischiar" in the same place. Behold! The position of the i vowel really sets up that a vowel to sound super nice.

10 Thou canst not change the vowel to accomodate a shift in resonance. If it goes higher, thou canst not change the vowel to accomodate that, saith the angel of the Lord.

11 Thou hast the tendency to tip thy head down to sing the E on "riposo."

12 And it came to pass that the student was foolish. Amen.

Chapter 3

The monumentous task of singing that damned high A in Ich grolle nicht is discussed.

1 On first Herzen, open thy mouth a bit more. Similar to "riposo."

2 Thou shalt add a nice little gliss from E3 to E4. Keep it light, stay in chest voice, and use lots of breath, saith the angel of the Lord.

3 And it came to pass that the angel of the Lord sang: "wheeeahhhhh." And the pattern for this exercise was 18531. And it was found to be useful.

4 Most importantly, thou shalt not let thy mouth spread wide when singing high notes. Thou shalt monitor the corners of thy mouth, and let them yearn for each other.

5 The Lord hath said it. Amen.

Annika-McCoy-Chapter 2

 Chapter 2

Summary: Our voice is a complex instrument made up of and controlled by many anatomical structures. 

Application: We can exhaust our voice just like any other muscle, which is why it is so important to take care of it. Many of the things we were told in school may also be anatomically impossible, so it’s important to teach about the voice and how to use it healthfully as accurately as possible.

Saige Barlow-McCoy-Ch2

 I really liked this chapter! Some of the drawings looked a little psychologically puzzling, but they helped convey some of the main points of posture and how/where it is viewed. I also really liked that we talked about different kinds of muscles knowing that is going to be very important for us as singers to know. I did not know there were so many categories though. I had to make a whole table just so I can comprehend all of those that we have talked about in the book (I’m a visual learner). Overall, I think it really opened my eyes to why muscles get their names and how it contributes to their function.

Tanner Pruett - McCoy - Ch. 2

 Chapter 2 - Anatomy

In this chapter, McCoy discusses the physical anatomy of the human body as it relates to singing. He focuses primarily on the muscles and how they all work through contraction, are symmetrically paired, and work interactively with each other. An important term he mentions is muscular antagonism, which occurs "when two or more sets of muscles contract in opposing directions." He also mentions the three types of muscle found in the human body: Cardiac (only in the heart), smooth (found in the blood vessels and certain organs), and skeletal muscles (all other muscle). The first two types are controlled involuntarily, and the last type is controlled through voluntary (but not direct) action. Basically all of the information from this chapter is important for us to know as voice teachers. Understanding the muscular system and how the skeletal muscles of phonation, respiration, and articulation work for singers are essential for helping our students fully access and utilize their instruments. 

Amelia Kearl-McCoy- Chapter 2

 Muscular antagonism: when two or more groups of muscles contract in different directions.

Sagittal section: cross section (in this case of the human body) showing front and back 

Longitudinal section: cross section showing side

All muscles, including the diaphragm work through contraction. Instead of forcing the diaphragm to push out air, just let it come out naturally. The diaphragm actually contracts while you take a breath instead of when you exhale. The diaphragm has no muscle that moves in the opposite direction. Most muscles in the body have a muscle that does the opposite things. I definitely have a tendency to overuse or tighten certain muscles. Perhaps knowing more about the muscles, how they work, and what their opposite is could help me. 

Muscles in the body are named for different things. Some muscles are named for their shape, others for their function, for their location in the body. Features, number of heads, attachments, general form. 

I think that the bit I read about the diaphragm is really interesting. I have heard so much about the diaphragm and about what it does and how to engage it. Did I really understand the book right? Does the diaphragm really contract during inhalation? I think that’s really interesting if so and I will need to do much more research on it if so. I love learning about the diaphragm because it is so important to maintain good support in our singing. Learning all I can about it and other muscles (like the ones that are causing me problems!) would be really benificial!

Logan Kelley- McCoy- Ch 2

 Summary:

There are many complex processes that control every movement in the body. The brain controls every motion, and there are generally dozens of steps that have to occur for a simple action like saying "yes." Muscles can only contract. There are different groups and functions of muscles, but those that are most critical to singing are skeletal muscles. You can force some muscles to move, and others you cannot consciously contract.

Application:

Knowing the muscular functions and makeup can help me know which muscles I can control as a singer. It is helpful to know that the brain is central to everything. Being aware of how the brain functions can help retrain thought to get the muscles to do what we need. The more we learn about muscles, the more we will be able to address the needs of our singers.

Courtney-McCoy- Chapter 2

 Summary:

This most important aspect of this chapter for me is the vocabulary. McCoy first explains the various kinds of anatomical views that can be used to show the structure and layout of the body. He then moves to describing the different kinds of muscles (cardiac, smooth, and skeletal) and the origin for the muscles names. The muscles types are helpful to know because some are involuntary and cannot be consciously controlled. Skeletal muscles can be consciously controlled (whether directly or indirectly) and are going to be important in learning how to sing. Knowing the origin of muscle names can help us have a framework for learning and memorizing them. It helps us realize the names are actually not as random as they might originally seem. 

Briannan Skeen-McCoy-Chapter 2

 Chapter 2

Summary

-Chapter 2 is an introduction to anatomy. It lays out the basic terminology in reference to the body and gives a rough overview of some of the muscles involved in singing. It specifically gives a reader's digest version of all the different types of muscles, what they are made of and how they are named. Some of these include the cardiac muscle, smooth muscles, and skeletal muscles. Many of the skeletal muscles are used in singing. Muscles are often named by type such as geometric shape of the muscle, function of the muscle, location of the muscles, and description of the muscle. I loved that the most important part of our body that we use for singing is our brain because that is what connects and directs every other muscle and organ in our body that we use.

Application

-Knowing about the different kinds of muscles in the body and how to anatomically describe where they are located can help me to better understand and identify tension in my own body and in the bodies of my students that I can then use stretches or exercises to help alleviate the tension. I also think that understanding how our muscles are voluntary but not necessarily completely controllable helps in how we understand what our body does when we sing and the muscles we are natruallly using.

Kennan Thompson - Masterclass

Jessie: It's a pretty sound. Not quite engaged with the story of the song from the get go, waited until she started singing to get into character. Has a sound that is coming a little bit from the back. Tends to have quick, high breaths. She usually has nice breaths for the higher notes and gets a good resonant sound. Great control of the quick runs. When she gets a good strong breath, the sound comes through very strong.

Chris: Clear higher notes. Great diction. Beautiful head voice! During interludes he is engaged in the song. Almost as if he is thinking of a story during those parts rather than just waiting until he has to sing again. A little unsteady vibrato while singing "moon-ish." Oo is a hard vowel. I really like the idea of focusing on the rib expansion and visualizing that your belly is coming out naturally with the rib expansion. You never want to stop the breath. Especially on consonants, you want to find some sort of vibration to keep that breath moving.

Anika: Very powerful voice. She sounds very supported. During some of the runs that go up, I don't think she was quite prepared for the higher notes so they sounded a little reachy. She has a nice forward sound. I think she gets a little jaw tension on the higher parts. I really like the idea of having a hinged back jaw, not an opened clicked jaw.

Kennan Thompson - McCoy - Ch. 2

Chapter 2 Summary: 

When we think of speaking, there is a lot that goes into it. Our body has to go through so many steps in order to get simple words out. However, we do this almost without thinking. As soon as a word comes to our mind, we can say it. Singing takes a little bit more effort. There are many different muscles that have to work together in order to produce musical sound. Muscles in our body are generally categorized into three different types: cardiac, smooth, and skeletal. Cardiac are muscles that deal with the heart, smooth are muscles that are found in blood vessels and other organs. Skeletal are all the other types of muscles. We have more control over skeletal muscles.

Application:

There is so much that goes into singing. Although it is important to know what your body is doing when you are singing, the most important thing to do is feel what is going on in your body when you sing. It's very difficult to control all the muscles that work when you sing, so sometimes the most you can do is visualize your muscles working in the correct way. A lot of times the muscles in my neck get really tight when I sing, so I have to imagine the sound coming within my body and not from my neck. Most of the time, this helps me relax. I'm not necessarily telling my muscles in my neck to relax.

Kaylee Borchert-McCoy-Chapter 2

 The process of respiration and phonation occur automatically, however singing requires thought and control for these processes. Likewise, the diaphragm contracts during inhalation and is passive during exhalation, meaning it doesn't affect the pressure or airflow when you exhale. Muscle names are categorizes by geometric names, general form, locations in the body, descriptive terms, number of heads, attachments, and function. Think of these things when trying to remember the name of a muscle. 

Application: This chapter really reminded me of how complex the body is, the simple act of breathing alone requires so many processes we don't even think about! So how I want to apply this, is by appreciating my body and not pushing anything if I am not feeling it a particular day. There is no need to force my body to do things when its exhausted because it is already working in so many other ways I don't even realize!

Logan Kelley- Masterclass

 Jessie-

-We breathe into the lungs, not the belly. The belly will respond to the lungs. Trust that.

-Find rib expansion higher than you think you need to.

-Slow down your inward breathing so that the diaphragm can work naturally.

-Relax the stomach area.

-Be taller through the torso

-Have the feeling of the head being lifted off of the head. Put the pinky in to create mouth space. Lift and pull backward the cheekbones

-Give yourself permission to be okay. Let go of all of the stress that you hold.

Chris Machado-

-Call your voice an instrument to set aside yourself from it emotionally.

-Find a part of your voice that works well and use that sound as a model for elsewhere.

-Lift up with the thumb underneath the armpits

-If you push the belly out then your tongue will retract

-”g” can pull the sound back

-Find a vowel that is healthy and comfortable, then relay that to the actual vowel.

-Learn how to vibrate your consonants so that the breath doesn’t stop.

AnnikaBella Thorup- Somebody, Somewhere (The Most Happy Fella)

-Have pride in your instrument. This is always okay unless you are showing that you are better than somebody.

-There is a slight loss of connection moving up to the highest parts of the song at the end.

-Identify where you feel and hold tension

-What is the purpose of the jaw? We don’t shape the jaw, we position the jaw. Think of the backward hinge

-If you use the “baseball glove” to move the jaw backward, you won’t feel the jaw click.

-Aim the sound through the center of the hard palate and up through the skull

Saige Barlow - Masterclass Evaluation

 Jessie Kiester - Per la Gloria

• I’m actually pretty familiar with this song, and I think it’s gorgeous for Jessie’s voice!
• She definitely has a faster vibrato and a dark, rich tone. I think that’s perfect for this particular genre—baroque, that is!
• “Like chocolate” - exactly!!!
• I once had a comment like that from the former director of Zion’s Youth Symphony and Chorus
• I like how Venecia talked about skeletal structure and rib expansion. It’s a great way to really relax the body the way she did.
• I think that helped a lot with focus and clarity.
• “I just feel more open” or full.
• The belly will respond if you fill the lungs.
• The diaphragm will go down as you inhale. We talked about this in Chapter 2!
• Bach wrote as if every instrument was a pipe organ or a piano. He does not leave any room for people to breathe!
• It’s important to know when you plan to breathe.
• The skull lift seemed interesting. It’s kinda like the headgear from last week.
• It helped Jessie clear up the sound a lot more!
• Meant to strengthen our muscles a little more.

Chris - Black Pianos?

• Your voice is an instrument!
• Falsetto voice is awesome! It’s important to project it more.
• Pelvic bone balance (makes me think of the Three Amigos salute)
• Breathe into the lungs
• Feels easier, right?
• It hugs into your body.
• Don’t sing like you’re afraid of it
• try singing “mohn” instead of “moon”
• try “froccish” instead of “froggish”
• Bring the “sh” in to prepare for the “m”
• Find a value that is comfortable for your students and then apply it to the part of the passage they’re singing.
• Pay attention to what your tongue is doing.
• All consonants really do is stop the breath.

Annica Bella Kropf - “Somebody Somewhere”

• Have pride in your voice, except when you think you’re better than everyone else.
• Gorgeous sound! Very bright and clear sounding!
• Faster vibrato
• I relate to the text so much!
• We don’t shape our jaw. We utilize it.
• It swings back, right?
• Don’t do a “click click.” You won’t be able to lift your soft palate that way.
• Try a hinge back. You’ll be able to lift your soft palate.
• “Blah Blah”
• Aim the air to the center of our soft palate.
• Try with straight tone, and then less vibrato. You don’t need to use very much vibrato, otherwise it’ll sound tense.
• The sound does not need to be big.
• It was much easier for the higher notes to pop out without any tension!
• Don’t think of making the vibrato.

Brianna-McCoy- Chapter 1

 Chapter 1

Summary

-Chapter 1 is basically a critique on different ways to describe characteristics of someone's voice. He uses terms on a continum including: bright-dark, back-swallowed, breathy-clear, clean-raspy, healthy-damaged, nasal-non-nasal, vibrant-straigtht tone, in tune-not in tune, good diction-poor diction, and sylistically incorrect-sylistically correct. He then provides examples of each characteristic for the listener to subjectively determine which example matches which qualities. The end of the chapter lists some listening exercises of different performers in different styles and includes charts of how others would describe their voices. 

Application

-Knowing these terms and ways to describe voice charactristics is important to know when I'm listening to my own students. It is helpful to be able to recognize and identify in others these kinds of characteristics.

Annika-McCoy-Chapter1

 Summary: McCoy opens the book by explaining how we hear singing and the continuums we listen on. He gives examples of artists and songs they’ve sung that demonstrate different areas of our voices and how we hear them. McCoy writes about the following continuums: Bright to Dark, Back to Swallowed, Breathy to Clear, Clean to Raspy, Healthy to Damaged, Nasal to Non-nasal, Vibrant to Straight tone, In tune to Not in tune, Good diction to poor diction, and Stylistically correct to Stylistically incorrect. He uses ratings to rank how several professional musicians sing certain songs and where they sit on each of these continuums.

Application: It is important to not only be critical singers, but also critical listeners. We can listen to music and identify the continuums for ourselves, which we can use with our students to help them achieve the healthiest, clearest, most well supported sound possible. We can also use this in our own practice, recording ourselves and listening back to identify where we sit on each continuum and how we can improve.

Courtney- McCoy- Chapter 1

Summary:

Teaching and learning voice can be hard because it often feels subjective and there are so many ways to describe vocal phenomena. McCoy opens the book by explaining the auditory characteristics of voices and the physiological phenomena that are connected to those characteristics. He introduced some relatively common language used in describing these characteristics such as light/dark and breathy/clear. The second half of the chapter uses listening examples to illustrate the various characteristics. It was interesting to see how professionals viewed this excerpts on average and compare that to my own evaluation. 

Analysis:

I really like some of the vocabulary choices McCoy makes and the skills he pinpoints. It's helpful for me to consider vocal characteristics on a spectrum for many reasons. First, because it makes it easier to see improvement in myself and my students. Maybe their tone isn't a perfectly balanced chiaroscuro, but we can still notice it's moving towards a brighter sound. It's also helpful because it allows for variety within voices and styles and abstains from too much value judgement that might disenfranchise certain voices/styles. There are times when a darker or raspier sound is appropriate and looking at it like a spectrum helps us prioritize healthy singing rather than a specific sound. I do disagree that most people can't crossover. I think that cross training can actually be very beneficial, it just might take some time and deep practice. To say most people don't do it well is inaccurate in my opinion and excludes a very large number of people who have worked hard to effectively cross genres. 

 

Nick Walker - McCoy - Chapter 1

 The language that we have to describe vocal performances is quite diverse, but not always exact.  (That can sometimes be frustrating.).  I appreciate that the textbook has audio examples of the terms we are talking about.  I do think that I need more example in class, especially to differentiate the difference between bright and forward.  

I definitely have learned more about nasal vs. non-nasal singing in my repertoire this semester.  I've been working with Professor Glenn on a French piece called "Couplet Bachiques".  I'm no stranger to nasal vowels in speech, but making sure that I am singing the right nasal vowel the piece calls for at the right time has been a bit difficult recently.  In my most recent lesson, we stopped and just recited the pure vowels of that line in rhythm, and then tried to repeat the same line with nasal vowels, just vocalizing them.  I think I can get them about 40% of the time?  It's still something I need to work on.  

Kaylee Borchert -- McCoy -- Chapter 1

 There is a flaw in the way we describe voices as song words we use can be taken as either positive or negative. The continuum of comparative words such as dark/bright, clear/breathy is a good starting place for trying to refine listening skills. McCoy said not to listen for enjoyment but to listen for the sake of sharpening your ears. As you listen, be empathetic through careful and critical listening!

Application: I need to listen without comparison! What I mean by this, is listening for the qualities and characteristics of voices that aren't like mine. Instead of trying to relate my voice to others I need to be more open and listen more critically so I can become a better listener!

Kennan Thompson - McCoy - Ch. 1

Chapter 1 Summary: It is a miracle that we can even sing. The fact that our bodies are created in a way that allows us to produce a singing sound is amazing. There are many different types of labels you can use while describing singing. Many of those adjectives we use are very subjective. A convenient way of describing a voice or sound is by using two different descriptors and placing the voice on a continuum (dark/bright or nasal/non-nasal). The key to this is listening critically to find a healthy way of singing.

Application: This can be difficult when teaching voice. Maybe the student doesn't like the vibrato sound, or their resonance feels good when it is a bit more nasally. It is important to recognize the students' preferences without allowing the student to develop habits that are unhealthy. If the student is forcing a straight tone sound but there is bad tension, that needs to be addressed. A teacher and student have to create goals in which to shoot for and together they can find what will help the student best.

Amelia Kearl-McCoy-Chapter 1

 Scott McCoy says that many people don't normally talk about a singer’s voice in scientific terms because it's difficult for most people to understand. He teaches that it is important to describe a singer's sound as something that has an opposite side of the spectrum. Some examples of this are, Forward and Back, Breathy and Clear, In tune and not in tune, vibrato and straight tone. McCoy provides 18 examples and asks us to listen to them and listen for breathiness/clearness, damaged/healthy, stylistic/non-stylistic and so on. McCoy says that the voice is a wonderful evolutionary accident. The main purpose of the larynx is to protect the airway and close it. But humans are able to create sound with it, which is something some other animals can’t. 

In voice lessons I am very used to hearing the terms he talked about. Having words with opposites really helps me because instead of being relative, I know what side of the spectrum I am on and what I can do to influence it if I don’t like where I’m at. I think talking about the different kinds of terms in voice lessons is important so that the students can start listening for these kinds of things in their own voice. I thought it was interesting to listen to singers and evaluate their sound for these terms and hear McCoys evaluations as well. I think that would be beneficial for voice students to start listening to other voices and recognizing the different features.

Aperiodic vibrato- irregular vibrato

Continuum- a sequence or spectrum ranging from one side to an opposite side

Sound Qualities- which side of the spectrum the voice leans towards.

Chiaroscuro-the balance of light and dark sounds in the voice.

Kaylee Borchert -- Lesson 9/26

 In my lesson this week we discussed our next song goals in terms of what we want to work on. We also discussed my performance on 

It was also a morning lesson so we started just with some simple lip buzz exercises. Followed with our traditional ming-la exercise that I do every lesson as well as a vee vey vah voh voo exercise. These are to help with placement of my voice especially in my higher register, and it is also for my breath management! As I am working on keeping a continuous flow of breath and constant air support. 

We then went over Das verlassene megdlein one more time working on the few issues I had in my performance. 

Then we worked on The Sun Whose Rays, or Yum Yum's song! We spent time talking about the text and understanding what it meant and the interpretation of this song during this time period. We then sang it on Lou followed by using a "sing-song" voice and working the phrasing of the text. Then we did it on vowels followed by singing it through! All of these methods I am supposed to use before my next lesson to really work the song as we are preparing it for my next performance.

This weeks focus was really on understanding the text and phrasing which is so important in being a performance major as you need to be able to not just sing a song but deliver it. Really tell the story!!

Hello, Friends.

As I was preparing our class based on chapter 1 of Your Voice: The Basics, by Scott McCoy, I struggled to find an adequate definition of "vibrato" in his text. Neither did I find an adequate explanation of the causes, or contributing factors to vibrato. Did you? Let's discuss this in class. 

On that subject, I'd like to bring your attention to this article by Ingo Titze, who is a legendary voice scientist:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12051447/

'Cheers,

Professor Thomas Glenn

Saige Barlow-McCoy-Ch1

This was a great way of explaining how to identify sound in one’s voice. I think I might use the chart more often just in general. I loved listening to the recordings (which are on the website on the back, I’ve found, because I’m using a physical book—still a little confusing, but whatever I’ve got Spotify). I found that I was familiar with some of the singers, including Frank Sinatra, and I was better able to understand how the singers’ voices connected with the evaluations in the book. It’s interesting how the more operatic way of singing tends to lean to #1 for the most part, except the nasal placement, and the more contemporary singers varied in each category even though they still sung very well (at least, in my opinion). Already, I have learned a little about why certain things we do as singers is so essential to singing well, including both the listening and the science terms discussed before.

Logan Kelley-McCoy-Ch 1

 Summary: It is a miracle that people are even able to make sound and sing. Each voice has different qualities, and we try to use non-scientific vocabulary to categorize different sounds that we hear. Singing quality is subjective, and various preferences are preferred by different styles of singers. Once a teacher can critically listen for and identify these styles easily, they will know how to better address the needs and preferences of their students. This will help direct them to healthy singing.

Application: I need to be sure I am critically listening when teaching voice lessons so that I can best identify the needs of my students. It is important to know that different styles of singing will require different placements on each of the spectrums to produce the best healthy, stylistic sound. Using these objective terms will help students be able to identify specific sounds. They will also understand that vocal quality is a spectrum, and not necessarily one specific correct or incorrect sound.

Tanner Pruett - McCoy - Ch. 1

 Chapter 1 - Listening

Trying to describe singing can be extremely subjective, but according to McCoy, using a continuum can help clarify what you hear in a singer. Here are the continuums from the book: Bright/Dark, Back/Swallowed, Breathy/Clear, Clean/Raspy, Healthy/Damaged, Nasal/Non-Nasal, Vibrant/Straight tone, In tune/Not in tune, Good diction/Poor Diction, and Stylistically correct/Stylistically incorrect. One important distinction McCoy makes is between breathiness, which sounds like white noise like a hiss in the background of the tone, and raspiness, which sounds like hoarseness and can be coarse and gravelly. Also, he clarifies that "healthy sounding voices are generally free of unwanted noise," (Page 3) meaning that they are clean and clear, rather than breathy and raspy. McCoy also discusses critical listening in this chapter, which is listening with open ears, focusing on the details of the sound (this is not listening for enjoyment). This first chapter is crucial for any of us that plan to do any kind of voice teaching in the future. This critical listening should be the first step as we hear our students sing for the first time. We are not listening to necessarily enjoy the singing, but to evaluate it for details to establish a clear understanding of our students voices. These continuums help give us the language necessary to describe what is happening in a student's voice, and then to adjust our teaching to appeal to that specific student.

Layton Loucks - VRH - Sep. 23

 Kat Hirschi 

• There was some slight wavering in the voice.

• It sounded like she was holding back her voice a little bit at some points

• 
  

Amelia Kearl

• Exceptional connection to the text

• Clear understanding of the song

• Resonance is a little inconsistent 

Alyssa Burton

• Doing a great job of carrying resonance into the lower register

• Incredible job with the style  of singing for the song

Sierra Wamsley

• The voice sounded like it was being held back a little too much at some points

• When she did sing with her full voice towards the end It sounded fantastic. I think just adding more of that to the rest of the piece would make a huge difference

Ethan Willmore

• He has very good tone but the some pitches are slightly off

• Some work solidifying the pitches throughout the song will make this fantastic

• One thing to work on would be carrying his tone quality over into the higher register

Breaden Winford

• The speechlike quality in the beginning was very well done

• Resonance wasn’t quite there and was making it a little difficult to hear his voice over the accompaniment.

• Emotional connection to the piece was very on point.

• I honestly couldn’t tell if the voice crack was intended for the character aspect or not. A very good job of staying in character if it was not.

Kylee Bailey

• Very good tone quality in the middle register. Seems like she is having a little bit of trouble carrying that tone into the lower and higher registers.

• Sounds like she is singing more from her throat at some points

Amelia Kearl-Masterclass-Sept 23

 I really liked Kat and Cindy’s work on “ Widmung” by Schumann. Kat’s voice is so similar to mine and everything she did I saw myself doing as well. The first thing I noticed that we both struggle with is posture. Cindy had Kat sing in different positions to help her neck to relax. She first had her sit on a chair and put her head down on a chair opposite of her. Then she showed her how to lean against the wall to alleviate some of that tension. I really struggle with having good posture too. For years and years I have watched recordings of myself crane my neck forward. Over the years I have tried many different exercises like the ones Cindy showed but to no avail. I actually tried out the ones she showed Kat in Masterclass but they just induced more tension (Does anyone else have this problem too?). So in voice lessons this week, I asked Venicia about it and she did something that will probably change my posture forever. All she did was put her hands on my back where my ribcage is and gently push it forward to correct the position. It instantly corrected all my problems with posture and my head stopped craning forwards. Before I had always tried to correct my posture by “placing” each body part where it was supposed to go. That led to more problems and didn’t really fix anything. For the past couple of days I have just been thinking of Venicia’s hands on my back, correcting my position when I feel out of line and it has been working great! It’s only been a couple days but I already feel like my body is lined up so much better and my tension is at a minimum. 

Camilla H. sang “Vanilla Ice Cream” and what I learned from her work with Cindy was how to find a more resonant placement. Cindy did what she called a cartoon voice. Very forward and in her nose but not actually nasal. I liked the phrase “I ate applesauce for breakfast!”.  I really enjoyed experimenting and finding this place when I got home. It made my middle range so much stronger when I applied this cartoon voice idea! I’m so excited to keep working with these tools. 

Hayden- Voice Lesson Sept 21

 Warming up like the Earth's average temperature

- Hum. Just a hum, but light with plenty of breath. Don't leave your normal voice. do re mi re do

    -Make sure there's buzz! In der Näse

    - Same thing but with [v]

        - FFFFFFFFF

        - Not falsetto, but rather head voice

        - Do it in what I perceive as falsetto, but with lots of breath

    - Same thing but with (zh)

        - get larynx used to that airflow, even if it's in head voice

 - vvvva

    - open your mouth a quarter inch more

- 132435421 [i o i]

    - don't think about it

- blah blah blah 54321

    - exaggerated blahs

- [i] 123454321 [e]12345678 [a] 9

    - space is in front

    - keep the brightness from [i] in all vowels

    - round lips at the top

- nnniiiinnnneeeeennnnaaaannnnnooooonnnnnuuuuu

    - more lips on i- umlaut it!

    - lips

    - lipssss

- nasally ne 1358531

Ich grolle nicht

- check notes.

- round those lipses

- higher "verlor'nes"- just sing [u] and not [o]. Oh man it's so much easier. It feels amazing. Man. Going back and doing this again after my lesson is a complete breakthrough.

- press the vowels vertically

- the whole lip rounding thing sure is helpful in this song

- we didn't talk about this in my lesson, but I need to sing more legato. Sing through those consonants, kid!

- first "Herzens": round lips. Before, not during. More umlaut

- the A:

    - snarl!

    - try first in falsetto, lots of airflow. Make sure you're getting the right vowel

    - should feel a lot like the falsetto when going to full voice

    - to focus the vowel: add a lil bit of [i] in there

    - place falsetto a couple inches below belly button

    - keep vowel tall, narrow, focused

    - DEEP monkey noises. Sound like a bass

    - bass setup, but you're singing high

    - sing A2. How does it feel in your throat/body?

    - drink a milkshake. Same monkey noises

    - don't release that posture!

    - try singing the whole phrase on A2

    - nnnnnooooooo

        - very focused. Buzz in bridge of nose

    - 1358531

        - ah, but uh on the top.

            - let it open on top. Keep throat open

        - ah, eh

            - tongue forward- fleshy part on teeth

            - keep breath moving

            - this is how we're going to get the high A, says Thomas. Nice

            - i notice I tend to brace my chin with my arm when I do this exercise. Trust in the breath

            - Don't give up on the breath!

People to emulate

Piotr Beczała

- watch his mouth as he sings. This is what I need to aim for.

Sarah King - VRH - Sep 23

Kate Hirschi singing Schumann: Very beautiful pure voice. The onset of sound is weaker than the rest of the phrase. To help with this, she could practice spinning the breath in her head before releasing the sound. There was also a little bit of slouching, improving posture will also help with breath support and providing a fuller sound throughout the piece. I was impressed with the level of memorization, very well done. This is a beautiful piece that is well-suited for her voice.

Tanner Pruett - Voice Recital Hour - 9/23

Kat Hirschi 

Widmung - Shumann

-very nervous and timid sound 

-very beautiful high range, but it still sounds pinched

-open them mechanism to allow more sound and a fuller sound

Amelia Kearl

Nel cor piu non mi sento - Paisiello

-great sound; I know there's more in there

-more support from breath and more grounded (probably just nervous)

Alyssa Burton 

I Got Rhythm - Gerswin

-love the attitude!

-find a more "in the nose, but not of the nose" sound to help project sound

-would love some more musical levels throughout the song

Sierra Wamsley

(I did not get the song title)

-avoid swaying back and forth (I know it's hard)

-she has WAY more sound in her (I think it's a combination of breath support, placement, etc)

-would love to hear more resonance on the lower notes

Ethan Willmore

Heavenly Grasp - (didn't get the composer)

-I think I hear some extra air in his tone (needs to make more efficient use of the breath that is escaping)

-good diction overall

-some small intonation issues (I think from nervousness; pitch didn't settle on a few notes)

-very beautiful floaty tone on higher notes

Braeden Winford

Words Fail - Dear Evan Hansen

-love the commitment to the character; would love to see that more in the facial expression

-he's flipping into falsetto a lot, which is cool if it's a choice, but I have suspicion that he could take a more full head voice into that higher range

-I hear a lot of extra air in his tone (how do you fix that?)

-would work on being more grounded overall

-this song is a beast, but I really like what he did with it

Kylee Bailey

She Used to be Mine - Waitress

-I would make less "planned" hand movements for this song (the music really tells the story in this piece)

-really beautiful belt in the medium range

-need more resonance on lower notes (how do you teach in younger female singers?)

-I have some vowel recommendations to help make higher notes for successful (like on "reckless") 

-I think more "twang" in the sound would help make it more efficient 

-love the riffs!

Saige Barlow - Voice Recital Hour - Sept. 23

Kat Hirschi - Widmung

• A lot better from master class!
• Head is sticking out a little bit, but the posture has improved, and it is making a difference in your sound!
• Great breath support!

Amelia Kearl - Nel Cor Piú Non Mi Sento

• Amazing vowel pronunciation and text imterpretation!
• A little stronger expression can improve core support.
• Went a little sharp at the end, but you brought it back in tune!

Alyssa Burton - “I Got Rhythm” - Gershwin

• Very smooth and effortless!
• You can tell she really likes this song!
• Lower range. I know she said she is more comfortable in the alto range nowadays.
• Contrast! Love it!
• Transition into the higher range could use a little preparation, but I think she fixed it.
• She’s also my cousin. :)

Sierra Wamsley - “What’ll I Do?” - Irving Berlin

• Chin is sticking up pretty high, which is impacting the airways.
• Think about the pitch, and don’t try to reach for it.
• Sound is not coming from the full body, so it sounds a little softer than it can.
• Good core engagement!

Ethan Willmore - Heavenly Grass

• A little tension, and it sounds like it’s coming from the throat.
• Perhaps he needs to open up a little more to allow more space for airflow
• Amazing expression of the music, which makes quite a difference!
• Great contrast in dynamics!

Braeden Winford - “Words Fail” - Dear Evan Hansen

• I noticed a major improvement in energy and expression, and it has helped your singing by a lot!
• However, you seem a little too happy. I can tell you enjoy the song though, which is still a good thing.
• Besides the smiling, I think you have a really good understanding of the musical.
• This is a really great song for your voice!
• Usually, singers focus on looking at one spot, but with you looking around in this particular song it is totally appropriate and enhances your performance!

Kylee Bailey - “She Used to Be Mine” - Waitress

• Even though Sara Barellis is a pop star, I think this song will work better for you if you try to incorporate more musical theatre technique.
• Loosen the jaw a little. It’s sticking out, but we want it to go back.
• That might be the root of the issue.
• I like how you are trying to convey the message of the song. That’s very important.
• I like the parts of the song where you are not as breathy. I think that helps bring more strength to the song. I also notice that it has also helped you sing with louder dynamics as well!

Gideon: Not for an Assignment...

 The last one got me good.

Annika-Coyle-Ch10 & epilogue

 Chapter 10

Summary: Coyle talks about JaMarcus Russell and his relationship with Tom Martinez in this chapter. Martinez was able to forge a connection with Russell that ultimately helped him get into the NFL. The personal connection they had was what allowed Russell to succeed so much. 

Application: As a teacher, you HAVE to gauge every student. You have to learn their needs, their learning styles, their backgrounds, etc. almost always within the first minute of meeting them. Your first impression will be a marker of how the rest of your relationship will go, and it’s so important to have a specific relationship with every individual. People and connections are not one size fits all!

Epilogue 

Summary: Coyle gave more examples of different areas of business and studying that use deep practice and myelination, even if they don’t realize it. He also talked about how he used what he had learned from his tours through talent hotbeds to coach his own little league team.

Application: It’s important to see how other industries use deep practice and myelination to be successful so that, as I go through the book and think about my own career, I don’t think “this doesn’t apply to me because it’s about football, not music.” All of this applies to me, I just have to use it in a different way. Teaching individually and making small fixes rather than glossing over errors are probably my two biggest take-aways from the epilogue.