Courtney-Voice Lesson/Master Class- 9/9/2021

 Personal Lesson: 

I won't have a lesson until Friday this week so I reviewed an old lesson from May that had some concepts in it I've needed some review on this last week. 

• Exercise: 54321 Lip buzz
• Do
• Start with no vocalization, just air, and then use a release gesture to bring in the sound
• Can use pant or snort in between each one to loosen vocal folds and promote ease
• Keep eyes, open and bright, approach each exercise with excitement and curiosity
• Use gesture to indicate movement of the releasing the sound
• Notice
• the lips regulate the air
• the neck is a tube that does not change with pitch
• the notes just drop gently on top of the air
• The abdominals and shoulders are free
• The lift in your ribs and your face
• Exercise: 8-5-3-1 <why>
• Do
• Start air on silent [w] drop pitch thoughts onto air system
• Notice
• notes catch a ride onto the air stream
• if the top grabs or feels at rest
• Exercise: 5432123454321 Bee-dee-bee-dee etc. or Louis louis louis or dewey dewey dewey
• Do
• be cheery 
• pant between each set like you're going to sneeze
• encourage some breathiness (for right now) to find the supple release in the articulators and the throat
• think that vowels happen with your tongue
• Notice
• is it squeezy or open?
• the see-saw movement in the back wall of the tongue
• the tube stays the same
• the placement of the vowels behind the back teeth
• Exercise: 54321 why not
• Do
• think about breathiness (for now)
• start sound, don't be afraid of it and release on sound
• use voiceless <wh> 
• speak in your Galinda or agreeable voice
• speak it first to find the placement
• stay in a lighter mix even as you go down
• start sigh-like
• Notice:
• breathiness
• lightness
• the suspension of the top voice and the sound in classical mix 
• the sound up in the dome
• Exercise: 87654321 why oh why can't I 
• Do:
• Make diphthongs two syllables
• keep it sigh-like/ in your agreeable voice
• let the vowel on the roof of your mouth (not in your jaw)
• Notice
• the lack of drastic register shift 
• the lack of drastic shift in vowels
• Exercise: 123454321 ming ming ming
• Do
• repeat 5 if needed
• focus the sound high in your face
• release the sound, suspend the breath
• Notice
• the tube-like feeling in your neck
• staying in the mask
• the lack of drastic register shifts
• the separation of the tongue and larynx
• pitch doesn't tug
• does scale degree 5 feel the same as the others in the scale?
• Does the throat stays open, not tight and squeezy
• Repertoire
• Attente:
• To work on: 
• open vowel in [levres]
• finding a sense of the tube 
• say [a] on a consistent pitch over the accompaniment or melody with a tube throat
• then drop pitch thoughts on the [a] once it feels more consistent.
• breathing between phrases/breath 
• use the strategy for finding a sense of the tube-like throat, but also practice a released breath at correct times for phrases.
• Staying lifted and expanded through the phrase, staying energized
• onset (starting/releasing sound)
• soft supple shaping of words, released movement in tongue, gentle movement from one sound to the next
• mouth words gently and monitor tongue
• have the tip fall back down after every syllable
• Pronunciation
• record yourself
• speak the words out louds slowly and with movement like singing
• jaw releasing back down
• bunny rabbit over bite
• Practice Strategies:
• use models in a comfortable place to find how you want it to feel (in regards to ease in the throat)
• use silent practice to get a feeling of ready
• don't be too careful, just be smart, notice and be aware
• model, model, model, test, model, test, model, model, test etc. (randomize)
• use gesture to indicate movement
• Think (pitch) Trust (it'll work) Let (it come out)

Master Class 9/7/2021

Josh Rogers-- Giants in the Sky

    Great voice and a clear passion for singing. The notes and rhythms were clearly well learned and internalized. He'd made a GREAT start to the piece. The difference in focus with the glasses on was substantial. It looks like he is holding a lot of excess tension in his hands. Having him open and close them gently while singing might give them something else to do besides clench so he can get used to singing without them clenching.