Vocal Masterclass with Laurie Hart

 Gideon Benge - Andrew Lloyd Weber (The day starts, the day ends)

• Very theatrical, and I love that about how Gideon performs!
• He sounds best at little moments when the emotion is more intense.
• Raw passion
• Higher and lower range
• Belting healthily - I agree, that can be difficult for singers to figure out.
• How do you practice?
• Singing all the way through, but in section three or four times
• Helps get all the parts just right and obligates connection.
• Really relaxed, drony singing.
• “I think you can stretch that even more.”
• Say the lines like a normal conversation.
• Experimentation - yes, Laurie does that a lot with me, and that’s something we’ve talked about in class.
• Plan where your breath is going to be.
• Gives you more time to swell.
• Choral directors, I believe, often don’t like to breathe when singing a phrase or have people breathe at particular spots... If that’s the case here, I understand the struggle in translating into solo singing. I speak from experience, haha! :)
• Lip trill
• I do this a lot, and it tickles! Not as much when I’m playing a high brass instrument though, since I have a small mouthpiece on my lips.
• Breathe only when you have to when you do this.
• Silent breath
• This is crucial in choral singing, too!!! My high school choir teacher has a whole exercise pertaining to this!
• It can be harder if you have a habit of using a noisy breath.
• It can be very hard when you run out of air too quickly.
• When locking knees, you can find a partner and push against each other’s hands.
• Felt easier!
• Oh, it is? Interesting!
• Keep the knees soft.
• Happy quiet “Ah”
• That helps raise the air up and over instead of back and down.
• Practice in front of the mirror a little more ;)
• Yes! Laurie tells me to do that all the time!

Amelia Kearl - Vie Melodien

• “I love it! It’s my favorite!” I’m so glad!! It’s always so nice to sing a song you absolutely love!
• The high F in the beginning really rang!
• The diction is very nice and soft (in a good way, of course)!
• The words are the most beautiful words in the world!
• The song is kind of about everything.
• Beautiful things in childhood and in the world
• Ideas of things
• Not like you’re singing this to someone, but you’re just talking about beautiful things in the world.
• Vowels only
• Circle around like a windmill.
• Keep winding around.
• I think this helps with keeping the larynx stabilized and keeps it from shifting
• “It felt really easy!”
• It also releases tension in the body, which is SUPER important!
• The body was more connected
• Let the jaw release and be free!
• Laurie drilled this with me!
• Creating a new neural pathway takes a lot of repetition. JUST LIKE IN THE TALENT CODE!!!!
• Don’t sing two different vowels when you don’t need to.
• Interesting. I think I do that sometimes…
• It can be hard to focus on multiple things at once.
• Flash cards with different emotions?
• This sounds like a really fun acting exercise!
• I can’t remember exactly what Laurie had her do specifically, but it looked like switching off between being hysterical and being happy.
• “I was all in with that exercise!”
• It helps free up the voice!