Brianna Skeen-Smith- Chapters 7-9

 Summary

-These chapters focus on having a healthy and vibrant onset in whenever we start singing or when we are navigating through melismatic passages, having consistent vowels and loose vocal fold contact, and keeping consistent vowels from low to high notes and vice versa. It uses exercices to accomplish this called "spontaneous combustion" for onset, "wobble" for relaxed phonation, and "getting high" for consistent vowels from register to register.

Application

-These exercises are really great for creating a healthy and relaxed natural sound in the singer. I actually used the "spontaneous combustion" exercise with one of my students a couple of weeks ago. She was having a difficult time with the onset of the last few notes of the song she was working on. To be specific is was the line "my honey bun" from the song "Honey Bun" from the musical South Pacific. The last few notes all occured on a Bb4 right in her passagio. So we just isolated the note from the text and sang it seperately following the exercise on that particular note. After doing that she was able to hit that note with ease and with a healthier onset that didn't require her to push for the note. I use the "getting high" warm-upm all the time in my own practice and lessons. It really helps me to navigate through my passagio a lot easier and with a more consistent vowel and resonance.

Tanner Pruett - Smith - Ch. 10-14

 

• Learning to sing with legato is the basis for healthy singing

• The jaw does not needed for any vowel in any language

• Train the jaw and the tongue to function separately from each other 

• Soft palate 

• Breathe in the “upper half” of the yawn without depressing the back of the tongue

• “If the air is flowing and the lips and tongue define the vowels without entangling the larynx, then the soft palate will lift in response.” (pg. 110)

• Articulating consonants should minimally inhibit airflow

• Use lips and tongue as much as possible (instead of jaw)

• Diction is a means to an end; over pronunciation only inhibits airflow and can cause tension

• The right repertoire will come when we are singing with our “true sound” and our voices are working well

• Find music that you connect with and that you will help you want to create a compelling performance

• Be aware of your fach, but always choose works that you connect with

• Repertoire standard for auditions and competitions is 5 or 6 arias from various styles, musical periods, and languages

• One in Italian, French, German, and English

• One by Mozart

• Contrasting pieces from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and contemporary periods

• Positive visualization (before auditioning)

• Visualize the physical atmosphere of the audition space

• Imagine yourself walking in with confidence, dressed very well

• Visualize each aria or song that you might be asked to sing

• Think about what you want to communicate in each piece

• Sing through the piece mentally, focusing on the feeling of true freedom in the voice

• Once you have done those three things, you are free to simply “tell the story” (pg. 138)

• Learning repertoire

• 1. Study the text

• Know what every word means and what the poet and the composer are trying to say

• 2. Speak the text 

• Speak it monotone, phrase-by-phrase, and as a dramatic reading

• 3. Speaking the text in rhythm 

• Keep a steady beat and only focus on rhythm

• 4. Get the pitches in your ear

• Speak the text with monotone while playing the pitches on the piano

• 5. Sing it

• Marking

• Make sure to have freedom in the voice when marking

• NEVER mark energy or dramatic intention

• Don’t mark when singing with an orchestra (unless explicitly given permission to do so by the conductor)

• Take responsibility for your singing

• Allergies, sickness, and other things happen, but at the end of the day we are in charge of our singing and are responsible for it

• Directors and conductors

• Stand up for yourself, but respectfully and within reason (don’t be a diva)

• Make a list of unprepared conductors and directors so you know who you like working with

• Being prepared is the key to being a good colleague

• Hydration

• Small amounts of water throughout the day

• Steam can help before a performance (short term solution)

• Warm, mild salt water can help flush out mucus from congestion 

• Unhealthy vocal habits

• Smoking (duh)

• Improper “speaking technique” (vocal fry, shouting, etc)

• See Thomas’s book for more on this

• Mental health

• I disagree with not addressing mental health in lessons and/or coachings. If you are literally falling apart mentally, you won’t be able to sing.  With my future students, I am happy to use the time that they are paying for in whatever way they find most helpful (within reason)

• I thought the last chapter was interesting, but there is not much to write about. The message I got from this chapter is to learn from the experiences of those who have already been in the field. Do research and talk to people who you want to be like. Honestly, I give these last 4 chapters a “meh” out of 10. 

Hayden- Smith- Ch. 10-14

10

The bit about legato singing reminds me of something that we have been working on lately in lessons, with keeping resonance consistent in the chest. We've also been working on being conscious of the vowels I am singing in English (this in coachings). It's interesting to me that we don't have English diction classes.

11

I like the idea of "vowel substitution" as opposed to "vowel modification"

Fioratura vs coloratura?

I like what he writes about musical theatre singing. Singing theatre stuff does not come easily to me, so I think I will try to apply some of this stuff to a theatre piece or two.

What he writes about Fachs is interesting. I've spent plenty of time this semester trying to figure out what pieces would sound the best in my voice, but that's not the strategy that he thinks is best.

Consonants

There was a lot of other stuff in chapter 11 that I really liked, but none that I really felt like commenting on. I do think it'll be a chapter that I will go back to later.

12

Take responsibility for your own voice.

Being prepared can help make one a good colleague.

13

Hydration! I love water

Looks like I gotta get into a better exercise habit

14

How can I be happy with myself so as to sing my best?

Jessi Mitchell - Smith - Ch. 10-14

 I liked the chapter on healthy lifestyles for singers. I found it interesting that Smith mentioned dry climates and how breathing in steam can help lubricate the vocal folds a little better. I also was interested with what he said about physical appearance and televised opera. I’ve always thought of opera as one of the most body-positive and inclusive art forms, so it was a little weird to read that televised operas often place higher value on physical appearance and modern beauty standards rather than just the quality of one’s voice.

Saige Barlow-Voice Recital Hour-Nov 18

 Patrice Densley - Something in Italian

• E major, begins with Il mio ben…

• Very smooth and beautiful!

• The emotional expression is very simple yet powerful! What an idol!

• I would love to automatically hit an F#5 as well as you did! Holy cow!

• I think you should sing soprano more often, or at least mezzo soprano.

Maribelle Taylor - Screw Loose - Cry-Baby

• You don’t know how to sing musical theatre?? LIES!!!!!

• I do notice a difference from when you would sing in the musicals we did together. It’s placed differently, for instance.

• The theatrical abilities haven’t changed much, but they’re always better!

• This sounds like a great song for a Provo girl going to BYU. 😂

Kaylyn Baldwin - Fire Aria

• She changes pitches so easily!

• Her jaw is very released!

• She makes singing look so easy! 😩

• Nevertheless, I always look forward to hearing her sing!

• Her high notes are on fire!

Megan Richards - Sorry, I missed it. I was busy passing the role…

• The pitches shift, but I am noticing full closure of the folds.

• Very soft, but it’s absolutely gorgeous!

Courtney Fairbourn - The Light in the Piazza - The Light in the Piazza

• She has a gorgeous musical theatre voice!

• She said something about swelling or something in her vocal folds, but I cannot sense a single problem that interferes with her having a good performance!

• She has a very forward sound, and I love hearing it!

Misteen English - Safer

• I am always noticing improvement with Misteen’s voice!

• The diction is better, and the air is a lot more steady!

• The projection is a lot better!

Kennan Thompson - Le Rose Despin (That’s what it sounds like anyway)

• The diction is fantastic! I can tell that you might’ve worked on this with Dallas. Either way, you’re pretty good at diction.

• Very smooth and light!

• Your singing always gets better and better!

Hayden Höglund - Le Nozze de Figaro

• I remember the first time I have heard you sing this song, and I think your diction is so much better!

• Your singing has also improved!

• I like your story that you’re conveying through your face! I’m hooked!

Layton L. - Chanson Romanesque (I know it’s from a song cycle)

• I think your vibrato has improved! There’s less shaking throughout the rest of the body, so that shows that you’re better at controlling the vibrato.

• Overall, great job!

• Pitches are very accurate!

• The story was great, too!

Nalani Mathias - All That Matters - Finding Neverland

• I’m so enthralled by the way you sing musical theatre!

• The diction is very clear, and you’re enunciating extremely well!

• Obviously, you probably have years of musical experience, but holy cow I love the way you act!

Autumn Nelson - Nel cor più non mi sento

• I love this song!!!

• In the Eb major, which is a whole step lower than I usually hear or sing it.

• My sister sings it in F major.

• A little airy at times.

• I think you might be more comfortable with musical theatre based on how you sing the middle range.

Millie Hein - I Hate Men

• Very rich sounding voice, kind of like Alyssa’s voice!

• I think you should try singing some jazz. I think that suits your voice really well.

• Short and simple

Taylor Woolf - Dying Ain’t So Bad

• You have a very naturally beautiful voice!

• The dynamic contrast is excellent and seemingly effortless!

• I think the pitches tend to shift a little.

Tanner Pruett - “In Short” - Edges

• Trigger warning - Explicit words

• I think your story is a lot better, and your diction in turn is a lot better!

• I love the little dances you included!

• The transitions are fantastic!

Amelia Kearl-Voice lesson

 So my voice lessons are on Friday so I always write about them almost a week later. It is really good for me because it is a nice review of what we did last week the night before my next voice lesson. Last week was the memorization deadline for the music so in lessons, I sang all of my music.

Exercise: ng on a 1 3 5 3 1 maintaining airflow and phonation. It's interesting, now that I'm reading "The Naked Voice" I am noticing how all of Venicia's exercises are focused on creating a full, connected sound while maintaining consistent airflow. 

It is really interesting to see how far you have come in a lesson like that. One of my songs at the beginning of the semester I literally couldn't even sing through, because I created so much tension in that higher range. Well now I can sing it all the way through. It isn't perfect, but it is so much better than it used to be. Another one of my songs I had no idea how to sing. It was a musical theater piece and I really only knew how to sing classical. Now even though my voice sometimes hiccups in random places in this song, I know it is only because I have learned how to sing this song with a musical theater placement. With more exposure and time singing in this style, I am confident that my voice will grow stronger an become accustomed to this. While I acknowledged in my lesson that I would probably not be singing this one for juries, I was never the less happy in my choice. This song challenged me in a new way and pushed me to learn things I didn't know about. 

Most of my lesson was devoted to hearing my songs but we also talked about posture again an how to fix it. We used the exercise that Cindy used in masterclass where she had Kat sit against the wall. My muscles are apparently so used to bad posture that when I use good posture they hurt. Venicia explained it to me like my muscles were just stretching and I needed to start stretching them more (into the correct position) so they get strengthened the right way. 

It's interesting as well to listen back to my recordings. Last year I was super super critical of myself and expected perfection. That really got in my way during my practicing (no mercy!) and my lessons (I was unauthentic). This year I have gotten over that. Listening to my recording this year is so different. Before I would cringe at every mistake. Now I watch for every success and know that the mistakes I hear are ok as long as I acknowledge them and start working on turning them into strengths. 

Saige Barlow-Smith-Ch 10-14

I love how these chapters broke down the “game” of learning music the author discusses here. I also appreciate that he addresses special steps and addresses considerations for various styles of music, such as musical theatre. I think that’s very important for teachers to be able to know,  since we’ll get a lot of students who are more interested in more contemporary styles than plain old classical music. Of course, it is important for us to maintain a healthy voice, as he addressed, but it is also important for us to hold ourselves accountable for our voices and determine our own thought process for success. I think that ties well to what the author said in the beginning about how your voice reflects who you are. That, to me, is the key to our success is knowing the right strategies, but also reflecting the voice you want as well as becoming a better person.