USU Pedagogy 3630 - F23

  Think about the soft palette being bigger than it actually is. Think higher placement, but with big space. Also don’t telegraph the higher placement at any point. Loosen the jaw and let it be unstrained Really study the French vowels Pieces to look at 2nd Mahler Mab Aria Deh Vienni (Giovanni) Apple Orchard (Laitman) 

 This week, I did not have a voice lesson because I was out of town. However, I did sing through my music and work on memorization as I was on my trip. I worked primarily on the Ned Rorem pieces, but also worked on memorization of Sono Unite a Tormentarmi and Voglio Amar just speaking in rhythm since those are in different languages. Voice recital hour was so great today! We had so many wonderful singers and the one that really stood out to me was Madelyn Hamilton's performance. I loved the way she was using her voice to add characterization and emotion to the song. She had a couple of glottal onsets or even breathy onsets that were placed in strategic spots to convey the story. Something that I love about these artistic decisions is hearing singers taking a technique that is commonly frowned upon, but using it correctly and briefly to sing the feeling rather than just the notes. Madelyn did a really great job at using these to her advantage and not letting it affect the rest of he...

 In VRH Isabelle John performed “On My Own” from Les Miserables. Her pitch and emotion was great! You could really see how much she had internalized the song and emoted it with her face. Also, she kept an aligned and clear posture the whole time! The tone had a nice quality, except a lot of breath escaped through each note. Instead of a pure tone, it became more gaspy. In thinking of the exercises we are preparing for our demonstrations, a glottal onset exercise could help her voice really break through that air! Perhaps on thee in a descending two-note pattern by holding out the ‘th’ till there is a resonant buzz and then releasing that air on the ‘ee’. This would practice glottal stopping and starting on a more difficult/ closed sound to phonate so that the sensation of the vocal folds pressing together can become more pronounced and easier to replicate in actual textual settings. Overall, great performance! In my voice lesson this week, we worked on transposing one of my songs i...

 Isabelle John -some struggles with key at the beginning but gets on -very cool stylistic slides -very dark tone -some breathiness -using head voice rather than belt for higher notes -lots of really great characterization Megan Langton -bright tone -sometimes needs to open up a little bit more (false covering?) -some nice vibrato on a lot of long notes -vowels sometimes causing intonation issues -really pretty voice just seemed nervous Madelyn Hamilton -very bright sound -used belt and had it break, switched for the next high note to use a little more head in the mix -some high notes just purely head Claire Francis -very balanced sound -incredible performer, so much emotion -nice vibrato -nice dynamic contrast

I really enjoyed Maddie’s performance of “Nothing Stops Another Day.” I could tell what all the words were, and she did a good job of conveying the message. There was a sort of subtext that she had going on, and I could see that- especially in the beginning. I also thought a lot on out what we talked about belting. There were many phrases that she belted, and it sounded healthy. There was one note where it was high and she belted it and her mouth was so open, it was a great moment! I also could tell towards the end when she flipped more into head voice, which I think was appropriate for the ending. Overall she did a great job.  This week in my lesson we spent time on Majenka’s aria and Desire in Spring. In Majenka’s aria, there are a lot of accents, so we worked on actually making those notes accented. This is so hard! To help make it easier, we sob-talked some of the words and that transferred over to my singing. I need to get better at doing the accents and adding decrescendos ov...

 I'm glad to have had a lesson with Thomas this week, it's been too long! The main thing that we focused on was "the turn" that happens in the upper voice. If I understand correctly, this happens as I let go of the vowel, and allow the soft palatte and tongue to come forward. This creates a cover to that sound, and allows the voice to be full and resonant in that range. The thing that i was struggling with, was helping this cover to be forward, in front of me, rather than falling back. This week I will try to sing brightly and leave that sound there, and bring that cover forward as well. I was impressed by Hannah Hunt's performance of "How Can I Keep From Singing". I thought her tone was clear and bright, and nice to listen to. I could especially hear this in her choice of certain vowels, especially in the higher register. She made sure that they were bright, focused, and gathered. There were occasional moments when some breathiness would creep into her ...

 For voice lessons this week, we focused on the larynx. In our warm-ups, we discussed elongating the larynx, and pretending to "stretch taffy" to further engage my body. I remember being in check with my body, and paying close attention to any changes I made to help my performance. I did have trouble lifting my soft palate, but I was able to instantly hear the shift. With this, I was able to fix the issue, and make a note to work on specific vowels while keeping the larynx low and the soft palate lifted.  For VRH, I want to highlight Aimee Newson's performance. First, I love that she starts her performance by asking everyone to join her in taking a deep breath together. It's so calming, and eases the nerves in the room! From what I heard, I didn't hear any tension in the larynx! It sounded like she was singing in the chest voice register, and some parts went into mixed voice. Her voice is so strong, and well-balanced! The tone wasn't breathy, and her sound fil...

 I was not physically in persona at voice recital hour today, but I heard a recording of Holden singing "Why God Why".  I am a big fan of Holden's voice. It's always free, always resonant, and honestly just fun to listen to. I also noticed how he was acting with his voice. Last year when we interviewing for the voice area head (glad we went with Thomas!) one of the interviewee's talked about how the transition from speech to dialogue in musical theater always has to be from small to big, from speech-like to full on singing, so as to not make it feel awkward or forced. As I mentioned, I have no idea what he was doing with his body or face, but it sounded like almost every choice he made vocally was grounded in the character he was portraying.

 In my lesson this week we talked about resonance in nasal French sounds. I really struggled to keep my resonance after singing nasal sounds in my French songs. We talked about still letting it spin in our nose, so we don't lose that vibrancy when we sing those nasal vowels. I also got to rehearse with my accompanist for the first time during my lesson, and we noticed I tended to pull back on my sound when someone new was introduced to the rehearsal space. We worked on not letting my sound fall back, and having confidence in myself when new people are introduced to the rehearsal.  In Vocal Recital Hour this week I observed Emma Joy Diesen. She said she was unsure of her song choice that day, but I think it sounded great in her voice. She had a clear sound especially in her lower register and switched nicely between registers. She used her formants well in her lower register, I could hear that ringing quality in her sound. There was good thyroid arytenoid engagement which gave ...

Luke Waite. Primarily, the singing is stylistically appropriate. The tone seems to be relatively clear, not often breathy. The words came out very clearly as well. Emma Dombroski The tone seemed clear to me. The registration seemed to primarily be in the head voice, which I think was appropriate and pleasant. I also thought that the vibrato was of consistent frequency throughout the piece. Emily Russon I thought there was a lot of power in the low register: a quite pleasant sound. I also thought that her inhalation technique was able to take in quite a lot of air, really making use specifically of the volume in the thorax. Grace Hanni I thought the tone was void of unintentional excess air, with additional air supplied as stylistically appropriate (to give emphasis to emotion). I also give full marks for intonation, which seemed like it may have been particularly difficult for this song: evidence of a strong auditory feedback loop! Carissa Olsen The inhalation seems balanced between th...

Today in VRH, Maiya Lloyd gave a stunning performance of the song “Valentine” by….  I found this performance particularly interesting given the article we just read on female belt singing. While this song really isn’t in the style of a ‘belt’, however it does contain a lot of register shifting and continually presents the question of which register to sing it in or to mix. When I was reading this article, I was fascinated by the concept of a soprano generally being better belters/ having an easier time mixing than deep altos given that in my high school, all the belters were altos. So, I wanted to put this theory to the test today. Maiya chose to sing most of it in head voice, until the end, where she sang three notes in almost all chest voice and the last note in a nice light mix (about 80 head voice, 20 chest voice). Finally, she ended the piece with a 60/40 chest voice-head voice mix that was heavy but SO incredibly resonant. It had power but yet wasn’t a belt; it took on the at...

 Holden Smith -Very bright sound, at times has a nasal quality -nice dynamic contrast -way to sing through big distractions of piano -nice musical theater vibrato -clear break in style when the style of the piece changed -nice mix on top note Grace Weaver -very consistent vibrato -solid low head voice -some scooping that maybe was not necessary -really gorgeous sound Maiya Lloyd  -really gorgeous chest sound -nice use of airy tone on some words for style -registration choices and flips were amazing -the end was gorgeous Emily Russon -very emotional performance -darker tone that is really pretty -often has some airiness in the sound

 For voice lessons this week, my teacher and I went straight into my music! We went over what kind of sound we're shooting for--a rich, full sound. Including this, we picked out specific measures in which my soft palate would collapse. To fix this, I made sure to take in enough air to carry me through the notes. I paid close attention to how my throat felt--whether it was tight or tense. Towards the end of the lesson, we worked on my very first French piece, and corrected my pronunciation. I am working on learning the words, and memorizing the words! For VRH, I want to highlight Kylee Nuffer's performance on "I Don't Need A Roof". Her voice projected towards the audience the entire song. The space in her mouth allowed her to pronunciate clearly, and sing to her full potential. Her voice sounded like it moved from belt/mixed, and the sound was blended very well. There weren't any breathy or harsh attacks, and her timbre was pure and clear. Overall, Kylee's ...

 I really enjoyed Savannah Miller's performance of "Little bit in Love" from Wonderful Town. I think this was a great piece for her and she embraced the golden age style. I noticed that she had real spin in her voice. As I was watching, I found myself wanting maybe a little more characterization or acting on the parts when she was humming. It seemed a little reserved, but then again, that may have just been a character choice. (i'm thinking about the acting now with the masterclass we had yesterday). I thought the phrasing of the lines made sense, and I found myself smiling at the end. Very nice!

 Today I really enjoyed Mallory's performance of "Stupid with Love." I thought she performed really well and I could understand really well. There were some really lovely notes as well. The song was really fun and she did a good job with it.  In my lesson on Monday I worked on "The Lordly Hudson" and "Ouvre ton coeur." In The Lordly Hudson, we worked on a few phrases that moved downwards. These needed to sit higher, and we found that if I think singing up instead of down that helped smooth everything out. Contrary motion is awesome! In Ouvre ton coeur it took me a few lines to find a place where it sits correctly. Cindy had me sing that section that was easy, and then we immediately moved to the first page so I could feel those side by side. That helped me find a different place, and overall it became easier to sing. 

 This week, I met with my pianist to rehearse some pieces since Thomas is out of town and it went really well! We worked on the Ned Rorem pieces together so that when Thomas and I work on them, we can jump right into the technique and musicality rather than focusing on notes and rhythms. I'm very excited to keep working on those pieces, they are so beautiful! In voice recital hour today, so many people performed wonderfully. Braden Winford particularly blew me away. One of my favorite things about being in this department is I get to grow and progress with so many wonderful singers, and I also get to hear the progress other people have made over time and it makes me feel so happy and proud of everyone. Braden sang Purpose from Avenue Q and I loved his very clear tone and how easily he moved through the song. In relation to the progress comment, this clear tone really stood out to me because in the past, his voice would sometimes feel slightly timid and not like the breath was being...

 Mary Decker -sound seems to get a little swallowed  -very consistent vibrato -jaw moves some with vibrato on held notes Braeden Winford -he has a very airy sound to his voice during quiet section -character is unmatched -louder parts are very well supported -use of spoken words and overall very speech-like quality  -really clear belt tones Lily Buxton -very unique qualities to her voice -somewhat scoopy but it fits very well in the style -sometimes feels like her voice is getting stuck Emma Fox -Very free sound -nice vibrato -very legato

I wanted to write about Emma Fox’s performance particularly because as I was working on a final before class, I was able to listen to her practice a little before hand. She has a minor sixth interval jump to a particularly high note in her piece: Waterbird by Richard Hundley . As I sat listening, I counted her practice it probably thirteen times. She practiced about four times just these two notes and then the fifth was these notes into the next three notes of the phrase. Then, again! Four times of the same two notes, and the fifth time the whole phrase. Finally, she practiced those same notes again, the phrase, but the third time, she practiced a little before the two notes- the build up- then the two notes, and the rest of the phrase in context. It was some of the best deep-practice I have heard in the practice rooms in a while. Each time was more sure, more supported, more engrained. Thus, when she performed it in VRH, it was direct, clear, focused, and supported. Great song and imp...

 This week, my voice teacher was out of the state, so I did not have an official voice lesson. On that day however, I practiced for an hour working on my songs. I tried to think about what I've learned so far this semester. When working on my English piece, I made sure to keep my soft palate up, so that my sound would stay strong. Including this, I made sure to "spin" almost immediately when hitting notes so that the pitch didn't fall. By recognizing these challenges, I was able to be aware of them as they were happening, and started the process of changing those habits.  In VRH, I want to focus on Allison Johnston's performance. Immediately starting her piece, she adjusted her posture, and I could hear her take a balanced breath in her body. Each and everyone one of her notes were treated with the same strong air support. The low notes weren't forgotten, and were just as strong as the higher notes. Her diction was beautiful, and very clear. There was no colla...

This blog is a positive review of the singing of Julianne Larson, who performed in VRH on October 5th. I thought her tone was crisp and clear-sounding. The tone sounded fairly consistent to me throughout the moving notes in the "scalar"-type sections, even when the pitches were comparatively high. The vibrato, while not used extensively--likely due to the fact that the style of the song was musical theater--seemed to be balanced and consistent throughout the piece. I thought the singing was stylistically appropriate, and I thought the overall sound was pleasing to the ear.

 In my lesson this week we talked a lot about not letting the sound fall back in my mouth and get too dark. We talked about the chiaroscuro and finding the balance between being too bright and too dark. We also reviewed register shifts when singing through the passagio.  In my song Serenade, I sing a few leaps that go from below to in the passagio. We talked about flipping the sound to give the sound more height and length in the passagio while not covering the sound.  In VRH I observed Carissa's performance upon request. I loved that her performance had a lot of soul. I felt that the chiaroscuro balance was good, with it being more dark than bright. The vibrato sounded effortless and emphasized the music rather than taking over which was appropriate for the style being performed. She also seemed very confident in her performance, which complimented the song choice, overall, a great performance!

 I really enjoyed Kate's performance of "Commt er schlanker brush gegangen" from Der Freischutz. She always has such a beautiful tone, and it sounds so easy! She had nice legato, and her phrasing was so good. I thought she performed it well! This week in my lesson we worked on Monica's Aria by Menotti and Die Elfe by Marx. In Monica's aria we worked on a few of the phrases and making them more legato. There's a few that have leaps in them and it's hard to connect, so we broke it down and went backwards and that helped smooth it out a lot. Die Elfe is such a cool song, and we worked on breath control for a few long phrases. A strategy we did was cut the phrase in half and just did the last half and then added on a note at a time until I could sing the whole phrase. This helped me build up to it, and then I practiced more often singing through the phrase instead of dying at the end. 

I had my voice lesson on Monday (10/2) with Thomas and we covered Sono Unite A Tormentarmi by Scarlatti. We did some humming warm-ups which I always enjoy starting off with. It's an easy exercise on the voice, is very relaxed and creates that open space in your mouth (if done correctly, of course). We also did a few exercises to help with breath energy and a couple registration ones as well. I'm going to be honest with you all, I am terribly insecure of my higher register. I've suffered quite a few injuries that inflicted and even paused my singing for a while and I am beginning to notice that my lack of confidence after those years is affecting the strength I have in that upper register. As much as I would like to say that the blame only falls on my insecurities, this is not the case! My breath energy and support plays a role in this as well. When working on Sono Unite, we sang it phrase by phrase and spent quite some time on those higher notes, working my breath energy an...

 My voice lessons this week were really deep into the anatomy of the voice and psychology of singing. We started with exercises where I did sirens and drones to raise my larynx, however immediately after we did some psychological exercises where I thought a fifth above the highest I was supposed to sing in a descending scale in order to stretch my range. It made me consider how the two function together and why we are studying McCoy so deeply. I think it’s because it allows us to invent and discover new ways to shape, change, and create the voice. This then helped us work through my song “Love” by Thomas Lodge and mostly only worked on two measures for the duration of the lesson where I hit a high F and G. To do this, we mapped through breathing for the note, not letting the ribs retract too quickly, and singing down the octave till it had enough ring. All of these vocal warmups and exercises (both anatomical and psychological) really helped me find the exact balance I needed to ha...

Collegial- Carissa Olson: really nice and consistent focus in her middle voice. Some of her high notes get a little fuzzy, but overall a nice sound. I think most of her focus is non nasal! Sometimes I can't tell the difference, so I'm trying to notice when someone is in their nose or not. Elizabeth Wilson: I can tell she's taking her time in practice to find her mix. It's pretty consistent, but not super strong yet. She's having a hard time with the higher notes, and I think it's because she's putting her focus farther into her nose which is causing her voice to drop out on these high open vowels, rather than resonate. Julianne Larson: her focus is SOOOOO GOOD!! Her resonance is the same through her whole voice! Even her low notes! Probably because she is an alto, but it's soooo good! She got a little scared of some of the high notes, but the ones she was confident on were just as resonant as the rest. Personal- This week in voice lessons we worked on ...

 I was particularly impressed with Julianne Larsen's performance today. (as well as many others, Shout out to Lauren, Maribelle, Maggie, and Carissa! Y'all crushed it!) But Julianne's stuck out to me, probably because I love that song and she performed it well. I recall hearing her in the beginning of her freshman year, and nothing really jumped out at me. As she's been progressing, I love to hear her super bright musical theater placement. It dominates the room and demands to be heard. Not only this, but she was confident and had good physical presence with her body as well. I thought that maybe she could release a little more on those high belty notes, because it felt maybe slightly squeezed, but overall, her tone was warm, rich, full and bright!

 Aimee Newson - Original song -accompanying herself -her voice is incredibly emotional -using glottal stops on some words Mattie Ball - Moon River -choosing to stay in chest voice even on the high notes -some scoopy notes that are very in the styles -consistent vibrato, pretty fast vibrato Elizabeth Wilson -really great character -way to keep going through it all -had some roughness on some of the high notes, felt like she was pully back -needed a more 'in the mask' sound Julianne Larson  -a bit of a nasal tone -a lot of vibrato even in musical theater -go off opt up! -super super fun, really nailed the belty notes

  In my voice lessons this week, my teacher and I worked on keeping my lips more rounded and almost tucking my top lip under my front teeth to create a richer, classical sound. Including this, we worked on not collapsing the soft palate when descending in pitch. This was a bit tricky for me, as higher notes are easier for me to lift and maintain the height of my soft palate. We sang through "Porgi Amor", and went through the descending run to listen for any collapsing of the soft palate. This week, I will practice listening and feeling a shift if this occurs again, and work on maintaining that "baked potato in the mouth" feeling. For VRH, I was to focus on Aimee Newson's performance. She sang an original song, and it was beautiful. There's little to no tension in her voice, and her attacks on each note is clear and well-balanced. Her "oh's" in between the verses projected to the other sides of the room, and filled the room. Her diction is very ...