{Yes, I'm very away that this is not France, and it's still pretty.}
Belle Nuit
One of my favorite songs. Main things to listen for:
1) Phrases are connected
2) Vibrato is consistent
3) The voice moves as though it is swelling in and out with the waves of the see. This takes control of the breath and lift in the voice with MUCH practice!
The Girl in 14 G
Here's a couple of fun clips of me singing. Don't you love that first picture of me. This song is way out of my comfort zone, however, I love to sing it. I find it important for students to go out of their comfort zone as well since it helps them to build more confidence.
The Girl in 14 G
Weeping Mary
This movie I sang and shot in one day. It was FREEZING!!! Yet it turned out great!
Learning the Background of Music
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- Sometimes I've been given songs by teachers that I feel like, "Oh my gosh, this is NOT what I want to sing!" Why? Because I often felt that the song was 'boring' or it didn't fit with my voice. However, when I researched the song and I found out why it was written, I often enjoy the song more.
- Researching what it is that you are singing or playing is very crucial to being able to completely express to the audience what the message is.
- I've been looking at the song, "I Wonder As I Wander". Here's the description of the song on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wonder_as_I_Wander
Right and Left Brain Wars
Left Brain:
*Logical, analytical thinking, srategies, evaluation and criticisn, detailed specifics, verbal effort, and t hining in the future and in the past-(Power Performance for Singers Emmons/Thomas)
Right Brain:
*Insights, feelings, touch, tempo, intuition, positive feedback, imagery, living in the present, control by goal, nonverbal understading, and effortless flow.-(Power Performance for Singers Emmons/Thomas)
In the book Power Performance for Singers it says: "Best formance results flow from the ability to use mailny the right-brain (syntehsizer) funtion, with occasional visits to the left brain (analyzer) function."
When I used to play in piano concerts, I found that if I had learned a song frontwards and backwards, during the performance I didn't have to think about what my hands were doing, and instead they would take over.
The same is very similar for voice.
Image taken from Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cerebral_lobes.png
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My mother-in-law was asking me about a specific teacher and it reminded me of a book I was given several years ago to study while learning to sing. I have dabbled in it occasionally and decided to crack it out again.
Power Performance for Singers by Emmons/Thomas
My mother-in-law was asking me about a specific teacher and it reminded me of a book I was given several years ago to study while learning to sing. I have dabbled in it occasionally and decided to crack it out again.
What of the points that stuck me was when it said:
"The better performer lies dormant in us for three basic reasons. The first is that the various cultural and social forces have conspired to keep it hidden. The second is that it doesn't belie in itself. THe third is that [the person] literally doesn't know how to make use of potential."
While I have been babysitting three girls under the age of three, I often thought to myself while they were crying, "Have I reached my potential as a mother, friend, and singer?"
Singing is a discipline. It has to be worked on daily. Such is life. We have to work on it daily to keep improving and if we try slacking off one day, it will set us back by 10.
How can we reach our potential unless we are working hard? Good realization for me, so I guess it's off to work. ;)
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Fear
Fear is a major culprit when singing and it often is for me.
Get me singing in front of a bunch of kids to try and encourage them to sing, and I will do back flips, somersaults and dance like a funky chicken.
Adults are a big challenge for me. One of the comments that has helped me was from one of my accompanists, Mary Anne Jordan, who said, "Remember, everyone here is your friend."
Another way has been the "jumping off the diving board" idea. I like this visual because once you dive off a diving board, unless you have superman reflexes, it's really hard to grab the board. Same with singing, once you have started, you keep going.
Here are some easy steps to get started:
{How to Overcome the Fear of Singing in Public}
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Fear
Fear is a major culprit when singing and it often is for me.
Get me singing in front of a bunch of kids to try and encourage them to sing, and I will do back flips, somersaults and dance like a funky chicken.
Adults are a big challenge for me. One of the comments that has helped me was from one of my accompanists, Mary Anne Jordan, who said, "Remember, everyone here is your friend."
Another way has been the "jumping off the diving board" idea. I like this visual because once you dive off a diving board, unless you have superman reflexes, it's really hard to grab the board. Same with singing, once you have started, you keep going.
Here are some easy steps to get started:
{How to Overcome the Fear of Singing in Public}
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For more information, please read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpal_tunnel
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Vittoria, Mio Core
I have a confession to make...I had to sing this song in the car. Well, first of all, let me apologize. My family got incredibly sick and we have been out of comission for quite a while. My voice, sadly has been affected because of the lack of practice. Yet, I'm up and at em again with this not so good recording. However, the song had to be done and I felt like I needed to move on.
Anyhow, so I sang this song in the car. I'm terrified that my neighbors are going to start banging on our door demanding that I shut my mouth and yet I really want to keep singing. So, even though I knew it wouldn't be the best recording since my diaphram was completely squished, I went ahead and deed the deed.
I think in the future I will sing in the closet.
What I need to work on:
1) Stay on pitch
2) Not feel rushed
3) Have more legato lines
Carpal Tunnel
When I was taking piano lessons I would practice for about 2 hours a day, was in a keyboarding and web design class. The result was that I destroyed my hands and got Carpal Tunnel. I had to go through hand therapy and still feel the pang throughout my hands every once in a while. In my teaching, I stress the need of keeping the hands healthy.
When I was taking piano lessons I would practice for about 2 hours a day, was in a keyboarding and web design class. The result was that I destroyed my hands and got Carpal Tunnel. I had to go through hand therapy and still feel the pang throughout my hands every once in a while. In my teaching, I stress the need of keeping the hands healthy.
For more information, please read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpal_tunnel_________________________________________________________________________________
Vittoria, Mio Core
I have a confession to make...I had to sing this song in the car. Well, first of all, let me apologize. My family got incredibly sick and we have been out of comission for quite a while. My voice, sadly has been affected because of the lack of practice. Yet, I'm up and at em again with this not so good recording. However, the song had to be done and I felt like I needed to move on.
Anyhow, so I sang this song in the car. I'm terrified that my neighbors are going to start banging on our door demanding that I shut my mouth and yet I really want to keep singing. So, even though I knew it wouldn't be the best recording since my diaphram was completely squished, I went ahead and deed the deed.
I think in the future I will sing in the closet.
What I need to work on:
1) Stay on pitch
2) Not feel rushed
3) Have more legato lines
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