Emily F. Sarah F. lesson record/reactions for 2/27

Emily F. Sarah F. lesson record/reactions for 2/27:
E: How are you feeling today?
S: Good, but tired.
E: Let's stretch. [We both stretched and yawned. I asked her to stand how she would if she were getting ready to sing.] What are you feeling in your feet and your knees?
S: The weight of my body...
E: Good, that's what I want you to feel! Ok. Can you lock your knees? Can you bend your knees? Is there something between those two--where you're standing strong and tall, but your knees aren't locked. Is that comfortable, or does it feel like you're doing work?
S: It feels comfortable.
E: Good. So there are really three positions for our knees: locked, bent, or balanced. You tend to lock your knees when you sing, so that's something to think about. Imagine your weight going down to your feet, not your knees. Does that feel good?
S: Yeah.
E: What singing have you done today?
S: None.
E: Ok. [We hummed a sigh-like sound for a bit, then I asked her to [mma] and let her jaw fall open on the [a]. I noticed her straining and reaching to match my pitch.] Ok, you can go higher but only if it's comfortable and easy. If you feel like you're stretching or pushing to get to that note, it's not a beneficial exercise.
S: Ok. [I modeled a few lower ones, and let her go wherever the pitch was comfortable. Then I asked her to sing [mm a] on 54321, beginning at F#4, G4, Ab4, A4, Bb4. I asked her if it was still feeling pretty easy. It was, so I continued up to B4.I reminded her to let her jaw drop open. C5, C#5. She was doing fine, but I sensed a hollow, disconnected sound. I asked her to speak "yom" with me, a chewy type of exercise.The "y" and the "m" to help get the nasal/forward access, and the [a] to maintain the low jaw and larynx. We moved through the range, just speaking. I asked her to sing [ni ne na no nu] on 54321 at A4, Bb4, B4, C4. I asked her to try articulating with just her tongue because I saw her jaw tensing up again. We tried speaking the [n] with just a tongue flip. I asked her to let her head fall back slightly and let her jaw open. I asked her to snort a couple times. We went back to [ni ne na no nu]. She still changed so much from speech to singing. I asked her to speak a [ni ni] in an obnoxious way.]
E: I want your [ni ne na no nu] that you sing to be more like the [ni ni] that you say. [She tried again and it was better, and I told her that. We had a "conversation" using the same syllables, and went right back to the exercise, starting at C#5. It was better. I happened to look at her knees and saw them locked. I pointed to them and she moved back to balanced. We went to D5. I reminded her of knees and jaw, and moved to Eb5. We did a few squats because she was tired, and stiffening. We got realigned, did a couple sighs, then I asked her to sing staccato [bap]s on 1358531, at C4, C#4, D4. Her sound was airy and disconnected, so I asked for [bip] beginning at D4. The connection was better. Eb4, E4. I asked her to try inhaled "k" with a quick [ka] 8531 at F#5. It was a challenge for her, but I gave her a few attempts at it, G5, Ab5. We went back down to G5 on [ku], F#5, F5. I went back to staccato [bap], but opening to [a], legato descending. C4, C#4, D4, Eb4.] Let's move onto a song. What do you want to work on? The ending?
S: Yeah. [I played her notes and she sang the first phrase. I stopped her because her sound was somewhat manufactured, hollow, and airy.]
E: K, can you sing this without "singing" it? More like speaking? Actually, why don't you just speak it in rhythm? [She did, but pressed it in her speech. I asked for a littler girl voice. I asked her to sing the phrase again, on [ni].] Can you make that an uglier [ni]? What did that feel like to you?
S: Um, like in the back of my throat and swallowed-ish.
E: Hm, because out here it sounds the opposite of that. It sounded more swallowed before.
S: It felt almost like the inhaled k. Like touching the back of my throat.
E: Ok. So let's try [nu] with a nice low jaw, but keep the "n" here (in the mask), and let your tongue just articulate it. I'm sorry, that's a lot of instructions!
S: What? [I modeled what I wanted. She followed and it sounded free and easy.]
E: How was that?
S: It was better. It felt open and not in my throat.
E: Good, the [u] is really good for keeping your larynx low. So let's keep singing that. [This part of the song was from Eb4 to Bb4. We moved into the chorus, which ranged from Bb4 to Eb5. Her neck started jutting forward. I stopped and asked her if she realized that her neck was moving forward, and she didn't. I had her try the "teacher, pick me!" posture, while sitting, because I felt like the neck was in combination with a saggy spine. She tried that for a bit, then started doing toaster shoulders on her own.] Good girl, doing toaster shoulders! I wasn't very clear about this before, but when you do this, just let your arms fall into place. Yeah, there you go. There it is! That's what I want to see! Your head is still a little far forward. Can you move it back just a tiny bit? Does that feel like you're pushing it back?
S: Yeah.
E: Ok, then. Let's try this. If you were getting really sleepy and your head just kinda fell forward, what would that be like? Not too far. [I had her sing in this position on [nu].] I liked the sound of that one. What did you feel?
S: I felt like I was going to fall asleep!
E: I know, it's so hard to balance between having that released, free feeling and having enough energy! I think it's a huge challenge. I liked if you were feeling released up here (neck, shoulders, jaw) that's a good thing. That's what I wanted. [I asked her to try singing the chorus again. She was breathing clavicularly, gaspy.] Ok. Stop there. This time I want you to take as much time as you want to get your breath in between phrases. [I modeled. She followed, but slowed down the phrases to make the breath fit the time. :) I asked her to sing the phrases at the regular speed and just take extra time to get an easy breath.] I want you to feel like everything in here (mouth, nose, airway) is really open when you breathe in and free when you sing. If you're reaching for the notes or squeezing, don't worry about it. Don't make the sound come out. I just want it to feel really easy. [She tried it, but her [nu] seemed to be getting in the way--she was holding her jaw and lips a lot, so I asked her to sing [ba], remembering to let her jaw fall open.] Also, when you breathe in, take as much time as you need and let the air just come in. Maybe picture that you're smelling a flower and that when you need to breathe, the smell of that flower is just right there, filling up your nose. Man, I'm giving you so many instructions, and you're doing so well at following them! [She tried the chorus again on [ba] and took her time with the breathing. I pointed to my jaw and opened my mouth while she was singing, and she followed the cue well. It was improved.] Good job opening your mouth more! We're out of time, but what did you get from today?
S: Um, don't lock my knees, keep my hands off my hips, open my jaw more, and take time breathing if I need it.
E: Good! We'll work on more breathing stuff next time, but I want to leave you with this idea of openness when you breathe. Your lungs are a big open space, your throat is a big open space, your nasal cavity is big and open. It's just open and available for you. You don't need to "suck in" air, it's just there when you need it. Kind of a jaw-dropping surprise breath--how does that feel?
S: Like, "ah!"
E: Yeah, so practice that. Good lesson!
Lesson reactions: I felt more confident than before. I tried to remember the notes you gave from the supervised lesson, Cindy, and they were helpful. I focused a little more on my piano playing, and was more successful than I thought I'd be, remembering my triads and 5 note patterns. I think speech to singing transitions are effective for Sarah if I can move quickly enough through them so that they're linked well. I still feel like we did a lot of talking and stopping, but I think I got more vocalizes in than before. I know I need to let Sarah experience more, but I don't want her to practice her bad habits, so I stop a lot, especially when it is dealing with body and jaw tensions. It was good, however, that I was able to just indicate by pointing or showing sometimes and it reminded her of what I was asking for without having to stop the singing. I still think Sarah's neck is pushed forward, but she seems to feel like it's comfortable, and any adjustment to that is pushing it back. Maybe she needs more time with the idea, or maybe her cervical or thoracic curve is bigger than I think it is and she really is comfortable? The work on the posture was good, and she was pretty receptive and compliant.This lesson felt more effective and smooth, so I'm feeling better, even though I know I have a lot to work on still.