RECORD:
We began as usual by stretching and getting caught up on how each other's weeks went.
S: How does your voice feel today?
K: It feel good.
S: Have you had to do any singing or anything?
K: Nah, just sang a bit in the car.
S: No sickness or allergies or anything?
K: Nope.
S: Good. Alright let's start with a nice oo (Just a descending sigh on oo, no pitch) . Put your hands on your cheeks and just feel like that jaw is numb.(We did a few and I noticed her lips were very spread) Can you make a more round shape with your lips for the oo? (She did. I noticed that her onset of sound was not on the gesture of inhale so I took of my sweater and did the demonstration Cindy does, with the scarf. I talked about the analogy of climbing a rope, and how you can't take one hand off until the other is one) That is how I want you to think of the air when you start singing. You shouldn't take a breath and then start singing, they should be the same motion. (I said this while demonstrating on the sweater sleeve.) Let's do those oo's again and I want you to use the sleeve motion, to help the sound come out in sync with the air. (I think it really helped her because the next few she did were a lot better) Did you feel how that was more consistent when the sound came in?
K: Yes.
S: Before it was a little bit more abrupt this was very smooth. Let's try a few more. (She did a bunch) Good those are nice and easy and relaxed. Let's do some as high as you can go and bring it down as long as you can. (She did a few.) Good. Let's do Mi-mi-mi-mi-mi (I demonstrated. 1-3-5-3-1. I chose this because last week I noticed that she slides from note to note a lot and I wanted to do some staccato exercises to combat that. I saw her posture slouching) Can you bring those shoulders back and have your chest open? (We did more but her posture was very hunched. )I want you to stick your fingers in your ear. I want you to imagine - Well you don't have to imagine cause it is really there- that you have a joint right in the center of your head where those fingers would meet. That is the joint that holds your head up. Think of that head just balancing nicely on that joint. I want you to keep your finger's here for a bit as we sing because I see a bit of hunching forward especially on your neck and this will help you remember. (Her posture looked a lot better to me) The neck doesn't need to do anything to hold the head up ok? (Not really sure if that is the correct way to say it but I didn't want her neck doing any work.) Ok let's do those mi's again. (We did a few) Your posture looks great, very upright. Did that feel differently thinking of that posture?
K: Ya, I felt more space.
S: Ya, I heard that and your body looked nice and relaxed. (I should have said released here.) Let's do, a yawn into an ah on a descending 5. (I demonstrated. We did a bunch jumping all over the keyboard. She had a lot of jaw tension) Can you imagine that you are biting into an apple? (We pantomimed it together.) It doesn't feel tense right?
K: Nope.
S: Because it is natural. This time maybe instead of the yawn before, bite the apple. I don't want it to be forced open just released. (She did a bunch. She started out well but after a few uses of the apple bite she would tense and jut her jaw as she changed pitches.) Did you feel like your jaw stayed in the same place the whole vocalize?
K: Ya for the most part...I mean, I am sure it moved a few times but...it was pretty good.
S: Yes, there are a few times when you would open it really well and then you would start to close down. It is just a matter of keeping it loose and numb, you don't need to use your jaw to create the ah sound. Let's try is again. (She did it again) I didn't see any moment but did it feel forced?
K: Ya, I was concentrating really hard on it.
S: Ya, the jaw is a hard thing, we want it released but not forced. Let's do...(at this point I wasn't sure where I should go with vocalizes so I just tried to think of one and came up with Ni-ne-na-no-nu. I think because it comes from speech so it is easy to have the jaw relaxed. We spoke it a few times) Do you feel the release in the jaw?
K: Ya.
S: Ok now let's sing it. (We did a bunch and I took her higher up in her range. When I saw her tensing I would have her do a relaxed sigh) Let's do some more with this higher range, in your childlike voice. Say "hey mom" in your childlike voice. (We did a few of those and did some light sighs as well.) How does that voice feel?
K: It feels alright.
S: It should feel very light and natural-not forced. Now can you do some "weeee"s? (I demonstrated. I found the pitch that she did those on. From that pitch we did 5 to 1 slides on really light we's. She did some very nice light ones but then she started to constrict again) Did you notice anything about the last few we did verses the first few?
K: Um...I noticed a little different. I felt like it was easier to get the G. But the B flat was hard.
S: Obviously, the B flat is higher which makes it harder, but I also noticed that the first few were a lot easier and lighter which also made them better. (We concentrated on being lighter and did the sequence of notes again.) Did that feel better?
K: Ya a bit better but still hard.
S: Ya, it sounded a bit more released than the first time but we will keep working that high range and it will become easier. Alright what would you like to work on?
K: I brought this Wicked book, cause I thought it would be fun to work on some broadway. I didn't have a specific song in mind so any of them would be good.
S: Awesome! I love Wicked. (We got of on a tangent about Wicked for a minute. I chose "I'm not that girl" for her because the other songs are super belty or super high and she has a lot of tension so I didn't even want to go there with her.) Let's do "I'm not that girl". Do you like that one?
K: Ya, let's do it.
S: Ok. Let's just sing some of it. (I had her sing the first page or so. Just to see how it would sound in her voice.) This time, let's get that posture back to where it was. Is the head balancing? (We moved our heads around a bit) I just want you to sigh before each phrase. (Just to get her to release a bit. She sang it that way. I noticed that it was a little more released but that she was sliding a bit into different pitches.) Let's sing it lightly on a staccato bup. (She did it once.) Even shorter, those notes are so hot you can't touch them for long ok? (She did it again) Did you feel how light and easy that was?
K: Yep!
S: Good. Let's yawn before and then just have you sing it on words. (She did it. I noticed the pitches were a bit cleaner, except one of the phrases we very punchy.) Good, I like that in your voice a lot, that is starting to settle in better. Let's look at this phrase, and just sing it on ah. (She did) Take a bite out of your apple. (She did it again. Still punchy) Let's try sighing right into the phrase. (She did, and it was a bit better.) Let's go from the phrase before and go into it. In between the two phrases you can sigh to help you. (She did it again, it was better) Awesome, we are out of time! This is good, I am glad you brought this! I really do love that in your voice.
REACTIONS:
I feel like the onset "scarf" thing of Cindy's really helped Kathy, it improved her onset a lot. But then I never referred back to it in the rest of the lesson! I should have used it again to really help solidify the concept in her mind. I think it would have helped in "I'm not that girl". I feel like Kathy's body map is not very developed and that I really could take more time to help develop that. I need to develop her internal model and help her body map better, and I could do that by asking more questions. For a few lessons, I was getting better at asking questions but this one I did terrible. I also gave her the answer instead of making her think! Shame on me! I need to be hyper aware of that!!! I want to take more opportunities to teach her about her body map and give her more instant feedback about what she is doing.
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