Emily F. lesson 3/19

Emily F. lesson 3/19: Pass off day! I was quite well prepared with my five pieces (Laurie took one away because I had two arias). I spoke through texts and translations of "Mandoline," "Faites-lui mes aveux," and "Parto, ma tu ben mio" and sang them. Laurie commented that she was really glad to hear my voice moving. I worked really hard on the fioratura passages in "Parto" and know the notes, but it's still super difficult for me to haul my clunky voice through it all, but apparently the work I've done on it is making my voice more maneuverable all the time. I spoke through and sang "Shelling Peas" and "The Last Word of a Bluebird" by John Duke. All of that took only a half hour, so we worked the rest of the time. Because of spring break and working so hard on my lyrics, my voice has felt tight and heavy. We worked on "Faites-lui mes aveux". My French wasn't smiley or rounded enough, but when I tried to do that, it was tight. Laurie had me pinch the front middle of my lips together and sing, and it made a world of difference. We both laughed because my back space just opened up beautifully. I tried to maintain that "back space" feeling without the lip aid, but I couldn't quite do it. I felt a little frustrated that I couldn't figure out what I was doing to make everything so tight and heavy, and I just really wanted to know what was going on physically so I could isolate and identify it. It was interesting to be able to feel subtle things that were wrong and be curious about the pedagogical side of it. It makes me feel like I'm learning. We also worked on "The Last Word of a Bluebird" because the notes and rhythms are quite difficult. It was a happy lesson, with good work done, and a good sense of accomplishment. My goals for next week are: to continue mastering the text of the French aria, spend time mastering the entrances of "Shelling Peas," continue working out the music of "Bluebird," and try to discover what's going on with my lack of back space.