Emily F. Sarah F. lesson record/reactions for 3/13

Emily F. Sarah F. lesson record/reactions for 3/13:
E: How are you feeling today?
S: Great, thanks.
E: Have you been doing any singing?
S: Uh, not really, because I'm done with my choir class and I haven't been practicing.
E: Ok. How does your voice feel?
S: Fine. [I had her do some sighs on different vowels [hi he ha ho hu] and asked her to move the voice around more--high and low. I had her sing [ni ne na no nu] on 54321 beginning at G4, Ab4, A4, Bb4.] Thank you for continuing to sing even when I play the wrong notes! [B4, C5, Db5, D5, Eb5. I had a "conversation" with her, using the same vowels, extending some syllables, making some short, taking her high and low. I went back to the 54321 at A4, and played it quicker so that she wouldn't "set up" to sing and think too much. I gave her some visual cues so she'd just sing it.] Good! I really like that speech-like quality. [Bb4, B4, C5, Db5. I asked her to sing [bi be ba bo bu] instead. Up by half-step till F5, back down to D5. I stopped and modeled speaking and quickly singing. Down a few more half-steps. I asked her for [ssai] on a sigh sound, fairly high (about F5). She did one with a very tight jaw.] Ok. This time I want your jaw to just drop open when you get to the [a]. [She did it again and her whole sound was transformed.] Mmm. I liked that one! Did you like it?
S: Umm...
E: Was it hard?
S: Yes! [She did a couple more]
E: Think speak instead of sing. [She did more, better. I asked her to move throughout her range and do a few. I occasionally reminded her, to her grumbles, about her jaw. I thought that the [ss] was maybe getting hard for her to release the jaw with so I asked for [bai] instead. It was easier for her. She easily got up to a B5. I went back to 54321 on [ssai] starting low, E4, down by half-step till B3. I played slowly and reminded her to take her time with the breaths and to let the sound be quiet and airy if needed, and not push. We went back up to E4, down by half-steps again till B3. I asked her to sing [bap]s on 1358531 starting at A3, up by half-step till D4. She was getting rigid so I asked her to shake it out and practice saying flabby-lipped [b]s. She giggled at my face and had a hard time releasing, but eventually did. We went back to 1358531 at C4.] Oh, you were doing so good at the flabby [ba]s, and then you went like this: [I demonstrated what I saw her doing, "setting up" her singing voice and holding jaw and lips. I asked her to sing the vocalize with her "dumb" jaw and lips. She did and it was much more released all around.] Yeah! [Db4, up by half-steps till F4.] I'm still seeing a lot of jaw management. Would it help you to sing floppy [bla] instead? [She tried and it was better. G4, up by half-step till F5. I occasionally gave her some visual cues, and asked for a silent scream in there too, but she did well.] That was high! You got up to the F above high C! Let me show you where that would be on the staff. High, huh? Good job. [I asked for a quick-moving siren, down-up-down. We tried a trilled [r]. She could do it but it seemed like she was doing weird things with her tongue or larynx--I couldn't identify it, but I didn't want to use it because it sounded not great. So I asked her to speak words in the completely nasal way--you know where the articulation happens but all the sound is directed through the nose. She gave it a try but thought it was funny and couldn't quite figure it out. I asked her to try saying [ng] and move that around. Then I asked for [hng n m i u] on one pitch, G4, Ab4, A4. Sarah noticed that she was locking her knees so she did a little moving around. I complimented her on her catching that. I asked her to try some lip trill, and it wasn't bad. So we did lip trill on 135, open to [a] on 8531 beginning at A3, Bb3. I asked her to pay attention to what was going on in her body. B3, C4.] So what did you notice?
S: Tightness in my neck.
E: Ok. Try letting your head just move a tiny bit (bobble head) while you sing. [She did another one. It was pretty gushy. I think maybe I should have just let her do the lip trill throughout the arpeggio instead of opening up. I asked her to say "nyah-nyah" a few times. We spoke in that voice for a minute.] I'm really glad you're staying aware of your knees. [Sarah picked a hymn to practice. I played the melody through for her. I let her sing the song through. It was hollow, shaky, with an elevated larynx.] I want you to say the words in rhythm, connected. It's like one big word with consonants in it. And I'm glad you're being conscious of your knees, but instead of swaying, can you find a balanced position for them and kinda stay? Good. [I modeled the connected speech I wanted on the first phrase. She tried speaking, then jumping right into the phrase singing it.] What did you feel different between the speaking and the singing?
S: I don't know, can I try again?
E: Yes! [She did, and it was better.]
S: It felt like I had more power in my singing.
E: Ok. Good. This time I want you to speak that same phrase several times, each time a little higher, but still just speaking. [I modeled, and she followed.] Good. I feel like you're getting a little squishy. It's like your larynx is crawling up your neck! [I modeled what I was hearing from her.] I want you to do the same thing, but when you speak it higher, every time I want you to think "down" and point to the ground. [I modeled. She followed. She did a lot better. It took a second or two into each phrase for her larynx to lower, but it did every time.] That sounded a lot better! Did it feel better to you?
S: I couldn't tell a difference.
E: It sounded more your age. Before, when you did it, it sounded like you were getting younger and younger each time you got higher. Can you take a surprise breath? [I modeled. She followed.] How big does your throat feel when you do that?
S: Huge.
E: Ok. If you think about singing this note [D5], how does your throat feel?
S: Not huge.
E: Can you try having that big throat feeling and sing that note? [She tried, on "ha", and it was shaky and difficult. She felt bad that it didn't sound good. I reassured her that she didn't have to sound pretty, just have the big throat feeling. She tried again. Pretty released.] K, that was better, but I still see your jaw trying to hold on to it. Can you let your jaw release? [She tried again, with the released jaw, and it was really nice. Wobbly and insecure, but healthy sounding.] There you go! [I modeled some descending "ha"s, glissando 54321 beginning at D5, and she followed.] Those are good! You're doing well. I just want to add a little. This time I want you to open your jaw as wide as you can. It will be unnaturally wide, but that's ok for now. You won't sing like this. [She tried, and it was good--still wobbly.]
S: Oh, that's weird!!!
E:Yeah?
S: It just felt so different!
E: It was good! You know, if you want to really get better at singing, you're going to need to get used to having your mouth more open! My teachers have us put tootsie rolls in between our back molars to help us with that. In fact, let's try this. [I gave her a pencil to put in between her teeth and asked her to sing the song again. After a phrase with the words, I asked her to sing on [i] instead.] Ok. You can take the pencil out. What did you feel?
S: It sounded better. I mean, it wasn't prettier, but it sounded more open.
E: Did you feel your jaw wanting to close, like on the high notes?
S: Yeah!
E: So that's not a bad way to practice. We're out of time, but what did you learn from today's lesson?
S: That I need to open my mouth more. And that I should think "down" on high notes.
E: You did really good paying attention to your knees. Good job!
Lesson reactions: This was definitely one of our best lessons. I felt like Sarah was cooperative and willing to do what I asked of her. Our social rhythm was better. She forged on ahead when I made mistakes on the piano, I was able to give short verbal and visual cues that were effective. I felt like the last part of the lesson when we worked on her having a low, unrestricted larynx, was really effective. I could tell that opening her mouth more and keeping the larynx low were a challenge for her, but she handled it well. I don't know that she could tell the amount of progress she was making, but it seemed like she was right in the sweet spot of learning.
This lesson almost made me sad that it was the last one because it was good. We mutually agreed to be done after the required seven lessons because we butt heads and Sarah gets frustrated with me, and I with her. But the advantage of her being my daughter was that I was more comfortable making mistakes than I am in front of Tali. Sarah is also a little more capable, vocally, than Tali is, and doesn't get scared when I mess up. I felt freer to experiment a little more with Sarah because I knew she didn't really expect anything from me. Also, she is more familiar with warm-ups and vocalizes than Tali is so she didn't feel the need to understand everything I was doing. I've seen more of my own progress as a teacher with lessons with Sarah than in lessons with Tali, even though Tali is a better student. I wonder why that is? I've seen more dramatic improvements with Sarah than with Tali too, but I'm not sure that they're lasting improvements, because she doesn't have the desire to learn and practice as much as Tali. It's interesting to compare the two.