Emily F. lesson 4/16

Emily F. lesson 4/16: Laurie was kind enough to add a lesson for me this semester because one of our lessons was mostly talking. So we broke it up into two half-hour chunks this week and next before juries. I was warmed up and ready to go today. My accompanist came, so we dove right into the music. I hadn't worked on "Shelling Peas" in a couple weeks so I sang that. It was improved. I missed a couple of rhythms, but it was pretty good. Laurie asked me to take more time in some of the dramatic sections, and to add more face and drama to the song. We moved on to "Faites-lui mes aveux". I began by singing the whole aria with my back up against the wall and my arms up and out to remind myself to keep my A-O joint balanced and my chest open. It was a challenge, but I couldn't feel anything in my throat, so it was effective and good. I was able to feel when I wanted to adjust or squeeze or move my head. Laurie then had me do a half-squat, take some big breaths, and sing some in that low position. We ran some rough spots, speaking through text, keeping head balanced, working on the "pucker" of French, and feeling big nasopharyngeal space. We also worked on the forward momentum and line of the phrases. One phrase I sung and Laurie said it was "perfect". She said she couldn't say anything to improve it. Hooray! I know it was just one line one time, in a lesson, but it was nice to know that I'm doing some things well, even if only occasionally. We discussed my plans for jury, but I'm still not sure which song to present. I really like every song on my list and don't know which is the best to showcase what I've learned and how I've improved. My goals are to spend the majority of my practice time reciting and reading texts, both English and French. Another goal is that I don't do any "chameleon" singing. I've always sung with the radio or recordings, and tried to match the sound I hear. It makes my voice tired and I'm recognizing it more and more all the time. I'm trying to discover my own authentic sound by feel. I feel well prepared for juries, so I'm kind of looking forward to it this time!