Elizabeth Tait Masterclass

Shalayna Guisao
Breathing: I still don't feel very apt at detecting breathing issues, or lack thereof.  If we're going to be honest.
Intonation: Sometimes the pitch isn't exact, and I feel it's the result of mental laziness.  The lack of pitch precision is also due to a wide vibrato that isn't focused.  I believe that her wide vibrato is resulting from lack of energized breath and from again, lack of mental focus.
Timbre: Beaty, breathy, and inconsistent
Diction: The diction sound affected, which makes me believe she hasn't internalized the meaning of the piece to the fullest extent
Expressiveness: I take the song as a sad reflection, and she portrayed it with a bit of confidence and happiness, which felt weird to me.  It doesn't have to be sad necessarily, but I would like to see more vulnerability.
Masterclass Improvement: I feel like her monologue wasn't as improved as Cindy was indicating, although it didn't get better.  It never felt real to me until Shalayna connected it to her own fiancee.  And then her singing improved with that real life connection.  However, I would like the honesty on her face to also improve, not just the voice.
Overall Performance:  It didn't seem like she wanted to be here.  It didn't seem like she felt passionate about singing.  And if she did, amazing things could happen.

Jake Spjute
Breathing: I saw nothing happening in the body, which makes me think that he is perhaps a bit tense.  He has a look of tension to me.
Intonation: Jake has always had a flatness problem in his top range, which has improved this summer!  But in this performance, I still noticed a flatness issue in descending intervals.  Keep the energy up even as you descend!
Timbre: Very clear and square (square is a good thing)
Diction: The Italian is very clear and well done, but I think there is a step farther you could go.  It's going from correct, to convincingly Italian.  Right now he is just correct.
Expressiveness: I he started out the piece with an appropriate playboy expression on his face, which worked perfectly.  Howerver, he lost it very quickly as he began singing and problem began with Ali Snow.  The Duke would have totally left Ali in the dust, and so could Jake!
Masterclass Improvement: It seems like he already knows everything that Cindy is going to tell him, so I'm excited to see some real improvement next time he sings.  If he's already aware of the problems, he's well on the road to fix it.  I wish I heard a bigger difference in his easiness of tone, but baby steps are good too.
Overall Performance: Overall, very pleasing quality of performance (besides the coordination with Ali).  Jake seems very attentive to his voice, and aware of sensations in his body.