Emily Cottam's MC Critique, 9/3

Master Class Critique, 9/3

Emily Cottam

Shalayna

For her breathing, there was some chest movement with the intake of breath, and at the end of phrases, there was a slight “huff” after the breath was over, but it wasn’t too distracting. Some breaths had less movement than others. Her vibrato is very even and round and lovely. The intonation is very good, and as far as I could tell, there weren’t any outstanding problems. The timbre of her voice is slightly fuzzy on some of the chest-range notes, but the higher notes were crystal clear. Her facial expression was quite even throughout and appropriate for the piece, but I think I would’ve liked a little more variation. Her diction was good, and almost everything was understandable except for a few parts. Shalayna responded very well to Cindy Dewey’s instructions--she had her speak the text aloud and in character, which added intention, meaning, clarify, and connection to the audience. Making the text conversational added fluidity to her performance. Overall, I think her performance and responsiveness to the master class was very good because even though her singing was already beautiful, she was able to improve upon it and make the performance more relatable through clear diction alone. 

Jacob

His breathing was slightly audible and had an occasional “h” sound at the beginnings and ends of some phrases, but it wasn’t very often and didn’t really distract from the performance. For his intonation, his pitch was very good, but there was some straining when he was trying to reach the high notes. His timbre was very rounded and clear with even vibrato--a lovely tenor voice. His diction was clear as far as I could tell (Italian)--his vowels were slightly altered to adjust for high notes. His expression was very even throughout; he seemed very concentrated on technique and sometimes fell out of character. Cindy Dewey had him put a pencil in his mouth to “disengage” his jaw and help him to learn the sensation of depth using internal space, rather than chin movement for high notes. He responded extremely well and his high notes had more depth and sounded effortless at point. Overall, his performance and responsiveness to the master class was very good because even though it took him several tries, by the end of the “lesson,” he beginning to sing the correct sounds he was struggling with. 

Elizabeth
Her breathing was a little loud and her chest seemed to collapse as she ran out of air. Her timbre was slightly muffled, but had a clear and even vibrato that I liked very much. Her diction was good, but seemed a little fuzzy at points because the starts of her phrases weren’t as annunciated. Her expression was very good, especially at the beginning of her piece, but at some points she fell out of character, but just for a few seconds because she was concentrating. Her high and long notes seemed to be a little tense, but I think it was because her breathing was tight. Cindy Dewey addressed this and fixed her posture, telling her to “make the shadow of the rib cage hover over her hips.” She relaxed her shoulders and didn’t allow the chest to collapse. She sounded less strained, appeared to be more relaxed, and the music just seemed easier to sing. Overall, I think she did a very good job in her performance and in the master class because just by fixing her posture and releasing tension, her tone and breath quality became must clearer and enjoyable to listen to.