Emily Cottam's VRH Critique, 9/5

Vocal Recital Hour Critique, 9/5/13Emily Cottam 

Emily Floyd: She was a little bit of a bucket breather especially after long and sustained notes, you could tell that her chest had collapsed slightly after her breath intake. The shorter phrases were much more supported with “balloon” breathing. Her intonation was good overall, but on the higher notes (ranging somewhere around B3 to D4), you went a little flat, so much keep those in mind. The timbre was dark and lovely, but at times seemed a little swallowed, so perhaps open your mouth a little more and open up the throat. The diction was well learned, but I think it could use some more emphasis on the consonants throughout the song--German is even more beautiful when all the consonants (as well as the vowels) are heard. The Eb3 (? forgive me if I’m totally off) was very good and I liked the resonance for that note especially. Your expressiveness was pretty consistent through the song, and it was good, but I would like some more variation in your face. Very good posture, and a wonderfully loose jaw. I enjoyed the performance very much because the tempo and volume were very good for the song and very appropriate.

Amber Danslow: She’s a bit of a bucket breather; especially after longer phrases, with a loud breath intake after long phrases, try to keep your back and lower ribs open to prevent that. Intonation was good overall, but some of the notes leading up to higher notes seemed to be slightly out of tune--just keep a check on that; I don’t think it was much of a problem. The timbre of your voice was slightly hoarse and raspy, but it may have been because of the breathing problem stated above. As a result, the tone seemed a little shallow. You had very good diction, and I liked the good emphasis on consonant sounds. Expression was good, but it seemed a little tense and unsure. You have a nervous movement in your hands--try to relax that. (I have this same problem too). Overall, I think it was good because I liked the diction and the use of dynamics in the performance. 

Amber (the younger) Farrow: Her breathing seemed a little more on the bucket side--after longer phrases, she’d lean slightly to the left as she ran out of breath. Try and keep the back open and check your posture while you sing. The intonation was good, but on the high notes for “fly high and proud,” it went a tiny bit sharp. The timbre of voice was clear, but the lower notes seemed to be a little shallow and swallowed; opening your mouth a little more will help, I think. The diction was very good; the speaking part was very natural, and I liked the conversational tone of it. The facial expression was good in the beginning, but every once in a while it faltered. Just remember to stay in character. Overall, the performance was very enjoyable because for the most part, it was easy going and conversational. 

Michael Lechner: Breathing seemed to be good--I didn’t see any signs of difficulty or movement. The intonation was a little off on the high notes; I think if you loosen up the voice and open up the front part of the mouth, it’ll be easier to reach them. The jaw was a little tight as well, and keeping the chin up will help too. The timbre of the voice seemed a little nasal to me--avoid swallowing the tone. The diction was slightly muffled--remember to relish in the German consonants. The facial expression was very loose; try more “cheek” and mask involvement and relax the forehead a little--this will help with the tone quality as well. Memorization was a little shaky, but I think it was just nerves. Overall, I thought the performance was okay--just work on loosening up the body because the tenseness in your shoulders and jaw area really affected the performance. 

Jared Daley: His breathing was good and balloon-like for the most part; there were some moments when you became a bucket on the shorter breath intakes. The intonation was very good. The timbre of voice was clear and resonant, and the vibrato was nice and controlled, especially on the last sustained note (which I loved). Try working on resonance consistency on the key change and when you reach a higher register in your voice. The diction was good, with excellent consonant emphasis--however, just watch that the glottal stops on “ever” and “I” aren’t too strong. Keep it conversational. The expression of the piece was good, with dynamic contrasts, but towards the end your face became a bit robotic because you were concentrating. Engage your eyes. Overall, the performance was very good because the piece was well prepared, and emotionally engaging (for the most part). 

Sarah Gee: Breathing was good; there were moments when the shoulders would collapse ever so slightly after long sustained notes. The intonation had a little mess-up in the very beginning, but I think it was just a simple “one-time” thing. The timbre was a little muffled; try loosening the jaw and opening up the throat a little more. Along these same lines, your diction was muffled because the tone was swallowed. I can hear the location of the resonance in the back molars--try opening the mouth a little more. I really liked the expressiveness of the piece, and it stayed consistent through the song. Overall, I thought the performance was good because the music was lovely and the expression was appropriately done. 

Jordan Davis: Breathing was like a bucket--make sure the shoulders don’t collapse when you breathe in and out. The intonation was a little off on the notes for “chairs, airs”--even though it’s fast, the notes didn’t seem very solid. The timbre was clear enough for the most part, but on the higher notes it was a little swallowed. Don’t spread your mouth out too much--I think it might have affected your tone. The diction was very good and understandable. The expression was well done, just relax the body (especially the shoulders). Overall, I thought the performance was well done because he was emotive and expressive throughout the piece and it was fun to watch. 

Aubrianne Dunn: She was a bucket breather--watch that you keep your back and rib cage open and breathe down, not up. The intonation was very good as far as I could tell. The timbre was quiet/muffled and slightly hoarse--it sort of sounded like she’d been singing all day and her voice was tired. The vibrato seemed a little shallow, probably because of the breathing problem. The high notes seemed to be very dependent on the nose, so the resonance was a little off, so try fixing that (I’m not sure if it’s nasality, but the tone seemed swallowed). The diction was clear and understandable. The expressiveness was very good and changed throughout the piece. Overall, I think her performance was very fun to watch, but I think she should mostly work on her breathing technique because it really affected her performance. 

Emily Hess: She was a balloon-breather as far as I could tell--I couldn’t see any movement when she took a breath, and I didn’t hear anything as well. The intonation was good for the most part; watch the pitches on “inside the wind” and “sky.” The timbre was bell-like and clear. The diction was very good, but I think I would like some more consonant emphasis, but on some words, like “blows,” focus more on the vowel and don’t move to the consonants too quickly. The expressiveness was good, but I think I would like some more variation. Overall, I thought the performance was very good because her tone is nice to listen to because of the clarity and her intonation was nearly perfect. 

Kayelee Ferris: She did a lot of bucket breathing except in preparation for the higher sections of the music--just keep the breaths low and avoid moving the shoulders. Open up the lower rib cage to help with that. The intonation was good; just watch the “great” in “how great thou art.” I think I’d like more consonant emphasis as well. The timbre of voice was clear for the most part, but on some of the low notes the resonance didn’t come out as well as on the higher notes and seemed slightly muffled. Just keep the throat open and the chin up just as you would with the higher notes. The expressiveness was slightly robotic throughout the piece--loosen up the face and forehead. Overall, I think the performance was good because the higher section of the music was beautifully resonant and the arrangement of the piece was interesting and new.