Emily C.'s MC Critique, 9/24/13

Emily Cottam's Master Class Critique 9/24/13

Emily Floyd

Breathing like a bucket--I see lots of chest movement and collapse at the end of sustained notes. The timbre of voice is warm and slightly muffled and airy. The intonation is generally good throughout the piece; on the high notes you’re slightly off key. The expressiveness was very good. Watch the breath control when preparing for the high notes. Don’t relinquish support/depth when prepping for high notes. 

MC: The song choice is very appropriate. Provide more energy to the song. Even if you feel like you’re giving too much dynamic, you need to be able to project out the piece to the audience. Try singing at least one dynamic level above the piano. This resulted in more resonance. “Piano is not a volume, it is a color.” The piano volume needs to rest on a forte body. More presence when you sing. Everything in whole body needs to vibrate. Sing like you’d speak. 

Overall, she responded very well to his coaching because by the end of the coaching, she had more breath support and her resonance was much more present. 

Sarah Boucher

The diction was very good and the consonants were strong enough to hear. The expressiveness is very good and matched the tone of the song. The breathing is was very good as far as I could tell; there was no movement that I could detect. The timbre is very warm and resonant; the vibrato is very even. Intonation is very good. The dynamic contrast is very good throughout--it shaped the phrases very well. 

MC: Let’s start with breathing--breath in rhythm, much in advance to the starting line. Prepare for the phrase with the breath. Breathing in rhythm is helpful to your accompanist/conductor. Take very full (down to the floor) breath. Take free sighs and take that sensation and apply it to your singing. Make it as resonant/vibrating as possible when speaking the diction. Show the same resonance in the beginning as in the high notes. 

Overall, she responded very well because there was more emotion behind the lower notes as there is on the high notes--the resonance was a lot stronger throughout. 

Sarah Low

Breathing is good--I don’t see much movement, and I think your breath prep for long phrases is very good. Intonation is very good. Diction is a little muffled and I think you can emphasize the consonants a little more. Timbre is light and floating. Expressiveness is a little stiff, but I think it’s just nerves. 

MC: Great longevity and breath control, but it gets a little breathy at times. Very good limber high voice. Show that you’re having fun with expression and body language. This also adds shape and resonance to your sound. Be a little lighter with the notes that lead along the phrase--this makes it easier and adds shape. Add variation to the song with different “colors,” but keep the momentum. End of one phrase bleeds into another. Dancing with your voice. You can only focus sound with your vowel, not your throat. 

Overall, I think the coaching was very productive because the added emotional expressiveness added to the shape of the music and made it more colorful.