Sarah Boucher Master Class Critiques 9/17

Sarah Boucher Master Class Critiques 9/17
Sam:
Sam held a lot of tension in his upper body causing his breath to be shallow and more "bucket" like. I didn't get a sense that his lower body was contributing to his singing at all. I really enjoy Sam's rich tone and overall quality in his voice but I think that it would be even richer if he would engage his whole body more. I liked Cindy's suggestion to dance the piece while you sing to help with phrasing. This also helped Sam to engage his lower body as well. I think what really helped him with the phrasing the most was when she had him imagine a rollercoaster. I like that image that roller coasters move on momentum not an engine. I think the exercises that she gave him for his shoulders, will help to alleviate the tension in the upper body. As he works on the phrasing and engaging his whole body, I think his tone will become even freer and his high notes not as pressed.
Luke:
Like Sam, Luke also appeared to hold a lot of tension in the upper body. I thought his tone was very effortless and had a nice spin to it. However, it had a little bit of a breathy quality in it. I liked that Luke had very clear diction, especially in his consonants. His eyes were expressive but the way he held himself made him seem scared and insecure. I noticed that as Cindy held his arms and he was trying to fight to get away from her, he had so much energy in his singing, the tone still was effortless but the breathy quality disappeared. As Cindy had him think of phrases by pointing and releasing, he became more confident and his sound improved immensely. I liked how Cindy discussed breathing as engaging and then letting go, and I think that this really helped Luke with his phrasing of the piece.