LaeKin Burgess
VRH Critiques
9/5/13
Emily Floyd- Breathing was high in the chest and bucket-like for the most part. However, there were some good moments and I could tell you were really trying to relax. Try preparing further in advance for the breath. There were some moments where you had a few measures of rest and still waited until the last possible moment to draw your breath. Your intonation was fine except on the high notes in your register which didn't receive enough air causing them to go flat. As you sing higher your head tilts to the right, you tense up and you cover your sound. Really energize that breath and your full, mellow timbre can come forth. Even though the higher notes were tight everything preceding and leaving the high notes sounds really good and you are very relaxed and pleasant to watch. Maybe you could try the silent practicing of model behavior like we talked about in class with Cindy. Diction was quite good but it could really use some more consonant. For your expressiveness I commend you that even though everything didn't go as you wanted it to you continued to strive for a relaxed but focused composure. Overall I see improvement from past performances just really work on relaxing shoulders and neck while energizing the breath.
Amber Denslow- Breathing was a bit gaspy but there were some good, well prepared breaths. Intonation was iffy on some of your high notes as you got a bit pushy the pitch went flat but this only happened a few times. Timbre is bright and sometimes airy. Sometimes I felt the breaths were a bit shallow. Diction was fine, I didn't notice any problems here. Your expression was great, I really felt like you knew what your piece was about. There were a few things that were distracting to me like how your left foot was popped up the whole time which made you look off balance. Also, your eyes were expressive but shifted focus a lot which lost some of the emphasis you were trying to achieve I think. Overall great performance. I would suggest having specific points of focus and using lower breaths to achieve the energy you want for the high notes. Good job!
Amber Farrow- Breaths were very shallow and your posture shifted continually from side to side. Ground yourself and get that breath more balloon like and your voice will soar. Because of the shallow breaths I felt like you were pushing out your notes which caused you to sing flat part of the time. If you energize and take the breath lower in your body it'll be easier to sing. Your timbre is warm and dark which is a very nice sound when not pushed. I lost some of your diction but it was mostly good. Expression was great but the piece required a bit more straightforwardness which I think could've been achieved to a greater degree if you had grounded your stance a bit more. The expression in your eyes, however, was spot on. I also feel that some of your tension might be in your jaw. Overall you have great things to offer so when you go up to sing know that and own it. You have a beautiful voice and expression just ground your stance a bit more and RELAX.
Michael Lechner- Breaths were shallow and under-energized. I felt like your posture could've used a bit more of a lift and this might have helped your breathing. Intonation was good when you had sufficient breath but flat when you began to run out. Your timbre was a bit nasally and throaty like you were trying to manufacture the sound. You have a great voice so loosen up a bit and let it flow freely. I lost many of your consonants and feel like that might be a result of your tension too. If you relax your lips and tongue up a bit it'll be easier to make those crisp clear consonants. I could tell on your face that things weren't all going as you would've liked them too but I liked that you kept pushing forward. You didn't seem to let the mistakes bother you but just continued your performance trying to relax and put your best foot forward so good job! Overall really nice work I would just say to relax your body but energize your breath.
Jared Daley- Breathing was overall really good but in some places I feel like a lower breath would've helped your high notes soar even better. Intonation was spot on. Your timbre is bright, forward and free (love it!) Diction was great. I understood all of your words which only adds to the great expression and intensity of the piece. Your focus and expression when you sing this song is amazing and it gives me the chills every time. Occasionally your eyes will shift to the side your you'll shift your weight for just a moment during accompaniment interludes and that can be distracting. Your performance was amazing! Nice job!
Sarah Gee- Breathing was high in your chest and a bit bucket-like but there were a few good low breaths. Intonation was mostly spot on with a few exceptions when you ran out of breath. Your timbre is light and clear, I love it. Diction was good. Your expression is where I lost you. You seemed to be leaning to the right and you looked more tense than you usually do when you sing. There seemed to be a bit of tongue tension especially in the higher notes. You seemed to be doubting yourself and I couldn't figure out why. I would suggest you relax and trust yourself a bit more and energize those breaths. Nice work!
Jordan Davis- Shallow short breaths resulted in pushing and singing flat. Timbre was tight and pushed. Diction was very crisp and clear and the performance was energized which was great. He seemed to be holding and covering his high notes which also caused the pitch to sink. I could tell he liked the song and his expression was good. Overall he just needs to relax.
Aubrianne Dunn- Took very quick, gaspy breaths then pushed on release causing the vibrato to be fluttery and uneven. Intonation was good in most places except where too pushed upon release. Timbre is beautiful and light but also fluttery and tight from tension. Diction was good, I understood all of her words. Expression was great but I would suggest not moving quite so much as it comes across as insecurity. Have fewer movements with more direct and clear motivation for each movement. Overall I would say it needed more space for resonance and balloon-like breaths rather than bucket breaths.
Emily Hess- Breaths were silent and generally stayed low but became a bit more gaspy toward the end of the song. Intonation stayed good and consistent. Timbre is mellow and warm, fluttery sometimes. I needed more consonants to understand all of her words. Expression was good but a continual side to side movement of the head seemed insincere and was a bit distracting. The phrases also became a bit choppy and I think she could practice speaking the text as a monologue in attempts to make the phrasing more real.
Kayelee Farris- Breaths were very gaspy. Intonation was right on. Timbre was full and resonant when she supplied enough breath. Diction was good, I could understand all of her words. It could have used more expression. She seemed a bit focused on the technique. One suggestion is to keep eyes fixed on one or two specific points instead of letting them wander. The verses became a bit choppy and speaking the text might help the proper inflection and expression to come. Great voice!
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