VRH Critiques Luke Shepherd

Emily Floyd: The opening passage was swallowed and sounded muffled but you gradually fixed it and got more bright and resonant. I would practice onsets especially in that lower range to get the resonance you want right off the bat. 

Amber Denslow: I liked how you immediately engaged your face at the beginning of the piece and committed. The french, in the opening passage, was very choppy/percussive, work on smoothing it out. The left heel of the foot was raised and tensed the whole time and the fingers were really fidgety and fiddling throughout which are tell-tale signs of nervousness and tension to look out for. Practice with a mirror would help a lot.

Amber Farrow: Surprisingly big voice when you reached the chorus! Where was that from the start? Work on that connection right off the bat. Posture falls to your left towards the end of every phrase and your hand kept creeping back to feel your back which was a little distracting. Practice breathing more relaxed and naturally with each phrase.

Michael Lechner: Jaw was very tense and could have had something to do with the tight vocal production. The vibrato felt pushed/forced, especially on opening phrase. The vibrato sounded best when you took your best breaths because it was more relaxed and consistent. 

Sarah Gee: Very enjoyable performance! Notes in the higher register like "vain" had very resonant sound. The opening phrase wasn't prepped very well but you can fix that by taking time before starting the piece to ground yourself and breathe. During the introduction you were fidgety, try to remain calm and prep your opening phrase with a deep breath (inhale and think your starting pitch).

Jordan Davis: Range doesn't seem to be a problem with you. The phrase where you have "chairs" and "airs" as high repeating notes where the rest of the phrase is suspended beneath was a little frantic and "chairs" and "airs" were out of tune. Practicing lighter and more consistent high notes and feeling like the rest of the phrase dumps the voice down so it suspends off of those high notes would be a good way to find that connection through the phrase.

Aubrianne Dunn: Great charisma and confidence before your piece. Shoulders and torso both rise when you breathe which didn't allow for the low breath connection you wanted. That was probably why onsets of the first and second verse were a little scratchy and breathy. Lower breaths will allow you to get that volume and crescendo you went for in the song without pushing it from your throat up.

Emily Hess: Beautiful, rich chest voice! Where was the rich quality in your mid-upper register? Practicing slow scales from lower in your voice to higher in your voice will help with that connection. A little less movement would be more effective with a piece like this (too much movement was distracting)-focus on the person you're singing to and let it show in your eyes. 

Kayelee Farris: Big difference between upper register and resonance you had on "great" and "soul" to lower register "O Lord My God". Work on finding and using all that space that you use for resonance in your high notes in your lower register. Scales and exercises to make those low notes not feel so low will help with a continuity of voice in this song.