Mariah Lesson Summary 10/10

Mariah Lesson Summary 10/10
    I felt prepared for this lesson because I learned a new song to work on, "D'un Genio che m'accende." I had warmed up for a half an hour before going and I completed both song analysis forms that were due that day.
    Laurie began the lesson by having me lie on a big exercise ball so I could  feel my breathing and the resistance from the ball. This was fun and I can connect with my body better now when I remember the feeling I had when breathing on the ball. We did panting on different consonants: ch, tuh, kuh, sh, fuh, etc. She taught me quite a few new vocalizes and she told me I needed to work the lower muscles in my abdomen more. Laurie taught me the silent scream to help me engage these muscles more. We then went on to work on "D'un genio." We talked a little bit about the meaning of the song. It's about how when we love someone we can't explain it, but when we try to analyze it and find a reason for our love then it's not love. I sang through the song to get a feel of the song with the accompaniment. She pointed out a part in the song where it says "ad libitum" which means ad lib so I can have more of my own interpretation on that measure. Listening to the recording I think I sounded a lot better the first time I sang through than the second. This may have been because she was playing my part a little bit throughout the first time. Also, I think I tensed up more on the second time through. There are a lot of quick high notes in this piece and some of them are on hard vowels so we worked on the higher sections. We said the lyrics in a very high pitched childish voice a few times and then tried to sing the phrase again. I did this quite a few times, but I was still struggling so I need to work on those sections a lot this coming week.
    A key thing I learned in this lesson was being able to feel my lower breathing with the exercise ball. Also, I learned that I need to work on engaging these really low muscles and that can be helped my doing the silent scream. I also need to have more confidence about singing high notes. When I sang and didn't worry about them they sounded a lot better than when I thought I wouldn't be able to hit them.
    My next lesson won't be for another two weeks because of fall break. I want to have Clair de Lune learned by then and my D'un Genio song analysis form completed. I also want to have all of my songs memorized by that lesson so that I will have another week to work on the poems that go along with them.
New Vocalizes
panting with ch, sh, tuh, etc.
chewing mm
ee A ah
ng ah
she ay ah
tongue behind teeth
nyah nyah
mmm ee ahh, ee ah ee ah ee ah ee
wee ah and slurring before
"so" up "so" down and slurring before