Caitlin Craig
you had such a wonderful facial expression throughout this song! It was really natural and had a lot of meaning. Your tone was a lot more full than I've heard it in previous performances. It was wonderful to hear it was so nice to hear your voice without that breathy quality that sometimes sneaks in. I love that you were so prepared and confident with your piece, it was obvious you'd put in the work with memorization and technique. The posture was a little bit slumped, but the shoulders didn't look too stiff, just a little caved in. I think if you could get your posture more aligned, it would help the good breath you've already got going. I love that you are getting more space between your molars, but I think you can still go farther there. Try to do exercises that involve the vowels "a" "eh" and "e" in succession and see if you can get a consistent space in your molars for each vowel. I find that "e" is the most difficult, but when I get it right the tone and mobility in my voice improves a lot. The vibrato is a little inconsistent which I would contribute to a tension problem somewhere in the tongue or larynx (I know that's not specific or helpful at all, but that's the best I can do!). Seriously nice job!
Brook Meyers
What an incredible display of dynamic and pitch range! Wow! So fun to listen to. I loved the energy you brought in today. As I said, they dynamic contrast was incredible. Excellent work! I feel like you became even more confident as the piece went on, and more animated. One thing I would really watch out for though is extraneous movement. I saw a lot of jittery movement in your feet, stepping back and forth, and in your jaw. You're jaw seams to be moving with your vibrato. The thing is none of this movement is necessary for singing right? It has no connection to your voice or to your expression of the piece, and when movement has no purpose it detracts from the performance. Imagine if you could take all that energy and put it toward your singing or expression of the piece! It may be that this is a nervous reaction, but either way it's something to be aware of.
Alyssa Robinson
A very pretty, velvety tone. I was most impressed by how rhythmic the piece was, and how locked in she was with the groove! It was a really soothing piece. Her face was pleasant and she seamed fairly calm and confident. Her high notes sounded surprisingly free and easy. She has a foot tapping problem (and I totally do to, but it's pretty distracting). Her posture could have been more erect to support the sound. And I know she has braces and a lisp, but a lot of her consonants could have been more present, like "p" and "t." I had some trouble getting the words.
Sara Low
Ok, I really need to talk to this girl about the wandering eye thing. She looks all over the room really rapidly and it's uncomfortable for me to watch. There's really nice space back in her mouth for high notes that creates a lovely resonance. If she could only apply the same space in the lower range and for the "e" vowel.
*note
I noticed that a lot of people were turning to the piano and then back to signify that they were ready to start. But they did it in such a mechanical way and it just ended up looking so weird. I really think there's a better way to do that, or a better way to make it look natural. Cindy? Help?
Also, I find that it's best to smile at the audience after you perform. Maybe this is just me. Maybe it's not professional. But when people just kind of nod their head and then stalk off, I feel like my appreciative applause is being ignored. I think the performer owes it to the audience to acknowledge their gratitude for the applause.
No comments:
Post a Comment