Ben Shaw 11/12 masterclass notes

1. Meikjn
2. Breathing: Bucket breathing. Seems also to run out of air; inefficient use or insufficient air intake.
3. Intonation: Good, generally; a few goof-ups.
4. Timbre: Seems to have good flexibility. A bit of air in tone.
5. Diction: Understandable. Pretty good French.
6. Expression: I think the musical phrasing has much more potential. Not being so nervous would have helped. Also, a smile throughout is good, but I think the specific meaning of the text calls for more detail/change in attitude/physical expression.
7. Masterclass: Seemed just as nervous standing up there and doing the masterclass as you were while you were singing. Don't be concerned with the right answer; there isn't one. Masterclasses are all about improving from where you truly are.
8. Overall: Great voice. It was noticeably better with more attention to character.

1. Elizabeth Tait
2. Breathing: Balloon. Voice was well supported. A few quick breaths, although that doesn't necessarily mean they were bad.
3. Intonation: Good.
4. Timbre: Full, mature sound. Free as well, for the majority.
5. Diction: Great; good rolled r's.
6. Expression: Musically, very good; It was very enjoyable to listen to. Reading the music hinders character.
7. Masterclass: worked on the intimidation factor. Hey; I would be intimidated by that note too. It became better, although it's still scaring the heck out of you.
8. Overall: Great job. Where it's true that it's not perfect, it sounds better, I think, than you think it does. Impeccable voice (dare I say gorgeous?); love to hear you sing.

1. Allen Stevens
2. Breathing: First inhalation was pretty good, but then it all went out the window.
3. Intonation: pretty good. Pinching, more so in the higher register, can cause a slight drop in pitch.
4. Timbre: light. Sounded, generally, like your true voice.
5. Diction: Hard to understand at times.
6. Expression: Stagnant. We need more musical movement and more personal investment.
7. Masterclass: Worked on range extension in the high register. I get it; c's and d's used to scare me too. You were afraid, but the E-flat and the E-natural sounded pretty good, actually; probably better than you thought they did.
8. Overall: Good. Nice voice. Too critical of yourself; it sounded good. Don't worry about it, Man!

1. Shallayna Guisao
2. Breathing: seemed up in the shoulders. Need also a more consistent airflow.
3. Intonation: good.
4. Timbre: Mature voice, resonate; love it!
5. Diction: good.
6. Expression: It could use more musical refinement: < > in particular.
7. Masterclass: worked on vowel specificity, revisiting Italian. Also using more TA, less muscle action. I actually didn't notice any problems with the Italian, but then again: I haven't taken Italian diction yet.
8. Overall: great.