Sam Meredith VRH 11/7

Emily Floyd-I sensed a little bit of tension in Emily's shoulders when she was singing today. I think that could be one reason why the timbre was a little breathy in her upper register. The intonation was good and I thought diction was too, although it seemed to deteriorate a little when she sang notes that were a little higher in her range. I think that the expression needs a little work. I thought that it was better in the second verse of the song.
Sarah Gee- The breathing in this performance was decent, although I did notice a good deal of sternal displacement. She wasn't really struggling for air, but getting rid of that would just make it more relaxed and easy. Her intonation was good, but the timbre was a just a little too closed. There seemed to be a lot of tension in her neck and jaw. If she could free that up she would have a brighter, freer sound. The diction was pretty good, but I think the consonants need to be a little more clear. I would also add a little more expression into the song. She seemed a little nervous and I would like to see what happens when she loosens up and really gets into the music.
Aubrianne Dunn- There were a couple of spots in this performance where the breathing needs some work. There was one entrance where I think she took a breath, but didn't really trust it if that makes sense. The note just came out really breathy and kind of flat. Maybe she just needs to take a more confident breath there. The intonation was okay, but there were some spots where it struggled. The timbre was also somewhat pinched. I think that might be a result of slouched, collapsed posture. I think the diction could be a little more clear. I would also like to see more expression in this performance.
Kaylee Ann Simmons-I didn't notice any problems with Kaylee's breathing here. All of the notes came out fine with full timbre and good intonation. The diction was good, but there were a couple of times when it was almost as if she added an umlaut to her [u] vowels. They were nice and open when she sang them, but they can be that way even if she maintains the purity of the vowel. I thought the expression was really good on this piece, but I would add that it's important to make sure that one's posture doesn't cause tension in an effort to be expressive. With her hands behind her back her shoulders come forward a little bit, which makes the rib cage a little collapsed.