Sarah Boucher VRH Critiques 11/14

Sarah Boucher VRH Critiques 11/14

Tiffany Stamm: Tiffany's sternum was a bit collapsed making it more difficult for her to get a good breath in. She would expand her body when she inhaled but then immediately collapse afterwords. You could see some constriction in the throat towards the ends of phrases. Her tone was a little breathy and could have more spin. I understood her words well. I could tell that the song meant a lot to her and it was very cool that she sang her own arrangement! It is always refreshing to see someone that has a strong connection to the piece they sing!
Alyssa Robinson: Alyssa had a nice expression and clearly was thinking about the words.  Her diction was good, and I liked that she emphasized important words and dynamic shifts.  I noticed some inconsistency in timbre.Occasionally her voice was very far forward then it would slip back and become breathy. I think Alyssa could use a lot more free flowing air. Her body was locked down and her notes were not riding on her breath, making her come across as flat on occasion.
Ben Shaw: Ben was very calm and relaxed. His tone was very rich.  I liked his expressions but I think the next step for him is to be even more specific with them. I didn't notice anything with regards to breath, but I think that maybe he could utilize his breath more to make the phrases more legato. I could use more dynamic shift as well! Overall though, it was very nice to listen to!
Kimberly Robbins: I really admire Kim's effortless tone. It is always so lovely to listen to. She was very upright and have nice energy in her body. I thought that she could have used more legato and free flowing air, especially in the leaps of the piece. I thought her diction was great. I think that she could do more emotionally with the piece. She had an alert look on her face but it wasn't specific.