TERM 1- Lesson four: 08/10/14

8th of October 2014

An account of your practice this week:

Vocal exercises we did:

• scales- We did this on a arrr, eee and on a yaaa-eee-aaa (This helped with focusing on our ranges and was a good technique for when practising songs which are high or on a belt. This also got us to focus on our breath control and how much we need to take in to sustain the note. last of all gets us working on pitch whilst singing.)
• humming- By doing this it helped us to open up our voices; whilst doing this it also creates vibrations in our mouth, neck, lips. therefore preparing our voices for singing.  we then took this a step further and started to hum into a arrr. we split into a 3 part harmony (which we rotated) and hummed/sung the note. by this it just takes the technique further in regards to opening up our voices and really allowing the note to travel
• posture alignment- we just took some time at the start to ensure we were standing in the correct position- so feet in parallel, knees relaxed, shoulders relaxed, head up etc. by doing this not only does it say we are ready to perform/sing but also helps with breath control.

What did we do in class:

• First we warmed up our voices so we were prepared to sing.
• Then we were left to practice our ensemble piece 'rather be' as a group. We decide to split into a 3 part harmony, so therefore we divided ourself in groups- melody, middle, high. Once everyone knew what and when they were singing, we then went with the instrumental. After we sang through the song, I decide to right down everything of what we were doing e.g. harmony groups- who was doing which part etc. This is so we can remember for the performance. Also we started to iron out the mistakes or issues which were occurring, such as knowing the correct Lyrics- who are doing the ad libs and so on. After stopping and starting; working on the song we finally sang it through. I personally think it has improved from last week because we stuck to the same ideas and wasn't changing it. However I think we need to be more patient and allow everyone a chance to speak. overall it was a good rehearsal.
• After we practised our next ensemble piece, Philip our singing teacher went over the song once as group, then he decided who was doing the harmonies and who was doing the tune. we then got up behind the microphones and started to practice the song. to be honest this was straight forward and we were able to run it twice with it only getting better. I think we now just need to work on the way we perform it and it will be ready to show!

What have I learned:

• This week I have learned more about mic control, and the do's and don't s- so where to hold it etc.
• A new scale vocal warm up, which we help me when I'm rehearsing difficult songs or when I'm trying to hit a note etc.
• To take a step back sometimes when rehearsing and listen to other people

From the Blog entry from September 17th. You were asked about your strengths and weaknesses as a singer

Have they changed at all since then? 

• I Think coping with nerves has improved, I feel more comfortable to sing in front of the rest of the class. however singing solos I think I want to improve on because I have fear of being judged, but in the end I just got to focus on myself and go for it!
• I consider my timing has improved when performing group songs, but once again I believe I need more practice when singing solos- so really getting used to the piano playing or instrumental!

Has your practice over the last few weeks has helped you improve?

I believe so, I feel now that I'm doing the warm- ups on a more regular basis its beginning to improve my technique- especially my breath control (although it wasn't a big issue to start with) its just helped me develop it more. this why by using fricatives and taking 4 breaths in and out for 4, 6,8 etc.