25th February 2015
Over the
last couple of weeks I have been working on breaking down the songs and also
how I’m going to perform them. So for example considering how I’m going to
introduce my set and whether I’m going to stand or sit etc. these are all
important to consider because I want to look confident from beginning to end
and not hesitate on what to do next. Therefore I have decided to stand for all
my songs, I believe they require an emotional connection from both my voice and
body.
Also this
week I have realised I have to do more work on learning the lyrics to my songs,
this important especially when it comes to performing, because I cant hold the lyrics,
I need to know them so I can work on the story and character. Out of all 6 from
my set list there are still 2 songs I need to remember. So over the next week
this is something I’m going to work on everyday so they stay in my
memory.
Another
piece of information I got this week was that my recital date was moved up 2
weeks, which gives me more time to rehearse. Although my 8-week plan finishes
next week it doesn't mean I stop, instead I have decided to spend additional
weeks to polishing the individual songs. By this I mean ensuring I know the
beat and timing, the lyrics and story- all things important to have prepared
for my performance.
What did I do in terms of rehearsal this week?
Over the
past weeks I have done the usual warm up everyday to keep my voice trained and
warm, ready to sing! I have done vocal exercise in this order:
· Breathing exercise- breathe
in for 4 and out for 4, in for 4 and out for 6 and so on to 20
· Breathing exercise- blowing
the candle out- to gain control of my breath (useful in my songs which have
wordy sections)
· Humming- humming and then
opening to a open vowel note such as ahh
· Scales- going up on an ahh
and down on a eee
From day
to day I may have added warm ups that would help me with the song I was
practising, for example the witch exercise really helps with the songs 'lamest
place in the world'.
Every day
I would start from the top of my set list and work through the songs (I
wouldn't necessarily do all of them in one day, but continue where I finished
the previous day), breaking it down both for technical reasons and connection
to the story. So for example with the song Lamest place in the world I have to
take into consideration the story I’m trying to tell from beginning to end,
ensuring I know what I want to get across, which in this case its about a girl
showing how although the place they live in isn't great, now that the boy has
arrived its looking better by the minute. Also with the song I have considered
the technical aspects, ensuring I know the timing and I’m aware of the key
changes. This is something I have been practicing because I can sometimes find
it hard but slowly am getting better at. (I find tapping along helps me keep in
time)
In class
This week
as usual we started with a warm up to get us prepared for singing. Then
one by one we went up and rehearsed one of our songs for the recital.
This week I chose to do lamest place in the world, I have never performed
it in-front of this particular group so I thought it was time, also because its
the only one I haven't done in class with a microphone. I honestly felt like it
didn't go so well because I felt very nervous and I let it get the better of
me, although my characterisation of my voice was good and the song fitted my
tone, my body language didn’t match. This is something I need to work on for
the recital.
Feedback:
- Good
characterisation in the voice
- Relax
and get into the character
- Practice
with the microphone
- Make
sure you
-With the
belt note, don't force it
What are you going to do next?
From the
feedback I have gotten, I now need to buckle down and work on practicing the
songs with a microphone, making sure I know them inside out and have confidence
performing them in front of other people.so from this point just practice,
practice and more practice!
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