Monday’s lesson was very intense in my opinion. We decided to run it as if it was a mock assessment, I found this very difficult and uncomfortable as I wasn’t prepared. However I think it was beneficial because I am now aware on what I need to work on and how it will be on the actual assessment. We started the mock assessment by going through the assessment chords. The ‘I’ ‘aw’ chords in my opinion went well but in order to improve I need to remember to keep open and not to short-change the second note ‘aw’. I will do this by remaining open and not restricting the sound. The ‘ee’ay’or’ar’ scale didn’t go very well, I visually showed on my face that I wasn’t confident with this exercise and I also visually expressed when I was running out of breath. Gavin said I need to speed up the tempo in order for me to be able to do it in one breath. I will develop my breath control by using the hissing exercise. The song study also went ok however I forgot to sing the higher octave on the first ‘love’ after I made this mistake I immediately realised. In my opinion I think I will be ok with the assessment exercises however I need to go through them in my own time until I feel 110% confident with them.
We then moved on to my chosen repertoire:
I don’t know how to love him.
I started with ‘I don’t know how to love him’. I was worried about performing this to Gavin as I hadn’t yet had the chance to show him what I had been working on over the week, last week Gavin told me to go away and think of how I could make each chorus different, which I had done but because it was a mock assessment I couldn’t clarify if what I had done was acceptable. I sung this song very well in the mock assessment however Gavin wasn’t too sure about what I had done to make the choruses different. This was because I had added a riff to the second chorus, he said tutors in my assessment could argue that a riff is not acceptable in the style of this song. Therefore we have agreed that I will sing both choruses the same but with different emotion. In the mock assessment I showed no characterisation and I was aware of this but because I was in such a shock as I wasn’t expecting my lesson to be this way, I found it extremely difficult to connect to the lyrics and my character. I have already started to work on making the chorus emotionally different as well as deciding on blocking.
What it means to be a friend.
Yet again I showed hardly any characterisation and this was due to the same reason. I think I sang this piece well however I still feel as if there is corrections to be made. Throughout the mock assessment I noticed that my lyric memory wasn’t as strong for this piece compared to my other two. I knew I was making the mistakes but Gavin didn’t identify this, I think I covered it well but I know its essential for me to go away and double check and I am confident with the lyrics. At the end of performing this repertoire Gavin said I should add an American accent as it would show my characterisation as 13 the musical is based In America but also he believes if I use an American accent it will make the vocals sound much stronger but also it would be easier for me to reach some of the notes as I would already have the correct, nasally placement. In my opinion this song is not as strong as the others and I also don’t feel as confident with it, I think this might be because this song Is originally performed by a 13 year old girl. I’m finding it difficult to find the correct emotion and thrive, I know when I find these feelings my overall performance will be much stronger. I will go away and work on the American accent, focussing mainly on how Americans pronounce there vowels as well as blocking and lyric memory.
Maybe I like it this way.
In my opinion I think this chosen rep is the most strongest, this been because I enjoy performing it and I also feel as though I can easily connect with the lyrics and emotion behind it. However in the mock assessment I didn’t show any emotion, I believe this was due to the same reason as the other two. In relation to my vocals, I believe they were strong however at times I wasn’t supported enough. For example on the high belt, in order for me to have the correct placement and support I need to make sure my larynx is low as well as my soft palate being risen. I performed this song is acting through song a few months ago and I didn’t have a problem with either the emotion or the vocals therefore I know that I am more than capable of supporting myself to create a strong, powerful sound.
Overall I think I dealt well with the mock assessment considering I wasn’t expecting it, I think it was beneficial to me because I am now aware of what needs serious work over the Easter break. I have already started to work on blocking ideas for all of my chosen rep, below is an image of what I have come up with so far:
I believe if I continue to rehearse on a regular basis and remember to add emotion I will be better prepared for the assessment!
ardenrjones 