Today we performed our 2 solo songs and our ensemble song in front of a class of year 7's.
The first performance of mine was 'Pompeii' and I think it went really well. I managed to hit the low notes in the song and the fast paced phrasing of some of the lines sounded good. I knew all the lyrics to the song I am very happy with the outcome of the performance. There were a few technical difficulties with the sound but I think I coped with that well and carried on with the song as best as I could. The audience looked like they enjoyed the performance and overall I think the performance went very well.
The second performance of mine was 'I Dreamed A Dream' and I am very pleased with the outcome of that performance. I managed to hit both the low notes and the high notes and the crescendo in the song turned out really well. The dynamics sounded very good and I am very happy with the outcome of this performance. The audience looked like they enjoyed the performance and felt a bit emotional through out which meant I added some emotion to the performance which I am very happy about. Overall I think the performance went really well, and I am very pleased.
The ensemble performance of 'Stay With Me' went really well and we were all a good volume. The harmonies sounded very good against the melody and we all remember what parts we were singing and what harmonies we had been assigned. We are very pleased with how the ensemble performance went and are very happy with it.
Overall the performance went really well and I am pleased with the outcome of it.
Thursday, 2 April 2015
Wednesday, 1 April 2015
Run Through | Lesson 24
Due to our performance being tomorrow, we decided we would do a run-through of everyone's songs and the ensemble song. Firstly, we needed to decide what order we would sing the songs in. To decide this we put everyone's names in a hat and Maddie picked out the first name and whoever was picked got to pick the next name.
My name was picked first which meant that I was going to be the first one to perform one of my solo songs. I decided to sing 'Pompeii' first as I knew it wouldn't use too much of my voice which means I can save the power in my voice for 'I Dreamed A Dream'. I then picked Maddie's name out of the hat and she decided to sing 'Love Story' by Taylor Swift first. Maddie then picked Amelia's name out of the hat and she decided to sing 'I Miss You' by Blink 182 first, which meant Evie would sing last and she wanted to sing 'Don't Stop Believing' by Journey first.
We then decided we would perform our ensemble song, 'Stay With Me', in between our solo's to add some interest into the performance. We agreed to use the same structure when choosing who would sing next. This meant I would sing 'I Dreamed A Dream' next, with Maddie following after me singing 'Hey Soul Sister' by Train. Amelia would then sing 'Money, Money, Money' from Mamma Mia, and Evie would finish the performance with 'Yours' by Ella Henderson.
When rehearsing the performance we sung it in the same order as our program. We rehearsed with the microphone this time so we got used to how our song sounded like when singing it into a microphone. When rehearsing both of my ensemble songs I thought they sounded very good and I didn't need to make any last minute improvements, I just need to be confident with the song. When rehearsing the ensemble song, we were all happy with the outcome but we just need to make sure everyone is loud enough. Since we only have three microphone, we decided Evie and Amelia would have their own microphones and Maddie and I would share since our harmonies are similar.
My name was picked first which meant that I was going to be the first one to perform one of my solo songs. I decided to sing 'Pompeii' first as I knew it wouldn't use too much of my voice which means I can save the power in my voice for 'I Dreamed A Dream'. I then picked Maddie's name out of the hat and she decided to sing 'Love Story' by Taylor Swift first. Maddie then picked Amelia's name out of the hat and she decided to sing 'I Miss You' by Blink 182 first, which meant Evie would sing last and she wanted to sing 'Don't Stop Believing' by Journey first.
We then decided we would perform our ensemble song, 'Stay With Me', in between our solo's to add some interest into the performance. We agreed to use the same structure when choosing who would sing next. This meant I would sing 'I Dreamed A Dream' next, with Maddie following after me singing 'Hey Soul Sister' by Train. Amelia would then sing 'Money, Money, Money' from Mamma Mia, and Evie would finish the performance with 'Yours' by Ella Henderson.
When rehearsing the performance we sung it in the same order as our program. We rehearsed with the microphone this time so we got used to how our song sounded like when singing it into a microphone. When rehearsing both of my ensemble songs I thought they sounded very good and I didn't need to make any last minute improvements, I just need to be confident with the song. When rehearsing the ensemble song, we were all happy with the outcome but we just need to make sure everyone is loud enough. Since we only have three microphone, we decided Evie and Amelia would have their own microphones and Maddie and I would share since our harmonies are similar.
Friday, 27 March 2015
Improving | Lesson 23
When getting the feedback for my solo songs, I know I needed to rehearse certain parts of my both of my songs to perfect both performances. In 'Pompeii' I needed to make sure I hit the low notes in the song, and also I sung the fast phrased lines well and clear. In 'I Dreamed A Dream' I needed to make sure the dynamics of the song were correct and effective, and also I needed to make sure I hit the low and high notes.
Before rehearsing my solo songs I used the warm up exercises I demonstrated in my warm up video as I knew they helped warm up my vocal cords well, and also they were effective the last time I used these warm ups. Once I finished the warm ups I rehearsed 'Pompeii' first as I knew I didn't have a lot to worry about due to my improving what needed to be improved. Then once I was happy with that performance I moved onto rehearsing 'I Dreamed A Dream'. When rehearsing I realised that the improvements that needed to be changed had been changed and I am happy with the performance.
When performing both songs I need to make sure I remember the lyrics, I accurately hit the notes in each song and I add some emotion into 'I Dreamed A Dream'.
Before rehearsing my solo songs I used the warm up exercises I demonstrated in my warm up video as I knew they helped warm up my vocal cords well, and also they were effective the last time I used these warm ups. Once I finished the warm ups I rehearsed 'Pompeii' first as I knew I didn't have a lot to worry about due to my improving what needed to be improved. Then once I was happy with that performance I moved onto rehearsing 'I Dreamed A Dream'. When rehearsing I realised that the improvements that needed to be changed had been changed and I am happy with the performance.
When performing both songs I need to make sure I remember the lyrics, I accurately hit the notes in each song and I add some emotion into 'I Dreamed A Dream'.
Thursday, 26 March 2015
Feedback | Lesson 21 & 22
We decided to work on our ensemble piece today so we could perfect the harmonies and go over some parts of the song that we weren't overly sure on. Before we did this we did a group warm up challenging our vocal range by going up and down the scale of C as far as we could either way. We made sure we had a bottle with us as well during the rehearsal so we were hydrated.
The harmonies in the chorus had been perfected and we all knew what we were singing for that part of the song, but we weren't too sure on the verses of the song. We went through them as a group and revisited some of the harmonies we weren't confident on just to refresh our memory. Once we had figured out the harmonies of the song we did a run-through all together and decided it all sounded really good.
We performed to our teachers and they both said it sounded really good. They gave us feedback explaining that there were a few parts that sounded a bit flat so we just needed to be confident with what we are singing. Our teacher also said we all need to be louder to balance out the dynamics of the song. Evie needed to make sure she was heard above the harmonies, but I needed to make sure I was equally as loud to help carry the song and help carry the other harmonies. With these pieces of feedback we went and worked together to make sure the dynamics sounded correct and also to make sure how harmonies all sounded correct. We chose parts of the song we felt needed a bit more work and went off in pairs to try and perfect them, then we all come back together and rehearsed as a group showing our improvements.
The harmonies in the chorus had been perfected and we all knew what we were singing for that part of the song, but we weren't too sure on the verses of the song. We went through them as a group and revisited some of the harmonies we weren't confident on just to refresh our memory. Once we had figured out the harmonies of the song we did a run-through all together and decided it all sounded really good.
We performed to our teachers and they both said it sounded really good. They gave us feedback explaining that there were a few parts that sounded a bit flat so we just needed to be confident with what we are singing. Our teacher also said we all need to be louder to balance out the dynamics of the song. Evie needed to make sure she was heard above the harmonies, but I needed to make sure I was equally as loud to help carry the song and help carry the other harmonies. With these pieces of feedback we went and worked together to make sure the dynamics sounded correct and also to make sure how harmonies all sounded correct. We chose parts of the song we felt needed a bit more work and went off in pairs to try and perfect them, then we all come back together and rehearsed as a group showing our improvements.
Wednesday, 25 March 2015
Stay With Me | Lesson 20
In the previous two lessons we had worked out the harmonies in both verses and the choruses, so this lesson we needed to work out the bridge and finish the song. We then need to assign different parts of the song to everyone and to a run-through of the whole song. Before rehearsing the song we did a warm up with the keyboard. We decided to sing our arpeggios since we have previously sung our scales. Doing the arpeggios warm up helped us when singing leaps in the ensemble song as challenged our vocal ranges. Once we had completed the warm up we did a run-through of the song up to the bridge of the song due to us not having worked it out yet.
When doing the run-through of the song with what we knew, we made sure we stopped at the places we found a little difficult or the places that we messed up to make sure we knew what we were singing. The bridge of the song is quite simple as we only have to sing "oh" to a certain melody. The challenging part of the bridge was finding the right high harmony to go along with it. We finally found the correct harmony and rehearsed that a few times on its own and along with the melody. Once we thought the bridge sounded good and the last chorus worked well, we started to assign parts to each other.
The first verse we decided would be myself and Amelia. Amelia will sing the melody and I will sing the high harmony along with her. Then all of us will sing the chorus with our assigned harmonies. Then Evie and Maddie will sing the second verse with Evie singing the melody and Maddie singing the high harmony. Evie and Amelia will sing the melody in the bridge and myself and Maddie will sing the high harmony. Then after the bridge Evie is going to sing the chorus first with me singing my harmony in the second line, Maddie joining in with her harmony in the third line and Amelia joining in with her harmony on the last line. Then all of us will come together with all of our harmonies to sing the last chorus and end the song.
We did a run-through of the whole song with our assigned parts and harmonies and agreed that it sounded good. We all agreed that we just need to rehearse our parts separately and come together too rehearse in our next lesson on the ensemble piece.
When doing the run-through of the song with what we knew, we made sure we stopped at the places we found a little difficult or the places that we messed up to make sure we knew what we were singing. The bridge of the song is quite simple as we only have to sing "oh" to a certain melody. The challenging part of the bridge was finding the right high harmony to go along with it. We finally found the correct harmony and rehearsed that a few times on its own and along with the melody. Once we thought the bridge sounded good and the last chorus worked well, we started to assign parts to each other.
The first verse we decided would be myself and Amelia. Amelia will sing the melody and I will sing the high harmony along with her. Then all of us will sing the chorus with our assigned harmonies. Then Evie and Maddie will sing the second verse with Evie singing the melody and Maddie singing the high harmony. Evie and Amelia will sing the melody in the bridge and myself and Maddie will sing the high harmony. Then after the bridge Evie is going to sing the chorus first with me singing my harmony in the second line, Maddie joining in with her harmony in the third line and Amelia joining in with her harmony on the last line. Then all of us will come together with all of our harmonies to sing the last chorus and end the song.
We did a run-through of the whole song with our assigned parts and harmonies and agreed that it sounded good. We all agreed that we just need to rehearse our parts separately and come together too rehearse in our next lesson on the ensemble piece.
Monday, 23 March 2015
Pompeii | Lesson 19
Before starting this lesson I made sure I had my bottle of water with me, as well as having a suitable backing track for the song and lyrics so once I had finished with my warm up I could go straight onto rehearsing the song. As a warm up today I decided to do a siren with my voice challenging both the low and high ends of my vocal range. This helped me as I could reach some of the low notes that I have been finding quite difficult when rehearsing the song.
When doing a run-through to my teacher, he told me to be careful with the low notes and also make sure I rehearse the quick lines in the chorus and make sure they sound good because they will be quite challenging. He told me the song was a good contrast to 'I Dreamed A Dream' and it challenged my voice, I just needed to make sure the low notes where rehearsed, the lyrics were learnt and the fast phrasings were rehearsed as well.
When rehearsing the song I made sure to note on my lyric sheet what parts of the song are quite challenging for me and what parts I need to work on the most. I recorded where the low notes are in the song, as well as recording where the quick phrases are. Doing this has helped me realise what parts need work, and this has helped me structure my rehearsals better rather than singing the song continuously. I know the song fairly well, so I don't need to worry about not knowing the lyrics, but I need to make sure I am confident with all aspects of the song before we go to perform the song.
When doing a run-through to my teacher, he told me to be careful with the low notes and also make sure I rehearse the quick lines in the chorus and make sure they sound good because they will be quite challenging. He told me the song was a good contrast to 'I Dreamed A Dream' and it challenged my voice, I just needed to make sure the low notes where rehearsed, the lyrics were learnt and the fast phrasings were rehearsed as well.
When rehearsing the song I made sure to note on my lyric sheet what parts of the song are quite challenging for me and what parts I need to work on the most. I recorded where the low notes are in the song, as well as recording where the quick phrases are. Doing this has helped me realise what parts need work, and this has helped me structure my rehearsals better rather than singing the song continuously. I know the song fairly well, so I don't need to worry about not knowing the lyrics, but I need to make sure I am confident with all aspects of the song before we go to perform the song.
Friday, 20 March 2015
I Dreamed A Dream | Lesson 18
Before starting the lesson I made sure to collect the book with the noted sheet of music so I could follow along with it when rehearsing the song and I found a new backing track to the sing since I didn't like the one I used previously. I also made sure I had a bottle of water with me so I was hydrated throughout my rehearsal.
For the warm up I started by singing up the scale of C and down the scale as well. We did this warm up as a class and experimented with different vowel sounds and different wordings such as "Blah" and singing the name "Steve" as well. This warm up helped me reach both high and low notes which can help me when rehearsing the song as there are some really high notes as well as quite low ones as well.
In today's lesson I got some feedback from my teacher. She told me I should hold some of the phrases in the 1st and 2nd verses for longer than I was. I also had to work on the dynamics of the song by altering how loud and soft I should be singing in certain parts in the song. She said I should also make more of the crescendo when singing "shame" and the last part should be full of drained emotion to add to the performance.
In this lesson I decided to work on the dynamics of the song and see what parts should be loud and what parts should be soft. On the sheet of music there were phrases such as "mp", "mf" and "f" which helped when working out the different dynamics of the song. "mp" means quite soft, so when I saw that on the sheet of music I knew I had to sing softly and not over power my voice. "mf" means quite loud, so when I saw that on the sheet of music I knew I had to project my voice slightly. "f" means loud, so when I saw that on the sheet of music I knew I had to project my voice a lot and show a lot of power and emotion to create an effective performance. Also in today's lesson I worked on making the crescendo of "shame" louder and more powerful while still holding the note and gradually getting higher. This was difficult at first, but as I rehearsed it more I slowly got the hang of it, and it sounds fairly good.
To make sure I improve my performance in this song I need to keep following the sheet music and make sure I use the phrasing on the music when correcting the dynamics of the song.
For the warm up I started by singing up the scale of C and down the scale as well. We did this warm up as a class and experimented with different vowel sounds and different wordings such as "Blah" and singing the name "Steve" as well. This warm up helped me reach both high and low notes which can help me when rehearsing the song as there are some really high notes as well as quite low ones as well.
In today's lesson I got some feedback from my teacher. She told me I should hold some of the phrases in the 1st and 2nd verses for longer than I was. I also had to work on the dynamics of the song by altering how loud and soft I should be singing in certain parts in the song. She said I should also make more of the crescendo when singing "shame" and the last part should be full of drained emotion to add to the performance.
In this lesson I decided to work on the dynamics of the song and see what parts should be loud and what parts should be soft. On the sheet of music there were phrases such as "mp", "mf" and "f" which helped when working out the different dynamics of the song. "mp" means quite soft, so when I saw that on the sheet of music I knew I had to sing softly and not over power my voice. "mf" means quite loud, so when I saw that on the sheet of music I knew I had to project my voice slightly. "f" means loud, so when I saw that on the sheet of music I knew I had to project my voice a lot and show a lot of power and emotion to create an effective performance. Also in today's lesson I worked on making the crescendo of "shame" louder and more powerful while still holding the note and gradually getting higher. This was difficult at first, but as I rehearsed it more I slowly got the hang of it, and it sounds fairly good.
To make sure I improve my performance in this song I need to keep following the sheet music and make sure I use the phrasing on the music when correcting the dynamics of the song.
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