Vocal Pedagogy Blog

  Summary This week we focused on real examples of performers and applied our knowledge from the semester to their work. Not only did we identify and diagnose "issues" (I use that word in quotations because many of them had very good technique and sound, but these are minute areas of improvement for a masterclass setting) but we compiled ways to address and improve them.  I thought it would be fun to do this to my old self! Since we were watching past NATS videos, I pulled up my NATS National Preliminary videos from high school (taped in the good ol' UWM Recital hall!). I won't bother with regrets or embarrassment, that is not constructive! And, honestly, knowing what I know now about my own voice and its problems, and knowing that I did advance to Nationals, I am pretty proud of these recordings. Now, I am going to drop the links and make some OBJECTIVE comments about this "stranger" and what she could work on! #1- Everybody Loves Louis, Sunday in the Park ...

  Summary Welcome Back to the blog! I decided to make two posts out of belt and wait for the registers and formants edition until we finish our discussions and videos next week. Instead I'm going to begin summarizing my experiences with Vocal Pedagogy this semester and how I have been applying it to my own learning. First off, I have become such a huge nerd for vocal pedagogy. I have always been fascinated by the mechanics of sound, the uniqueness and variety possible in the human voice, and the causes of injury and misuse especially in young singers. Because singing is so personal, it is often difficult to reflect on one's own practices and venture away from what is perceived as "our sound." Now, I understand that there are SO MANY anatomical factors at play with every breath we take, every sound we make (I'll be watching you). Here's a summarized list of those body parts I have become more aware of: -laryngeal position -tongue (tip, mid, root) -velum/soft pa...