1. How do you feel you have progressed with your solo performance skills this semester?

This semester I feel that I have progressed with my solo performace skills a great amount. I have slowly gained more confidence from doing the performance work shop during class. Performing infront of the class room and getting great feed back makes me feel alot better about myself cause I know that the comments are going to be honest. It also helps having you there because you can always point out what i need to work on weather it is eye contact, or projecting my voice more etc...

2. How will you improve your results in solo performance in Semester 2?

To improve my results in solo performace in Semester 2 I will need to manage my time more productively, and make sure I ask you for help when im not 100% understanding something that we have done in class. I also want to make sure that I make more time to practice at home so I feel more prepared and feel like I know and understand my songs completely before I have to perform them.
I also feel that having Sade in my singing lessons will help me alot to because she gives me feed back and it also gives me that little extra confidence.

3. What aural and theory work do you desperately need help with?

I feel that I desperately need help with identiying intervals. My ear just can't hear them correctly. I aslo need help with melodic transcrition. I find it hard to identify what not is being played by listening to a melody. I also struggle with the harmonic transcription. I manage to get it easier when im doing with you but then when I have to do it alone I cant fingure it out. Also analysing music I struggle with. I need to understand what main elements mean, eg: duration, pitch and texture.

4. What strategies are you going to put in place to ensure you improve across all areas in Semester Two?

Strategies im going to put in place to ensure i improve across all area's is practice mainly. I need to make sure that I set out my time for homework better so I get it all done and know what im doing. Another strategy I should proberly work on is organisation. I need to make sure that I mark everything in my diray and have allo worksheet done by due dates and my folder is neat so I know where everything is when I need to find it.

5. What is your practice goal over the next three weeks.

My practice goal over the next 3 weeks is at least half an hour of practice a night, and if I miss a night i will make sure that i do longer practice the next night.
I hope that I am able to keep up with this goal.

 

Performance work shop Term 1

In term 1 I didn't perform because I was very sick. If I was to perform I would have done Valerie by Amy Winehouse. The standrard I was at when I performed to my singing teacher was pretty good. I dont think it was 100% because im still learning the lyrics and making some silly mistakes.
When I performed it to her I felt as if I used a good range of dynamics in my voice. I was happy with the way I projected my voice and let it fill the room. I wasn't really pleased with my presentation. I know my weakness is standing still while im preforming and will need to work on it and manage to keep my nervs down and not let it show through my performance.
Three things I felt were positive about my performance were, I controlled my breathing better. Usually when im nervous I run out of breath. I controlled the transition from changing from one note to another better than I usually do.
When I performed my piece, my singing teacher commented on my volumn and my posture and said that it was so much better than what it usually was. She also said that I needed to improve on my eye contact. I need to look at my audience and make then feel apart of my performance and engage them more.
To improve my eye contact I have been performing infront of a mirror. Wheh I'm performing infront of the mirror my aim is to keep eye contact with myself. It's hard but practice makes perfect.

Performance Work shop for Friday 20th

On Friday I will be periforming Valerie by Amy Winehouse. I would like you to give me some feedback on my pitch, as sometimes I do fall off pitch. I would also like you to tell me if I was moving to much while performing (usually from nervs), and what my eye contact was like, whether I was capturing the audiences attention or if they were loosing interest in me.

Arual Studies

When we had Mr Sommerville as our teacher we all learnt, by ear, a blues piece. We got sectioned off into what instument we play and each of us had to solo for a minute or two. I learnt that soloing is pretty difficult unless you have words infront of you, like me and Sade had.
Three skills I could use to practice my aural skills would be going through an octave of scales using solfa. Singing through the Choctop inerval song. And maybe play through the intervals on the key-board and sing them alloud.

Holiday practice routine

In the holidays I didn't stick to my usual practice routine. I simply had a lot of other things going on such as other homework, lots and lots of work and spent lots of time with the family. I did try my best to get as much practice in as I could. I am happy with the amount I managed to do.
Yes, I understand that it has probably impacted my ricital by not practicing so much. Because I missed a few practice sessions I feel that I need to do somemore practice now im back at school, but I'm still happy that I managed to fit some practice in.

:)

Kevin Gillam:

Kevin Gillam, a Western Australian conductor, cellist and music educator. He finished school with a Bachelor of Music in performance on the cell, then worked in the Western Australian Symphony and Arts Orchestra for a few years.

Iain Grandage:

Iain Grandage is a composer of scores for theatre, dance and the concert hall. He has been apart of the Western Australia Symphony Orchestra, the Youth Orchestras of Australia and Black Swan Theatre Company, and has won Helpmann, Green Room and has won many Awards for his compositions. He continues to perform on Cello and Piano with really diverse artists you wouldn't expect.

Words I don’t know:

Composition - this can refer to an orginal piece of music. it can refer to the structure of a musical piece or the process of creating a new piece of music.
Diverse - very different.
When I read this poem I picture a dry desert completely silent with a little hint of wind swaying the tree’s from side to side slowly. I picture an open field with a bright blue sky. The heat is rising from the brown sand and the wind is creating ripples through it. As you look in the sky you see a big eagle gliding through the sky screaming through a dead silence. Once the bird leaves you hear absolutely nothing.  

For my piece I have decided to do Someone Like You, By Adele.

Someone Like You, by Adele was inspired by a break up and lyrically speaks of Adele comming to terms with it, The CD single was released on the 24th of Janurary 2011.

Someone Like You (Adele Cover) - By Alexa Goddard http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us6rn8jMybk
Alexa Goddard has a very strong range of vocals, and a very vibrant voice with appropriate use of dynamitcs. Alexa has a really soft gentle voice which makes the emotion of the song come across stronger. She has great support and is able to push out the stronger, notes with out so much tension. she also shows amazing passion through her facial expressions. She has presented herself really well.

Someone Like You Adele Cover - Official Music Video by Morgan Higgins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY6ywimUmx4
Morgan Higgins shows a great amount of maturity in this film clip. She shows that she has a strong voice and is capable to hit the high notes without struggle. Morgan Higgins shows that she has a large vocal range and a good ear for pitch. She also articualtes her words well which a nice open mouth.

Which do i prefer and WHY?
Personal i much prefer Alexa Goddard's version. It's much more expressive and shows off much more of her emotions. I think that Alexa Goddard is able to capture the audience better and shows more dynamics within the piece. I feel that the tone in her voice goes with the song better.

This week I followed my timetable well, except I wasn't able to attend my singing lesson due to having a work meeting.
My short term goal was to pick my songs for my ricital. I did manage to pick my songs but I am still unsure about one of them. :)

Hey,
At the start of the holidays I conciously praticed a few songs I enjoy to sing. After the first couple of weeks went by, practicing didn't really cross my mind. I was very busy during the holidays. The goals I set were going to be a challenge for me, I know, but I tried my best.
I practiced about on average twice a week. I know it's not alot but at least it's something. :)
The way I practiced was going through the scales I had to learn for school, I also went over the main key signatures I had to know and played over some basic scales on the keyboard and sun along.
I'm very excited for the year ahead in my music class and will try my very best :).
cya.