Feedback

This is a feedback review from a performance review we did a few weeks ago. This helped me improve my performance as it shows me what i needed to improve on.

Final Preparations!!

I have two days until my performance. For my final preparations I am going to continue soon breathing exercises so I have good breath control when I perform. I'm going to keep singing he songs over in my head so I am confident with both songs. Singing the songs over and over means I can train my voice so I don't need to think about the notes I am singing. Also I am going to carry on doing vocal exercises with the higher scales so I am confident with reaching the higher notes so I don't panic about it just before I sing them during the sequence.

I have been struggling with what doesnt kill you, so my teacher transposed the song down a semi tone and down one tone. I recored both so I could decide which track to use. This week however I have got a sore throat, so the recordings don't sound as good as they normal do, I go off at some points.
This is my recording of the down one tone track:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCZJ97q98Ow
At the beginning it is hard for me to sing, which means if i choose this track I would need to change the melody so I was able to sing it.

This is my recording of the down a semi tone track:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfDr9mF3DSc
For both tracks, I need to wrok on my breath control as I run out of breath in the middle of a phrase.

I have been struggling with both songs this week, I have been doubting myself and don't feel like I want to perform either of my songs. To help with my confidence our teacher Karl transposed What Doesn't Kill You down a semi tone and a full tone. This allows me to choose one which i feel more confident with. It means the high notes are easier for me to reach. However it now means that the first section of lyrics:

You know the bed feels warmer
Sleeping here alone
You know I dream in colour
And do the things I want

Are a lot lower than what I would usually sing, which means I need to change how it goes so it doesn't go low. This will help me reach a higher grade.

To help me with Come What May I have been practising making my diaphragm tighter when I sing the high notes and having been taking big breaths, so the high notes sound confident and none of the notes are lost. For example when i sing:

And there's no mountain too high
No river too wide
Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side
Storm clouds may gather,
And stars may collide

My stomach is tight all the way through this section and I make sure I am taking a big enough breath to sing through the phrase with confidence.

Stage Presence

How will you present yourself on stage? Dress, interact with the audience and ensure your performance is engaging.
- I haven't got much stage presence so to help me improve my confidence I have signed up for a Red Nose Day Karaoke, this allows me to feel how it will be like performing on my own and will help me understand what I need to improve in the next week. For Come What May I need to be able to make the feel audience feel connect with the song. To do this I need to be able to show my emotion through the song. The song is very powerful because of the lyrics  so I need to try sing it as if i was singing it to a specific person instead of a large audience. it is a heart filled song, so i need to be able to connect with the audience, which means I need to make a lot of eye contact with the audience so they can see that I mean every word I am singing. I need to believe my own performance otherwise the audience won't believe it either.  For What Doesn't Kill You I also need to believe the song. The lyrics are also powerful, however because the song is more upbeat i will be able to move more maybe a little side step so the audience can see they can have more fun with this song. I would keep the mic on the stand however, because it makes me more uncomfortable if i don't have the mic stand. I usually hold onto the mic stand as i sing because it calms me down, and stops my legs from shaking. For this song I would also try and smile more as the song is showing the audience how strong I am, so I need to show them by having a good time whilst singing the song. Many people know the song, so I will ask them at the beginning to join in if they know it. This shows me that they are enjoying it, if they choose to sing along with me. I wouldn't do this with Come What May however, because it is a serious song.

Performance Review

This is the recording of Come What May:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0QaXuXWMdw&list=PLUwncSquNfWySAUHJD2nVa6njPIDGzg9L&index=5

Evaluation:
- Strengths of the performance- What were you pleased with? Why?
I was happy that I remembered all my words. It takes me a while to learn lines and because I was nervous, I was scared that I would forget the lyrics. I was also happy that I was able to remember when the song changed for low to high, as i normally have to read the music when practising the song, as I forget what I am doing. I was also pleased that i managed to get through the whole song without messing up.

- Weakness of the performance- What could have been improved? Why?
I think I needed to show more emotion when singing. This couldn't be seen as I was looking at the floor the whole time.  I need to connect with the song more, so the audience believe what I am singing. I also need to practise my breathing more, so I am able to take a big breath before reaching the high notes. I need to feel more confident when singing the song, because otherwise it could effect my performance, as I keep thinking about the high notes that are coming up.

- Link to your practise routine- Did your practise routine leading up to the performance prepare you effectively? If not, why?
When i practise I find it really easy, however as soon as I perform it infront of anyone I panic, as i worry to much about what people think. To improve this i need to perform the song in front of people more regularly so i feel more confident with people hearing the song. I need to do more warm up vocal exercises so it is easier for me to reach the high notes without worrying about it. I need to start thinking more that i can do it instead of doubting myself.

- What have you learnt from the experience and what will you change about your practise routine to develop further?
Next time i perform, i will try and show more emotion in the song. When i spoke to people this is what they said i needed to do, because they didn't believe my performance. In my practise routine i will do more higher vocal exercises to make me more comfortable with the high notes. I need to do more breathing exercises so i don't run out off breath when singing.

This is my first recording of come what may. I don't have any confidence with the song at the moment. I don't like the way I sound when singing it. I'm worrying about the high notes, so I need to work on this in my next practise session. I'm scared too many people will think it sounds rubbish when I perform it. If I get a note wrong, it will mess up my performance and will keep getting things wrong. This is the song I am most worried about. I also need to work more with the accompanist as there is timing issues. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fo4WsMPdxM

A particular feature of anxiety or fear is that it ' feeds off itself' and becomes stronger even though the situation or task hasn't changed. Before any performance your body will almost always produce adrenalin. The natural way that your body prepares you for a challenging event( even a pleasurable one) includes many of the symptoms that remind you of fear. Stage fright is actually a good thing and if understood and controlled can enhance your performance!

There are some ways to try and think of stage fright in a positive way. Adrenalin is your friend.
- It makes your reflexes sharper.
- It heightens your level of awareness
- It gives you extra energy.
- It adds an excitement to your performance

When you are nervous about performing you are more conscious of your posture and breathing as well as instrumental techniques.

Performance anxiety never goes away instead as performers we simply get better at controlling these feelings which makes it seem that we are less afraid. I must concentrate on developing strategies to control the nerves as best as I can so they enhance not diminish my performance.

Strategies to help control nerves:
- Be prepared; practise, practise and practise
- Practise with people listening; family, friends
- Take a long deep breath and hold it for 5 seconds and repeat. This will help me to focus my breathing and control heart rate.
- Think of all the success I've had performing
- Develop a warm up routine that will focus my mind before playing.

However i need to make sure I don't hold my breath too long otherwise this will happen:

I am slowly working on my stage fright. I have performing for a long time, so I can now control my nerves. I used to be very nervous on stage and would stand there shaking. However now I am able to relax and perform confidently. It makes me more nervous when my family and close friends watch me perform, as I know there opinion matters. to overcome this I need to perform more in front of people who I am close to, so I can learn that I can perform no matter what they think. I need to have more confidence with myself so I can be confident on stage. I need to stop doubting myself, as it effects my performance. It also ruins the mood off people around me, as they end up doubting themselves as well where I am worrying so much. 

Performance Anxiety & Stage Fright

The term "stage fright" refers to the apprehension an artist feels about approaching the stage to perform; even though they are doing what they love. Performance anxiety is a natural part of performance. it can be broken down into three responses: mental, behavioural and physiological.

Mental responses are those which involve the thinking processes and can't be seen or felt by anyone else but the artist. Symptoms include:
- Negative thoughts
- Thoughts about failure
- Distraction; loss of concentration
- Feelings of helplessness
- Memory blanks
- Panic





Behavioural responses are those that involve actions and can be seen by others. Symptoms include:
- Tension; not able to relax
- Agitation; quickly becoming angry or snappy with others
- Coughing or clearing your throat
- Nervous laughter or constant talking










Physiological responses involve physical changes to the body. Symptoms include:
- Increased heart rate
- Shaking of various parts of the body i.e Hands, lips, knees and legs
- Sweating
- Tight throat
- Hot or cold flushes
- Dry mouth
- ' Butterflies' in the stomach
- Desire to go frequently to the toilet
- Increased breathing/shallow breathing
- Adrenalin rush





When I perform, I get very nervous. I doubt myself a lot anyway however when I am about to perform, I do this even more. The amount I doubt myself isn't good for my performances, as I know in the past doubting myself, has ruined my performance on several occasions. I always get butterflies in my tummy. I also bite my nails when I'm nervous, which isn't good for when I am about to sing, incase a bit of nail gets caught in my throat, which then effects the way I sing. I go very quiet and don' talk to anyone. I usually drink too much, because then I end up needing a wee, just before I have to go on stage. I don't normally shake before hand, however once I have performed and come off stage I am shaking, which is probably the adrenalin rush.

Here is an example of vocal exercises which I recorded during a choir rehearsal. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlGN7_8wcv8

Intonation, in music, is a musician's realization of pitch accuracy, or the pitch accuracy of a musical instrument. Intonation may be flat, sharp, or both, successively or simultaneously.  The vocal warm up, would help me reach the right pitch accurately. If I slowly build up the key getting higher each time this would improve my intonation. It would also allow me to work on my voice placement, as i practise warm up's changing my head voice from head to chest will become easier for me to do. Warm up exercises such as this one will also help me to improve my vocal range. The more i practise doing scales, getting higher every time, the more my vocal range will improve, which will make me more confident when I perform. Doing vocal exercises will also allow me to work on my posture. This is because I need to stand up straight, so the sound can come out freely and i won't have to force it out, if I didn't have good posture. Having good posture allows my diaphragm to expand fully so I am able to sing long notes without trouble.  I can also use vocal exercises to improve my breath control by slowly holding on notes for longer each time. This allows me to know when i need to take a breath but also allows me to learn how to support myself when singing a long note.

Here are some videos that I have found which will help me to improve my vocal range. 

This is the first recording I have done of What Doesn't Kill You. I am singing along to the track wit the words up on screen. I need to work on my tuning, and as you will see there is a point which I don't know what I am doing, so I will need to work on this part.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHThJavOut8

I went through come what may today. At the moment I am struggling with the song and don't have any confidence that I can do it. This is because I have choosen to sing in a higher key to challenge myself, however I am struggling with the high notes, as I don't usually sing high songs. I haven't got any confidence, cause I am doubting myself a lot with this song. In my opinion I sound like a whining cat! That's honestly what it sounds like to me. I need to find some vocal exercises to help me reach the high notes with ease. This could include doing scales, each time getting a bit higher. I will also try different techniques such as, squeezung my bum cheeks or pretending I am pushing on a big exercise ball or imaginig I am just about to be punched in the stomach. I am also going to try sitting down when singing to see if that makes a difference from when I stand up.

This is how I feel right now:

 

Not Opera of course but you understand what I mean!

Choosing Songs

15/01/13 I have chosen two contrasting songs. One is What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger By Kelly Clarkson:

And Come What May from the musical Moulin Rouge. This is going to be a challenge for me as I am going to have to change the key and make it into a solo performance as it is a duet between a man and a women:

1) Is the piece outside of my usual taste/comfort zone?
- WDKY is a challenging song, it goes outside of my usual comfort zone because of the range of the song. I don't usually perform songs, which go out of my vocal range cause it doesn't make me confident when I perform them. Come what may is also outside of my comfort zone. This is because although I've been in school shows before, I have never performed a musical theatre number by myself. It will be challenging for me to change the song into a solo performance.

2) Is the song challenging enough to develop part(s) of my technique as a player/singer, but realistic enough for me to practise and prefect?
- Both songs challenge my vocal range, however if I practise enough, I will be able to feel confident with the songs and it won't effect my performance.  Both songs are going to need a lot of work, especially Come What May as I will need to change the key and change some of the parts as some parts overlap where it is a duet. If I put enough time and effort into these songs, I will be able to prefect both songs.

3) Is the track suitable for the performance situation/audience?
-WDKY is a new modern song, so most people will know the song or would of heard it so will be able to recognise it. It is an upbeat song so people can have fun as I perform. Come What May isn't very well known, however many people will be able to relate to the lyrics. For example in the chorus ' Come what may, I will love you, until my dying day'. Many couples would be able to relate to this as it is a love song.

4) Can the piece be performed solo or with just one accompanist?
- Come what may can be played by piano, as it has a lovely bassline which is played throughout the song. Here is an example:

WDKY can either be performed with a backing track, or I could get a guitarist to play for me. 

5) Are the two choices contrasting and how?
-WDKY is a pop song whereas Come What May is a musical theatre song. They will have different accompaniments. WDKY  focuses on heartbreak whereas Come What May focuses on Love and relationships.

10/1/13 In this assignment, I have been asked to create a blog, showing the process building my confidence whilst learning 2 contrasting songs. I will show how my musicianship skills improve throughout the term.

Choosing Repertoire:
Right now, I don't have any ideas as to what songs I am going to perform. Usually I tend to sing a lot of pop songs, however I am going to try and challenge myself by choosing a different genre to perform as one of my songs. I may still do a pop sing as one of my songs to make myself feel more confident in the performance. I like to sing a lot of songs which relate to love, as i real like i can relate to some of the lyrics.

Planning A Step By Step Practise Schedule:
I don't have a singing teacher, which means I will have to plan my own schedule, which I'm a bit worried about. I know that I need to listen to the songs over and over. Then sing along with the artist. Once I am more confident with the song I will start to sing along with the backing track. Then will move onto working with my accompanist. As part of my schedule I will need to do some vocal exercises before I sing, which I will record at certain points of the term. I am also going to be doing some vocal training on youtube as part of my schedule. If I struggle with certain points of a song, I will work on these points until I am confident with it.

Technique, Posture And Physical Aspects Of Singing/Playing:
I need to consider different singing techniques. These incluse:
- Breath control
- Voice placement
- Diction
- Chest or head voice
- Characterization
- Movement whilst singing
- Tuning
- Emotional engagement.
All these are important when considering what song to choose etc. I have trouble moving around when performing, as I have trouble with knowing what to do, if I haven't been choreographed. I get really worried that people won't like what they hear when I sing. I also get very paranoid that people with judge or laugh at me when I perform.

Confidence, Stage Presentation And Physchological Aspects Of Playing/Singing:
I have very little self confidence. I don't really believe in myself. People tell me I'm good, however I find it hard to accept people's compliments. THis is what I really need to  work on for the performance. However if I know excatly what I'm doing, I feel more confident. I would need to make sure I stayed focused throughout the whole process. Not just while perofrming.

Particular Problems And How You Have Addressed Them:
I need to work on my stage presence, the way I could do this is just performing regularly to different people, so it got to the stage where I wouldn't care what others thought of my performance. When I get nervous, I tend to go out of tune. I would need to work on my nerves for the performance, so it wouldnt ruin it. Also if there was a certain part of the song which I wasnt as confident with, may ruin my performance because I know it is coming up, so I would need to practise a lot, to make sure I was confident with the whole song.

Working With An Accompanist:
I haven't decided yet if I will have an accompanist. I think I will however, because I struggle to sing acapello. I tend to lose timing and focus. If i performed with an accompanist it would make me feel more confident, as I would know excatly what I'm doing, as I would follow the music with the accompanist when rehearsing. Also it would make the performance more interesting if I had a piano/guitar playing with me.

And now I leave you with this: