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.