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Great news from two media sources. First, KUHA's (91.7) Front Row program will be interviewing the cast members of the musical On the Twentieth Century this coming Monday. The interview, which will contain some musical selections, should air on Tuesday, June 19th from 12-1 PM. I will be singing two selections on the air, and I have to admit I am a bit excited!
In case you can't hear the program live, please visit KUHA's website. Second, the Houston Chronicle will review the show opening night AND be taking a photo shoot for the paper. This is quite extraordinary, considering how media sources have cut back on local entertainment news. Hope to see you at the show! (June 21-24th, 8 PM, First Christian Church! at 1601 Sunset Blvd near Rice Univ.) DWS Ok, I do not normally toot my own horn, but I have to say the musical coming up June 21st-24th, On the Twentieth Century, is going to be INCREDIBLE.
In just 8 short days, we have a full show running with no stops. The singing is amazing, each cast member is perfect for the role etc...I am not exaggerating. Please buy a ticket if you come. It is going to be that fun. Go to www.lonestarlyric.org and buy your tickets online today. Be warned that shows will begin to sell-out as the space is relatively small. I am so proud to be a part of this production. It is so much fun and will be a great show to see. DWS For the next month, I will be in rehearsals for On the Twentieth Century, a musical by the writers of Singin in the Rain as well as other successful musicals. Needless to say, it is good.
The plot revolves around Lily Garland, a young Hollywood actress who finds herself getting involved with her former director/lover, Oscar Jaffee, who needs Lily to star in his play so he can get out of bankruptcy. Several others characters get involved (can't say how - reveals too much of the plot), and hilarity ensues. My character, Bruce Granit, is a very vain Hollywood actor who often plays opposite Lily in her movies. Think Cary Grant, except much less lovable. I'll be blogging about the professional rehearsal schedule for a while, giving you a little insight on how a production comes together. This is going to be a GREAT show. I was so impressed with the quality of actors involved, the director. We will even have a nice chamber orchestra for the event. Go to the website,www.lonestarlyric.org, to buy your tickets online. They will sell out! DWS One of the new tools I hope to start using for voice lessons is a spectrogram. It is a computer program that essentially breaks down sound into its essential components: frequency (pitch), amplitude (volume) and time. That being said, it is going to take me a while to understand HOW to analyze the spectrogram in ways that will help my students. I'm hoping to use it to help students see vibrato rate, how to modify their vowels depending on the pitch, and have an objective analysis of their own sound that they can study and see what works in their lessons...
Hopefully, this summer project will be completed soon so you can have a nice picture of your own sound! DWS So far, my life this week has been choir concert, student recital, two days of rest, student recital, choir concert, and one more student recital. Whew.
As everyone knows, this is the busy season for teachers, and I haven't posted in a while for that reason. I will get back to my regular posting on technique soon, but I have to go and start memorizing for a musical I am in this June. Will send info about that soon too! DWS In voice lessons, I am always shocked by how fast students progress in the first two to three months. However, I find my students are even more surprised with their own vocal progress. I regularly hear comments from students that they did not think it possible to sing such high notes, last so long on a musical phrase, or execute such difficult leaps and vocal passages without strain.
Everyone has a decent voice waiting to come out. Unless you have some physical disability that specifically interferes with breathing or have smoked for a long period of time, everyone can develop a decent voice with the right teacher. I have yet to meet a student who cannot learn to sing well. I have had students that could barely match pitch, had no range beyond a few notes, and after a month or two, sing well and in a healthy manner. My favorite students to work with, believe it or not, are actual beginners, because the growth is so quick and astounding, that I literally am working with a different instrument in two to three months. It is exciting and tremendously rewarding to see a new student realize they had a powerful instrument waiting inside them to be unleashed. DWS In voice lessons, it is my primary responsibility to train the singer as a SOLOIST in which each singer has an unique and easily-produced instrument. However, most of my singers also sing in ensembles - chorus for a musical, choirs in high schools, small groups like duets etc... and a question comes up: Do you sing the same in your ensemble as you do as a solo singer?
The overall answer is yes. Many of the exercises to create good diction, pure vowels, musicality, and a stable vibrato carry directly over into your ensemble singing. Voice lessons will make you a much more VALUABLE ensemble singer because you will learn music more quickly, sing more musically, and sing in a much healthier and efficient manner. The only issue that arises from voice lessons is volume; Singers in my voice studio are able to sing with tremendous power, especially on their high notes. While singing loud is a great thing as a soloist, you literally may cover up your ensemble or duet partner. When this happens, we may need to focus on 'sotto voce': in Italian, literally singing "under the voice." We can work on exercises to allow you to sing high with a low volume so you are able to blend with your ensemble. Being able to sing quietly well is actually the sign of an excellent singer because it requires tremendous breath support and control. DWS For many students, removing nasality from their voice is perhaps the most difficult challenge for a singer. In voice lessons, several 'culprits' can be found as a cause for nasality: tongue tension, lowered soft palate, lack of energy, music that is too high etc...
In my experience, however, the single most important way to combat nasality is simply helping the student recognize when they are, in fact, singing with a nasal sound. Because we cannot hear ourselves accurately, students at first need to rely on a voice teacher to help them understand when their tone is too nasal. Over time, the student comes to associate physical and aural sensations with nasal singing, and often can adjust on their own with the appropriate tools and tricks of the trade. Fortunately, I have many different exercises and vocalisms that deal specifically with nasality. I have so many exercises because it used to my weakness as I singer, and I fought for years to reduce the nasality in my tone. In this case, I teach how to sing without nasality well because I had to solve it for my own singing! DWS The first question I get from voice students is often: "What happens in a typical 30 minute lesson?"
The basic answer is that I spend about 15 minutes on warmups and vocal exercises in order to build solid vocal technique, and then spend the rest of the time on a song in order to place that technique in an actual song. The longer, more accurate answer is: Your typical lesson is completely up to you. Your vocal education is yours to own, and your typical lesson depends on the goals you have for yourself. For many students, they want to become better singers, and a lesson plan can be set up for that goal. For others, they may want to become better choral members, audition for musicals, or learn how to sing pop in a healthy and easy way. Each of those cases involves a different vocal plan to help that student achieve their goals. DWS When glancing through your music, you may have seen the term "legato." Singing with legato means to connect all notes as smoothly as possible, with little interruption between vocal registers or consonants.
In many ways, being able to sing legato is the final result of voice lessons and long-term vocal training - the ability to sing any music phrase without interruption in the airflow necessary to sustain pitch. Singing legato addresses all the vocal issues that can come in a voice lesson - breath support and management, articulation, vocal registers and vowel modification. Singing legato is not a simple matter, but once achieved, becomes almost second-nature. DWS |
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