Dancng And Singng 3

Today, during our dance lesson, we covered basic dance technique. We started with 'corner work', which I struggled with. However, I found that I could more easily pick up the simpler routines, than in previous lessons. We were reminded of the positions in ballet and we took part in ballet exercises. From this, I have learnt that I struggle a lot with my balance. I can improve this by spending some of my free time balancing on one leg, while engaging the stomach muscles and focusing on a point in the room. Here is a video of the positions in ballet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W6h6uNM1os

Later we had a singing lesson. I found that Today's warm up went the smoothest, since the beginning of this year. I found it easier to hit the higher notes without 'cracking'. I also remembered that the more I project, the better control I have over my voice. We also sung 'At The End Of The Day' from Les Miserables The Musical. We were asked to 'perform'  the song, but I found that not knowing the words hindered my performance, and I felt that I should have moved around a lot more. Therefore I am setting myself the task of moving around in character more when singing a song that requires characterisation.

The Voice- How It Works

During last weeks lesson, we were given handouts to read, in which I underlined words that I didn't fully understand, or felt that I needed to define. Here are the handouts:

• The Trachea- A thin-walled, cartilaginous tube descending from the larynx to the bronchi and carrying air to the lungs. (Also known as The Wind Pipe).
• The Vocal Folds- Folds of membranous tissue which project inwards from the sides of the larynx to form a slit across the glottis in the throat, and whose edges vibrate in the airstream to produce the voice. (Also known as The Vocal Cords)
• The Vocal Tract- The air passages above the glottis (including the pharynx, oral and nasal cavities, and the paranasal sinuses) that contribute to the quality of the voice.
• The Larynx- The hollow muscular organ forming an air passage to the lungs and holding the vocal cords; the voice box
• The Pharynx- The membrane-lined cavity behind the nose and mouth, connecting them to the oesophagus.
• The Pharyngeal Cavity- The cavity of the pharynx that consists of a part continuous anteriorly with the nasal cavity by way of the nasopharynx, a part opening into the oral cavity by way of the isthmus of the fauces, and a part continuous posteriorly with the esophagus and opening into the larynx by way of the epiglottis.
• Thoracic- Relating to the thorax/ something near the thorax.
• Succession- The act or process of following in order or sequence.

How Music is Made

Here is the link to the web page, what we were asked to read:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_symbols

Here is a youtube video, which tells you a bit about music theory:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ0UEKWjuZs&list=PL2D7634DD8835136B

The black keys on a piano are sharps and flats. They make it easier to play scales in different keys and to identify the white notes.

The Parts Of The Human Anatomy Which Are Used When We Sing

Today's lesson began with a theory lesson, about the parts of The Human Anatomy which are used when we sing. These parts are split into groups:

• The Generators- The parts of your body that create the sound.

-The Diaphragm (a dome-shaped muscular partition separating the thorax from the abdomen in mammals. It plays a major role in breathing, as its contraction increases the volume of the thorax and so inflates the lungs.)

-The Intercostal Muscles (Intercostal muscles are several groups of muscles that run between the ribs, and help form and move the chest wall. The intercostal muscles are mainly involved in the mechanical aspect of breathing. These muscles help expand and shrink the size of the chest cavity when you breathe.)



- The Lungs (either one of a pair of spongy sack like respiratory organs within the thorax of higher vertebrates, which oxygenate the blood and remove its carbon dioxide)

 

• The sound travels up The Trachea (Wind Pipe)- A thin-walled, cartilaginous tube descending from the larynx to the bronchi and carrying air to the lungs.

 

• The Phonators- Where the sounds come from

-The Larynx/ The Voice Box (the hollow, muscular organ forming an air passage to the lungs and holding the vocal cords)

 

 

 

-The Vocal Cords/ Vocal Folds (folds of membranous tissue which project inwards from the sides of the larynx to form a slit across the glottis in the throat, and whose edges vibrate in the airstream to produce the voice)

 

 

 

• Vocal Resonators- The process by which the basic product of phonation is enhanced in timbre and/or intensity by the air-filled cavities through which it passes on its way to the outside air. The Following web page tells you detailed information about vocal resonance: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocal_resonation

- Head Resonance (It is used primarily for softer singing in either register throughout the range.)

- Mouth Resonance (is used for a conversational vocal colour in singing and, in combination with nasal resonance, it creates forward placement or mask resonance).

- Chest Resonance-  (adds richer, darker, deeper tone colouring for a sense of power, warmth and sensuality. It creates a feeling of depth and drama in the voice.)

- Nasal/ Mask Resonance- (is present at all times in a well-produced tone, except, perhaps, in the instance of the pure head tone or at very soft volume. Nasal resonance is bright and edgy and is used in combination with mouth resonance to create forward placement (mask resonance). In an over-all sense, it adds overtones that give clarity and projection to the voice.)

 

 

- The Sinuses (cavities within a bone or other tissue. Most are commonly found in the bones of the face and connecting with the nasal cavities. Important for voice modulation (most commonly the act or process of changing from one key (tonic, or tonal centre) to another.)

 

-The larynx (Due to its small size, the larynx acts as a resonator only for high frequencies.)
-The Pharynx (The pharynx is the most important resonator by virtue of its position, size, and degree of adjustability. It is the first cavity of any size through which the product of the laryngeal vibrator passes; the other supraglottal cavities have to accept whatever the pharynx passes on to them.)

- The Soft Palate (the fleshy, flexible part towards the back of the roof of the mouth.)
- The Hard Palate (The hard palate is a thin horizontal bony plate of the skull, located in the roof of the mouth.)

 

 

• Vocal Articulators- C

  larity in the production of successive notes.
  

  
  

- The Cheeks

- The Tongue

- The Teeth

- The lips 

 

We also learnt about the things that are harmful to our voices. These include:

• Shouting/ Screaming
• Vocal Trauma: http://www.drugs.com/health-guide/vocal-cord-disorders.html
• Singing Without warming up
• Clearing Your throat

We were asked to make a circle and sing one word of 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' each, keeping in mind the tempo (the rate or speed of motion or activity; pace), the rhythm (a strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound) and pitching (t

he quality of a sound governed by the rate of vibrations producing it; the degree of highness or lowness of a tone). I 

thought that my pitching was more accurate than usual, though strangely, I thought I sang a little too high. I also cracked a few times, which I could of avoided by having better breath support. We then focused on dynamics (refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic (staccato, legato etc.) or functional (velocity).) and sang quietly and then loudly.

 

We were then asked to find out the vocal range that we were most comfortable singing in. I knew that I had an Alto singing voice but I though I'd try The Soprano part, just to see how much, if at all, my range has increased. I had no problem hitting the lowest note in The Alto range. I hit higher Soprano notes than I thought that I could, but I am definitely more comfortable singing the Alto parts of a song. Later we sang Matilda The Musical's 'When I Grow Up'. This time we worked out harmonies (the combination of simultaneously sounded musical notes to produce a pleasing effect.). I found that the louder I sang the better I could stay on- pitch.





 

Dancing And Singing 2

Today we began to learn the choreography of our Contemporary Dance Piece for 'The Variety Show'. I found that I was very slow at picking up the choreography. I noticed that last week, I was considerably quicker, despite both Dance Routines being fast paced. I feel that when I am tired, my ability to pick up new dance moves is a lot slower than when I am more alert. Therefore, I should try harder to get more sleep prior to the days that I know I will be dancing. However, today I have practised the dance 5 times over, in front of the mirror (so that I can execute the moves correctly in the future). I am still not entirely confident with the dance, so I will spend The Weekend learning it thoroughly.

Our singing lessons started with warm ups. I noticed that these included physical warm ups, as well as vocal warm ups (e.g. stretching the body). This is because, in order to feel fully warmed up before singing, the body needs to feel ready to sing, as you need to engage your anchoring muscles and adopt the correct posture while singing, which are both physical actions. I found that I am still finding it difficult to sing with others, as I cannot here myself. It is therefore important that I bare in mind, the following technique:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK_42Vyo3iw
I am seting myself the target of using this technique the next time I sing with others.

Here is are videos explaining ways that you can effectively warm up your voice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3vSheVC0t8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBSaMrKku54

Musical Theatre Workshop at RADA

The Performing Arts Students of NHC College (including myself) attended a trip, where we saw 2 theatrical performances- '39 Steps' and 'Charlie And The Chocolate Factory'. We went on a Musical Theatre workshop with The Musical Director of 'Charlie And 'The Chocolate Factory' at RADA and had a Q&A with The Dance Captain of The Show.

During The Musical Theatre Workshop, we learnt that the safest sound that our voices can make is 'The Vocal Siren'. This is because if you block your nose while making 'The NG Sound', you can tell that the sound goes through your nose, putting less pressure on the vocal chords. Here is a video explaining what 'The Vocal Siren' is and includes an exercise:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMWJgPnBMnw

The Musical Director explained that 'The head voice' is known as 'the head voice', due to the fact that it resonates at the crown of your head and that you should be able to feel the sound as it travels through your neck. He also mentioned 'belting', which is a vocal technique, which allows singers to produces a loud sound in the upper middle of the pitch range. He explained that having a 'twang' in your voice helps singers to achieve this. A twang a voice quality, famously represented in the American accent.

Here is video about The Falsetto Vs. The Head Voice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxQOespT4Bs
Here is a video about singing in The Head Voice in the correct manner:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tgPo1MIAhc
Here is a video about belting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21P-ci_Ie9Q
Here are some videos that teach you how to belt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPiQgqgN_4Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzpvEL8jg-k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWDms7jwAIQ

We also sang scales. Here is a web page about scales:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_(music)
Here is a video, which tells you about some of the different scales in music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a0bOfUW8rk&list=PL2D7634DD8835136B

Dancing and Singing

Today we were told that our Assignment, for this term, is going to be, performing in a Variety Show. This will give us the opportunity to audition 5 pieces at the most, which showcase our talent. As I originally applied for Musical Theatre, I will aim audition pieces from Musicals. Later, I will post some of my ideas.

We are also required to perform as an ensemble in Musical Theatre numbers. One of which, will be a number from Mary Poppins. Today we were given a taster session of the way in which we will be expected to dance and the energy we will need to put into this number in the form of a choreographed dance routine. I made many mistakes, as I always do, when trying to pick up a routine at first. However, I did find that my movement memory has considerably improved since before Panto.

Today during our singing lesson, I could tell that my singing was very under-practised, due to lack of singing practise during The Holidays. I found it difficult to project and sing in tune. I need to engage in more vocal warm ups and technique tutorials to improve this. When it came to singing in the correct pitch, I failed my attempt. I often sing too low or flat in general and need to focus on improving this by recording myself singing to scales more often.

Here is a video of one of our warm up sessions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkEEdlSLLvs&list=UUsc6As_10ht676BbLjDH3iQ
Even though this was only a warm up, I noticed that I didn't look very happy and it would be good practise to smile during vocal warm ups in preparation for actual performances. I managed to last quite long in the 'scales warm up' as I remembered to use my mixed voice and I remembered to think low when trying to sing high notes, as my old singing teacher taught me. Here is a video about the mixed voice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYEsGuldIQY

We sang 'When I Grow Up' from The Musical, 'Matilda'. It is a possible ensemble number for The Variety show and so I have recorded myself singing it in order to improve on my endurance (vocally), when it comes to singing a song all the way through.

Here is the link to my youtube video of  'When I Grow Up', acapella:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSPkmNujIfU

From this video, I can tell that I need to improve on my diction, reading the lyrics, remembering the melody and engaging my anchoring muscles. I also need to work on pitching, as I found that I sang the song too low and I was flat at times. I believe that I need to sing the whole song higher in my range. I especially think that when I sang 'When I grow up' at the beginning of the last verses, I could have belted it to a much higher note by singing 'through my mask' and using other techniques for belting (such as having a 'twang' in your voice and opening your throat wide, by lifting your soft pallet). I am setting myself the task of learing the song lyrics for if it is used in the variety show.