Acapella Groups

In today's dance lesson we were split of into 2 groups. I am in the lowest group. I found it a lot easier to pick up choreography and it was probably the fastest I have picked up a dance routine at college so far. This may be due to the fact that we were able to learn the routine at a slower pace. However, it is a very fast-paced routine and so, often my timing was off. To correct this, I have practised the routine at home in front of a mirror (to polish each movement) twice and then twice again with music (for the correct timing). I will do this as often as I can, so that I am ready for the next half of the dance.

In today's singing lesson, we had to get into our acapella groups. My group split in half and so we are now singing 'Iris (I just want you to know who I am)' by The Goo Goo Dolls. 

Our task was to choose a group that we thought our voices would blend well in. I find this to be a difficult task as my voice and singing style is very different to anyone's in the class. I went into the original group because I was asked to join them and when we split, I looked to others to tell me what group I was in. I need to pull myself together and make these kind of decisions on my own, with confidence. Even if my voice is different to others', I should choose the group that I am most vocally similar to and not just go the group that is nearest to. Therefore, if we are ever told to choose a group that best suits us again. I am setting myself the task of making the decision confidently on my own.

Below is an image of me dancing with my dance group. This dance move would probably look better if I kept my chin up.

Duets

As homework, we were asked to prepare a duet with another person in the group. I was paired with Megan. We decide to sing 'There Are Worst Things I Could Do' from Grease. We prepared for our performance by singing it again and again. Rehearsals went well, as I played around with the notes in the song and sang loudly. However, as always, I struggled with concentrating on my own singing, when I sung with someone else. I am therefore setting myself the task of singing with other people whenever possible, while concentrating on my own voice.

During the actual performance, although I made a conscious effort to appear less nervous than usual, I sang the song completely differently, than the way in which I had practised during rehearsals. I was flat all the way through the song. I have concluded that, when I'm nervous, I just can't seem to reach the higher notes. I automatically sing really low. This is likely to be because my whole body is tense. The best way to solve this is by stretching, doing breathing exercises and shaking my whole body out. I also sang more quietly than usual, which is something that tends to happen when I'm not singing solo. I should sing at the same volume whether I sing solo, in a duet or in a group. I am also setting myself a goal to sing higher, to not sing flat and to play around with notes more next time I am asked to sing solo/ in a duet. On a positive note, I do feel more confident singing in class, now that I've sung with someone else.