Untitled #38

Well Fall Break definitely wasn't a break for me.  I didn't even get to see my family or any of my friends...what a joke. But! I did get to practice Animal Crackers on numerous occasions.  Its funny because I even found myself singing it at work and substituting in words more appropriate to what I wanted to eat at the moment.  Needless to say Ive bee having fun with this song, but honestly...uhg! Ive been having the hardest time getting into Waldesgespracht.  I dont even know why because I love that song and I love the melody but I have absolutely been dragging my feet about looking at the words.  Its probably because I am lazy. I hate this.

Untitled #37

Recently Ive been working on Waldesgespracht and Animal Crackers (my newest addition).  Ive sang Animal Crackers before but this is more a matter of remembering everything correctly.  My main concern was all the runs and accidentals that happen in that song.  I am not so concerned about the words.  It is likely that I might mix a couple around here n there or that I might forget what comes next, but these problems are all easily fixed with some review.

NATS grocery list

This week has been spent working on Non so piu.  The main items of concern right now are the Dental T's, wide (but not pushy) mouth space and delivery, and bright tones.  Ive noticed that as I ascend into my range I get brighter and that's not necessarily a fall back for all songs.  I want my tone to become richer but not pushy or throaty.  There must be a happy medium.  I also must be conscious of what I am singing and be technical.  There is not reason why I should completely forget my diction while performing.  Thats just silly.  I must never ever sing on auto pilot.  I must also relax and let it happen and try not to control everything.  Also, I must not forget!! Review! Review! Review! and...push the tempo on Reward...don't let it drag. AND! Sell the story.  Be an actress.  Become the character in the song.

Untitled #36

This week has been very crazy! For most of the beginning of the week, I have been working on Non so Piu and reviewing Reward for NATS coming up very soon.  Everything is sounding and feeling pretty good for me so far.  The only concerns I have are that I will either be too heavy or too bright with Non so Piu.  Its easier for me in the upper part of my range if I have it brighter but it detracts from the song.  Also, the pronunciation or the dental T's.  I feel that I am missing them and I dont want to have to think very hard about it.  When I sing this, I want to be very much into the character and not so much concentrating on little technicalities.  There are also a few places where my notes arent as they should be and some of the words get mixed up.  Despite these, however, I am not worried.  I feel that this is a very strong piece and that it has alot of potetial.  I will continue work on this song and perfect it.  Last year at NATS I went without any expectations and I did better than I ever expected.  This year, I have high expectations for myself.  I view this as a learning experience and I also realize that sometimes no matter how much work you put into something there will be someone better than you.  If I dont meet my expectations.  I wont be crushed or upset, I will only take it in stride.

Untitled #35

This week I've been focusing on Aus Meinen and Non so Piu.  At the center of that has been basically just reviewing the lyrics and what notes I took on each piece last year.  I've been having trouble getting that momentum in my upper range lately for Non so Piu.  I don't want to push but I feel like I am when I get up there and when I don't push, I cant make it and it sounds just gawd awful.  I feel like some of this might me lack of sleep and such.  Also just because I getting back into the swing of things and once Ive been singing for a while and I'm rolling with the punches I'll get my groove back.  As for Aus Meinen, I feel like things have been going pretty well.  I remember the lyrics quite clearly and as far as singing it...I have no complaints (others might while I'm in the shower at 2am...ha!).  Singing it is so easy.  Its just not as difficult for me too keep it bright in the lower range and not let it get too heavy.  I feel like I connect with the lyrics and so far so good.  I'm not worried about this song at all.  Non so Piu... I am a little worried about however because I just don't feel a whole lot of confidence in my upper range yet.  It scares me.  Sometimes I open the door just a crack (metaphorically speaking) and I can see that creature in there so I slam it shut.  One of these days, I will tame it.

Elder Joseph Brackett

Elder Joseph Brackett

Joseph Brackett wrote the lyrics of the Shaker dancing song "Simple Gifts" in 1848, which has become an internationally loved tune, both through his original version, and many of its adaptations. The song was largely unknown outside of Shaker communities until Aaron Copland used the melody in his 1944 composition Appalachian Spring. Brackett was born in 1797 and died 1882 as a member of the Shakers at Gorham, Maine. His father's farm was the nucleus of the Shaker settlement at the time.

Mark Hayes- arranger

Mark Hayes

Hayes was born in Ladysmith, Wisconsin on March 28, 1953 . After receiving a bachelor's degree in piano performance from Baylor University, he entered a career in composing and arranging music. He has written numerous choral arrangements of sacred music, and published several books of arrangements for solo singers and solo piano.

Waldesgespräch- Robert Schumann

Character Study:
I.Before
1.The events that have occurred prior to this song that have led me to this point is that I have gone into the dark forest on a hunt.
2.  My thoughts and feelings before the song begins are eagerness and confidence.
II.  During
1.  I am a wandering huntsman.
2.  I am young and handsome, smart, confident, and valiant.
3.  The other character involved is the witch Lorelei.
4.  Lorelei is a temptress sorceress who calls sailors and ships to their death on the rocks.  She is very beautiful and seems to be sweet.
5.  I am in the dark forest.
6.  I am speaking to Lorelei.
7.  Yes, we have seen each other in the woods.
8.  Right now I think that Lorelei is just a harmless beautiful maiden and I am telling her that it is getting dark and cold and that I will take her home.
9.  My thoughts throughout this song are that I am going to be a lucky guy and get to take this beautiful maiden home with me.
10.  N/A
III.  After
1.  My thoughts and feelings as the song ends are dread and fear because I have just realized this beautiful young lady is the treacherous witch Lorelei and that I have been cursed.
2.  The events that will occur as a result of this song is that I will most likely die or become her slave.

Lyrics and Translations:
Es ist schon spät, es ist schon kalt,
It is already late, it is already cold;
Was reit'st du einsam durch den Wald
why do you ride alone through the forest?
Der Wald is lang, du bist allein,
The forest is vast, you are alone;
Du schöne Braut! ich führ' dich heim!
you beautiful bride! I will see you home.

Gross ist der Männer Trug und list,
Great are men's deceit ad cunning;
Vor schmerz mein Herz gebrochen ist,
my heart is broken with sorrow
Wohl irrt das Waldhorn her und hin
the straying horn sounds here and there
O flieh'! du weisst nicht, wer ich bin.
O flee! You know not who I am.

So reich geschmückt ist ross unt weib
So richly adorned and both horse and lady
So wunderschön der junge Leib;
so wondrously beautiful is your young body
Jetzt kenn' ich dich--Gott steh' mir bei!--
now I know you--God be with me!--
Du bist die Hexe Lorelei!
you are the Sorceress Lorelei!

Du kennst mich wohl--von hohem stein
You know me well--from a high cliff
Schaut still mein schloss tief in den Rhein
my castle silently gazes deep into the Rhein
Es ist schon spät, es ist schon kalt
It is already late, it is already cold
Kommst nimmermehr aus diesem Wald
never again shall you leave this forest.

Untitled #34

This week I have been working on my composer bios, IPA's, translations, and character studies for my voice folder.  My primary focus as far as the music has been Ici Bas.  I plan to sing this on recital for Tuesday night.  The main concern was that I may have been singing too heavily with this song.  Ive been practicing and warming up with lots of buzzes and some bright E's, I's, and Ah's.  When I warm up I haven't of course been only focusing on the higher end of my range.  I've been trying to also focus on the lower end of my range so that I can keep it forward and bright and not so heavy and chesty, but I try not to spend too much time down there because its very exhausting for me after a while.  I don't want to hurt myself.  As for memorization, it wasn't difficult for me to get back into it at all.  I was happy to realize that I wouldn't require any work on that.  I'm glad to focus mainly on the musical/technical aspects of the song and really work on perfecting it.  Another concern of mine is the french pronunciations.  I feel like most of the words are correct but I feel that as time has passed since I've sung it, some of the vowels or pronunciations have fallen by the way side.  I would like to check back with you on Monday to be sure things are 100%.

It's good to be back!

So I just had a three day weekend and I didn't have to work. Yay! I decided to take this time to organize, regroup, and do something fun with the family.  First, I did all of my homework that is going to be due shortly and practiced some piano and worked on my voice folder.  During our studio meeting last week, I took a lot of notes so I decided to type them up.  I also looked up all of my songs off iTunes, bought an mp3 player, and a speaker system that clips to you belt so that I can listen to my music at work (good for swing choir music too).  Im not allowed to wear head phones to work because its a safety hazard.  I also bought some tabs and a black binder.  After I had most of my resources gathered such as; music, notes, table of contents, syllabus...etc. I began putting it together and organizing it.  I also had time to bust out some of my old notes for some of the songs I have done from previous semesters and sat down and reviewed them.  I really want to take these songs to a whole-other level.  I believe that I can perfect them and that there is something more to be obtained from getting a chance to review literature I've experienced in the past.  I am super excited to get started.  I want to see what I can really do with these puppies!

Untitled #33

I have been working very diligently on Non so piu and O del mio dolce.  Wednesday in Studio I sang Non so piu for the first time and it went well but I still have problems with putting a "schwa" in cosa and some other words in the lyrics.  I am also working on not holding back because as you and other people have pointed out, I will approach a note with power and intensity and then back off quite noticeably.  I am also trying not to push so hard because I dont want to hurt myself.  I get very fatigued after I sing Non so Piu or O del mio Dolce and I want to sing more efficiently and more healthily.  So as I am practicing my repertoire this weekend, I am trying to sing lighter.  Does that make sense?  I feel like the reason I am getting so fatigued is because I push to hard and sing to heavy.  So I am trying to sing lighter and more effortlessly.  I also got the comment that the words sound too harsh for Italian... I'm not exactly sure what that means, but maybe I am enunciating too harshly?  Or am I overdoing the accents and the vowels?

Goodnews =)

btw... I sang Aus Meinen Grossen in recital yesterday and I aced it!!!! woohoo!!!! Thankyou so much Dr.H.  I am thinkin about you and hope that you are filled with peace:)

Untitled #32

Why is memorizing a foreign language so hard??? I can memorize any English song with no problem...I will spend over a month working on a foreign language song that is less that half the length of the English song and still mess up every single word.  And what's more frustrating??? I can even speak all the foreign lyrics out in rhythm correctly, but when I get up to sing it...Phhhttt! it all goes out the window like I don't even know what I'm doing! Like I've never even sang it before!! What is my problem??!! I am tired of this...lets move on...
I have been working on the last verse of O Del Mio Dolce Ardor.  I never fail to mess up this one note and its so easy, I just cant get myself to hear it.  The first tone starts on a fifth and goes directly down to the third and then there is some ornamentation.  After the ornamentation it goes back up to the fifth where I originally started.  I have no problem finding that pitch, but for some reason (and it baffles me) I cannot for the life of me find the third again! I always go to the fourth.  I've been pounding it into my brain I have been telling myself over and over...Chelsey it is the same interval! this is not that hard! but I continue to miss it every time :(

Untitled #31

This week I have been working mostly on Non So Piu.  My main concern is the elisions... I think that's what they're called.  All those words jumbled together just get me all sorts of confused.  I'm not very fast when it comes to regular speaking anyhow.  Never was good at them tongue twisters... My plan of action however is to slow it down considerably and speak the words in rhythm like we do in lessons.  Then as I get better, I will bring up the tempo more and more and more until it's where it is supposed to be.  I don't think memory will be much of an issue because so much of the words are the same and the notes aren't an issue either.  I feel like I have a pretty solid grasp on the melody.  I am excited to have it all perfected because I want to become Cherubino! As I listen to my recording, I can almost picture the character and what kind of movements "he" is making and what his expressions are.  I want to do that too! In my mind, it is exciting and something I want to become successful at.  I feel like I have the guns for it...I just need to fill up on my ammo so I can really put on a show.  After today's recital I felt like the more confident I feel about the song, and the stronger I become about putting aside my own insecurities, the better I do on stage.  My insecurities are petty and it is immature to bring them on stage.  What really kick started this was Phils quote about bowing after a performance.  An audience applauds in appreciation of your performance.  It's their way of saying thank you.  My bowing is thanking them for being so polite and my way of showing appreciation for them.  I never want my audience (or anyone) to think of me as disrespectful.  I want to have a good professional stage presence.  There are a few things I'll have to work on, but I see victory in plain sight.  Meanwhile, I am also preparing O del mio dolce for the studio recital and Aus Meinen Grossen Schmertzen for next week.  Thank you for everything!

Untitled #30

Last week I have been working on Non so Piu and Reward.  Mainly Reward because I am supposed to be singing it tomorrow for recital and its good to get one more memorized I guess.  The main problems I am experiencing at the moment would be all the words smashed into a couple of notes with the Non So Piu.  Its like one huge run-on tongue twister.  I feel like my problem might be too much tension, and lack of preparation. I feel like if I keep practicing a few spots, like start out slow and get faster and faster as I improve, then those places with wordiness won't be so bad.  Another thing is the pronunciation.  Sometimes I move too quickly from one vowel to the next and sometimes I don't move fast enough.  With your guidance, Dr.H, I will figure this out.  I'm sure we will discuss it more during lessons.  Thankyou so much for everything!

Untitled #29

Uhg.... I'm so glad that I had spring break but I am also very glad that it is over.  I will be honest.  I really didn't focus much of my time on my vocal repertoire.  When I wasn't working at Dairy Queen, I was practicing for my piano midterm and working on my conducting project.  Like I mentioned in my last post, I have been feeling very overwhelmed.  I am pleased to say that after break got over, I felt very accomplished.  Before break, I didn't know any of my major or minor cadences and I felt totally lost when it came to conducting my piece.  I didn't even know where to begin to work with any of it.  Now, I feel quite confident about my piano final :)  I learned all my major and minor cadences (with the help of Amanda! Couldn't have done it without her!), most of my major scales and my piano repertoire has come a long ways since the week before.  As for my conducting...I don't know exactly what happened there...but for some reason I am not as afraid as I was before.  It's like the ideas just dawned on me Sunday night.  All last week I had been agonizing over my score trying to pull something out of nothing and finally the night before school was supposed to start, something clicked.  I wouldn't say I am completely confident with it, but at least I have a better idea of what I'm doing and what I want to do with my music.  I'll just keep truckin along:)  This has nothing to do with voice lessons though so I will just tell you what I actually did work on for my vocal repertoire.  I want you to know that I had full intentions of working more on Non so Piu Cosa Son, but I didn't.  Last week, I focused mostly on Aus Meinen Grossen Schmentzen simply because it is a short song and mentally less daunting to tackle.  The biggest obstacle I came across was wanting to let my voice go too heavy.  It was hard not to let it drop into my chest voice and keep control of it.  When I came to the lower parts I lost support a lot of the time and my vibrato would get super loose it felt like.  I wasn't so sure that was a healthy thing.  I didn't want it to get to throaty and dark so I tried making it a little brighter and focusing the sound more forward.  I definitively got the sound you would have expected.  It was brighter and skinnier, but I didn't like it for the song.  The song is dark and kind of sad.  Is it supposed to sound that way in the voice or should the voice be skinny and more forward anyways?  Or is there a mixture of both??? I feel like there is a certain sound I should have that isn't too much of either one.  I feel like there is a happy medium to be achieved but I'm not quite sure what that is.  The vocalist in the recording I am listening to has a very heavy voice.  I like how she sounds and I have been trying to replicate it in a way that is my own but I'm not sure if I can pull it off like she can.  I don't even know if what she is doing is vocally possible or healthy for me.  Maybe I can, I just haven't uncovered that potential of my voice yet...maybe I never will...

Untitled #28

This week I have been doing a lot of "mush-mouth" singing and trying to be more conscious of how open my mouth is and how tense my jaw is.  I've been doing those stretches every time before I practice or sing and choir and it is wonderful.  I enjoy it so much it almost puts me to sleep because I am so relaxed.  I've been improving my lyrics and my memory on O Del Mio Dolce Ardor. I've also been trying to be more conscious of my mouth shape/space when I sing my vowels.  I don't understand why its so hard.  It doesn't seem like such a big thing...working on mouth space.  I just hate how weak it feels and then it makes me push, which isn't good either.  I just feel like I can't find a happy medium.  My jaw hurts when I hold it wide open through an entire song and I know if that's good either but I don't know if I'm just doing it wrong or if it'll go away with time and I'll just get used to it.  Ive been working on reward and this little rose.  Just the technical stuff mainly.  I've really been trying to conduct myself through it.  I don't know if I'm doing it right.  Sometimes I wonder if it's really worth it because I always end up getting off the beat.  I just feel like I'm waving my arm around for no apparent reason even though I need to do it.  I'm concentrating more on what my arm is doing than whats going on in the music and I miss stuff.  Obviously, doing two things at once is impossible for me.  It's so frustrating! I must be stupid or something! No one else seems to have the amount of problems and frustrations I feel right now!  I just feel like I'm not at the level I should be.  I cant even count or read music or conduct a simple stupid piece of music or play the piano or sing right!  Maybe I'm not meant for this music stuff. Uhg! Sometimes I'd rather jump off a building because I just feel so nervous/self-conscious and inadequate.  When I was younger I never cared about that stuff and now it scares me so bad.  I'll never give up I just feel like I changed and I don't know what to do about it.  Why do I care so much now?  Its good to care but it feels like it isn't helping me so much right now.  Its okay though...after spring break is over I will feel differently about it.  I'll be back to being cheerful again.  Sorry, I got off topic! I've been working more on the technical parts of reward and this little rose.  There are a few note confusions I have in this little rose and a few rhythm parts I need to work on especially.  I've also been writing the IPA for those two songs.  That'll help me prepare for my midterms in diction too:)

Untitled #27

This week I have been working on Non so piu cosa son, O del mio dolce, Widmung, and Reward.  Mostly I have been working on perfecting my memorization of Widmung.  It frustrates me to know that I don't have it perfectly memorized when I've been working on it since school started.  I have been trying your suggestions.  You really hit the nail on the head when you said I've been taking my music away too soon.  I guess my thoughts were that I'd need to just toughen up, get smart and memorize it (like weening myself off my bottle...the bottle being my music) or suffer the consequences.  Definitely not the right sort of mentality or technique because obviously it didn't work.  I've been trying your suggestions.  I will sing it with my music in front of me.  Also I've been working on singing in a mirror.  When I went to ACDA last week I witnessed many talented singers perform and all of them had the biggest mouths.  I want to have the same.  It would help resolve the struggle between me and my voice.  I just cleaned my room and got rid of some stuff.  I found I had more wall space, so I put up a mirror to practice in.  O del mio dolce has definitely been a lot of working with technical things.  There are more trills and things in that song than any other song I've ever sang.  I've been doing more conducting myself through that one and non so piu cosa son.  There are so many rhythmic and technical things to work on.  As for Reward, I've basically just been trying to familiarize myself with the song.  I've been working a lot on listening to it and playing out the parts on the piano.  That song has some rhythms I've never encountered in a solo before.  Those will be probably the biggest challenge, but I'm not worried about them at all.  I just need to be ready for them and make sure to anticipate them when they come along.

Untitled #26

This week has been a great! I feel a hundred times better and I'm back!!!! I've actually been able to really sing my music and focus on my technique.  I started my practices this week by working on my open vowels.  My difficult spot is keeping my jaw dropped and my mouth wide open.  So that was the focus of this weeks work.  As I went up my scales I tried to keep an eye on my mirror and make sure I was opening my mouth as wide as I could.  The vowels I worked on were AH and OH because they are particularly difficult for me in my higher register.  I try so hard to control the sound because its almost loose and crazy feeling.  I tried really hard not to control and to just let it go and see what happened.  Sometimes very successful...sometimes not.  I feel like if I were to keep practicing like this I could really make a break through.  I like to think about the movie "The Coneheads".  There is a part in the movie where Connie Conehead eats a huge foot long sub sandwich in one bite...I like to pretend I'm trying to eat a huge foot long sandwich in one bite...it usually makes me open up quite a bit more.  As far as the songs I've been working on, they're coming along quite nicely.  I've got Widmung memorized.  I want to save O Del Mio Dolce Ardor for the Studio Recital because I just have something special with this song.  I feel a connection to it and I want to save it for that special night.  This week I've also been listening to and working on Aus meinen grossen Schmerzen.  It very easily could be the second song memorized before spring break.  I'm not going to stop just there though.  I plan to at least have three songs memorized before then.  They should consist of all those I've mentioned working on recently.  If my plans go accordingly or better than anticipated, then my next plan of action is to work like heck on Non So Piu Cosa Son.  All in all, it's been a fantastic week and I plan to have more of them.

What I am listening to and who is singing it

 While drinking peppermint tea, sneezing, and watching Spongebob... I compiled this list...

All purchased on iTunes:

Widmung-  Eileen Mager from Songs of Life
 O Del Mio Dolce Ardor- Anne Sofie Von Otter from Opera Arias: Gluck Hayden, & Mozart
Nobody Knows This Little Rose-  Carole Bogard from A Collection of American Songs
Aus meinen grossen Schmerzen- Mitsuko Shirai & Hartmut Holl from Franz, R.: Lieder
Reward-  Suzi More with Angela Manso from Suzi More sings Songs of John Jacob Niles
 Le Nozze Di Figaro (The Marriage Of Figaro) - Act 1: Non So Piu Cosa Son- Erich Kleiber, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Cesare Siepi & Lisa Della Casa from Mozart's Best Operas