Mendelssohn melody and harmony, klein345
I was generally happy with the way things went on Friday. After transitioning from our 4/4 exercises with the fermatas into the correct 3/4 time of the excerpt, I felt as though I had an encouraging expression, natural and clear gestures, and a good idea of the music. I don't think I made as much progress in the even tempo from last week. My beat three was still fast and my beat two sometimes sped up depending on my movement. I also had difficulty breaking from my established practice tempo. While this could be seen as quite an attribute, I would like to have the flexibility to rehearse a number of different ways. Again, I think I need to dust off the metronome this week. The size and shape of my gesture may also affect the tempo. My "swoops" on beat three make it easy to increase the tempo, where a more lateral motion would help show the legato nature of the excerpt as well as force me to keep in time.
Comments
Claire -
I definitely saw an improvement this last time! It was clear that you took the feedback to heart and were very prepared. I thought your eye contact was great. Singing the bass part, I felt that you gave me clear cues. You displayed a lot of confidence as well which made me want to sing better. I thought your pattern was improved as well. I didn't see the "vagueness" of the 4th beat as much. Although, I may be wrong about this. Matt pointed out that my legato was too staccato. I have a natural tendency to want to clearly see the beat, and to clearly conduct it. It becomes harder for me to internalize the beat when the pattern is too legato. So, take my comments with a few grains of salt!
Posted by: Tim Oesau | October 1, 2007 7:29 PM
Tim, thanks for the comments! While conducting theories are usually well-founded, it's really about what works best for the singers in front of you. It's always nice to hear that something you put out is appreciated! Thank you! Although - I'm sure there's a magical balance between showing the beat and demonstrating the articulation appropriately. Hopefully things will come together for us next time!
Posted by: Anonymous | October 2, 2007 1:34 AM
Claire
I think the metronome is a good next step. You just need to get used to moving in exact time. That being said, I felt a great deal of confidence when you were conducting, and you clearly know the score!
Posted by: Matthew Mehaffey | October 2, 2007 3:16 PM
With self-confidence, you can deliver a great performance. If you feel confident, you can be able to communicate better to your audience. Your feelings will show and your confidence will help you feel at ease when performing.
Also, it will help you improve your communication skills and use it when performing. It is important to have great communication skills in your performances so that you can communicate effectively to the audience.
Posted by: Communication Skills | November 8, 2007 9:03 PM