Dear all,

I am always telling you about the importance of the text. Now I am going to introduce the vocalise, beautiful singing on an ‘a’ vowel. The singer is still telling a story  but just through their sound and connection to the other musical parts. The piece repeats and so the challenge for the singer is to build up the subtle edges of emotion to make it varied and interesting and moving before the peak of the top ‘c’ near the very end.

This links with the Jacqueline du Pre video.The concept being that music is about communicating feeling to others, connecting with others. How effective have these two musicians been at that? What makes them amazing at reaching out to us?

This is so beautiful

Enjoy.

Charlotte

 

Link to the amazing Jacqueline du Pre (cellist) who plays the cello like a singer sings. Aim to find the expressive possibilities of your voice, that may be suggested here by the cello. Passion is key.

Glorious

Enjoy

Charlotte

 

Dear all,

This is great. Hope you love it. Good one for a wedding. Two friends, in love with the same woman sing of the romantic feelings and gloriousness of the woman, they then get a bit mad with each other and fight before being reconciled as friends.

Fabulous stuff

Enjoy

Charlotte

Very Interesting and fun.  Art, philosophy and science. There are some gruesome body parts on the stage.

Enjoy

Charlotte

These are very interesting if you are interested in behind the scenes of learning to sing Opera or how Opera singers make those sounds, learn, live and train.

Below is an example of a masterclass with the wonderful Joyce Didonato. Notice the attention to detail. Please listen carefully to Joyce’s words and direction,This reflects the culmination of what I am teaching in the studio!!!

Following on from some of Joyce’s brilliant comments – Why did I get goosebumps, a more amusing video on WHY Opera makes you feel a certain emotion.

The  National Opera studio shows trainee Opera singers

 

Enjoy

Charlotte

 

Wonderful and uplifting music which is a combination of tribal music, opera, Folk works, jazz. It also has a made up language which is used in most sounds. The invented languages is an attempt to create something cross cultural and universal in appeal and expression. Miriam Stockley is the lead singer here. All the albums are brilliant:

Here are some links with further information on the project:

http://www.karljenkins.com/works

http://www.adiemus.f2s.com/

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

Here is Miriam Stockley in a different genre, tv. I really think she is representative of the type of versatility you need vocally in order to make a good living with singing: The Kids will love this too.

Dear all,

I have created two new pages in the tab on the top to the right of the page. This is an extension activity of the musical theatre page, this time focussing on Leonard  Bernstein and the behind the scenes recording practice for ‘West Side Story’. It shows rows, tempers and wonderful, wonderful music. Even incredible singers like Dame Kiri and Jose Carreras can struggle and get frustrated!!

The first two are shorter extracts and the third is the full version.

Watch their technique, their line, their faces, their eyes, their use of text.

Happy Singing

Charlotte

 

Dear All,

Chippenham Folk Festival will be on again this year so make sure go along and support it if you can. Brilliant fun with great dancing and music!!!!

http://www.chippfolk.co.uk/

 

Dear all,

What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday. Picnicking in the beautiful John Coles Park, listening to live music from local orchestra’s and bands from the band stand in the centre. Check out the dates from May!!!

http://www.chippenham.gov.uk/files/Downloads/CVIC/April%202014.pdf

Hope to see some of you there.

Charlotte

 

Dear all,

Here are my top choice of books on singing technique, These are in depth books so not for the fainthearted:

‘It’s never too late to sing’ Heidi Pegler

‘The Inner Game of Music’ by W. Timothy Gallwey

‘The Performer’s Voice’ by Meribeth Bunch Dayme

‘Singing and the Actor’ by Gillyanne Keyes

‘A Soprano on her Head’ by Eloise Ristad

‘The Singer’s Handbook’ By Mary King

More to come

 

Happy reading

Charlotte