"Breath is like love- the more you give, the more you find you have." - Thomas Glenn, Grammy-award-winning tenor (also all my recital hour notes)


These are my notes from recital hour and masterclass since the 19th of February, as well as some notes from class. Enjoy!


taking head voice down into where it could be mix or even chest voice



Laurie Hart 22/2/2022

  • Tina Avery

    • consider who your audience is

  • like what I’ve worked on with Vanessa. Am I singing to myself? Someone else? The universe?


  • Layton Loucks

    • in repetitive pieces, how do you make it less boring and repetitive?


23 Feb. 2022

  • vvvvv

  • use fricatives to spur air


Recital Hour 24 Feb. 2022

  • Caden Webb

    • probably pretty good but i didn’t hear him bc I was late

    • a bit of cover would go a long way in focusing your sound

  • Megan Richards

    • oh hey i love this aria

  • Anna Small

    • placemnt. forward

    • a bit breathy i think

  • I am too stressed rn. i can’t possibly analyze these voices 

  • Annika Stevensen?

    • journey to the past

    • don’t come off the voice on the high notes

    • good speechlike quality

    • dip into head voice if it helps

    • placemtn forward

  • Tori Turner

    • sing ur own song

    • from a musical of uncertain name

    • good speechlike quality

    • your head still shakes when u vibrato

    • dont come off the voice for high notes

    • sometimes diction and note clarity get smushed together at the same time. idk

  • Eli and Hope Weaver

    • what u mean to me finding vnenrlan

    • sibs

    • this is hard. who do i focus on

    • Rather, on whom shall I focus?

    • eli has the occasional spread vowel

    • both of them are kind of half-on the voice idk

  • Hayden Höglund

    • youth and also love

  • Anna Bateman

    • did she say fiddler>

    • ?

    • keep it speechlike, yo

    • keep airflow consistent through phrases. don’t abandon breath on high bits

    • staccato in the piano doesn’t necessarily imply staccato voice

  • Autumn Nelson

    • when i have sung my song(s?)

    • sing thru phrases

      • but sometimes u do do this. hum

    • cute song. never heard it before thx for sharinggg

  • Kaylyn Baldwin

    • if no-one ever marries me by liza

    • ur head always does the same motions

    • how can i possibly criticize this

    • the yellow hammer by the same

    • very different speech than the previous one


timbre demarcation

  • differences in timbre between registers

  • cover is a darkening of the tone. how we darken it is what’s important

  • “Neither the demands of articulation nor the search for resonance sensations must be permitted to fragment the scale.”

  • hnggggahhhhhhhh

  • young men at first should focus on good, focused, pure vowels; and breath support. don’t jump straight into cover

  • aggiustamento

    • modify the formation of ascending pitches so that they match the lower ones in timbre

    • aiming air can accomplish this

  • arrotondamento. not like super puckery tho. just rotund


Vanessa masterclass 1 March 2022

  • Michael Ballam is here

  • she couldn’t be more thrilled to be here today!

  • “hey, the big artiste. ain’t you supposed to be workin on your masterpiece?” - Anaïs Mitchell

  • what is my why? ask myself this every day.

  • artists are eternal students

  • Annica Bella Kropf

    • Vanilla Ice Cream (She Loves Me)

    • george sounds like judge

    • un poquito bemol en la nota alta

    • stay on the voice for high notes

    • good acting/choreography choices, etc.

    • conoces la pieza. que bueno, que bueno

    • debe de haber un principio, un medio, y un final muy claros

    • cantamos porque ya no podemos quedar silenciosos

    • [i]

  • Archer Dame

    • Wondering (Bridges of Madison County)

    • good speechlike quality

    • don’t let up on the highish notes (C-Eb) when it’s not sustained

    • it’s ok. we know you didn’t warm up bc you told us

    • get that soft palate up

    • good falsetto bits tho

    • that’s some good acting

    • action should begin before singing even begins

    • what is the risk?

    • whenever we have repetition, it is a gift. it can give the text new meaning

    • you could totally get that high note

    • ensure that movements are motivated

  • Patrice Densley

    • I’m Not Afraid of Anything (Songs for a New World)

    • nice

    • interesting gesticulations

    • confidence, yes

    • inspiration is important. breathe in the character

    • what does the character need?

      • 何を要りますか。

    • verbage

    • stanislovsky says that generality is the enemy of all art

    • eyes up!

      • this is hard for me too

    • use your breath to get where you need to be

    • “I mean she sleeps and all” lol classic

    • the vocal and acting range is incredible. dang

    • every piece should be a journey

    • why with the opening of the eyes? i only partially understand this. couldn’t it be a useful thing? idk man

  • Misteen English

    • One Hundred Easy Ways to Lose a Man (Wonderful Town)

    • why do you have to sing this song?

    • breaking the fourth wall has to be a specific choice. if this is done, choose an imaginary person in between two people or something so that they don’t have to act with you

    • great choice for you

    • great acting choices. beats etc.

    • why do people keep looking at me? choose a different spot lol

    • very active

    • these new focal points are really working. v nice

  • clear and precise storytelling affects the voice

  • cantiamo perché non possiamo più restare silenziosi

  • wir singen, weil wir nicht mehr ruhig bleiben können

  • nous chantons parce que nous ne pouvons plus rester silencieux

  • cantamos porque ya no podemos quedar silenciosos

  • why must i tell this story right now?

  • we must be able to endow objects with properties

  • live truthfully within imaginary circumstances

    • this is our job when we perform

    • don’t even think about the minutiae if you can be at that point


2 March 2022

  • miller seems to think that older singers are lame. prove him wrong

  • messa di voce could be good for different levels of ability

  • force vs flow

    • this is perhaps what I don’t fully understand

    • how can I gain heightened awareness of this force/flow thing?

  • the engagement of thyroarytenoid muscles has to match the air pressure

  • untrained singing promotes leakage?

    • yawn/sigh can help with this?? I got distracted

  • “could you please do that again with vibrato?”

    • breath energy from the very beginning


Recital Hour 3 March 2022

  • Mary Barlow

    • a brahms piece

    • make sure all movements are purposeful but also natural

    • placement on high bits

  • Gideon Benge

    • Simple Song by Bernstein

    • classic clear Benge Tone

    • sing thru phrases

  • Kaylee Borchert

    • O mio babbino caro

    • open your mouth even on the lower bits. closed aperture is interfering with the sound and diction

    • nice tone on the high notes!

    • very consistent

    • mantenere il vibrato al diminuire

  • Patrice Densley

    • Sonia alone :’(

    • good speechlike quality, etc.

    • “i will” part- forte was kind of coming and going. sounds a bit like sidechain compression

    • very nice dramatic and vocal choices anyway. idk

  • Misteen English

    • 100 easy ways to lose a man

    • slightly clearer diction on the first quick spoken part (about the gasket) would help with understanding

    • ¿chillar?

    • great dramatic choices

    • keep breath flow

    • tongue interference?

  • Nick Walker

    • Madrigal (Brazilian Portuguese is the best)

    • focus that air

    • high notes are nice

    • you’re kinda pushing your head down. that might get you in a tight spot in the future. idk

      • i do the same i guess

  • Audrey K

    • low country

    • a bit tense up high

    • use your breath

    • good speechlike quality

  • Amelia Kearl

    • schumann

    • focus breath energy towards the front of ur mouth

    • i really am just making stuff up at this point

    • keep breath moving. support trails off at the end of long notes and phrases

    • wiedmung

    • thank you

    • ur welcomed

  • Kaiya Mohlman

    • how could i ever know (le jardin secret)

    • sing thru phrases. very vertical flow rn

    • figure out ur hands

    • yeah. breath

  • Anna Small

    • i’m feelin good (roar of the greasepaint, smell of the crowd)

    • yes! good voice for jazz

    • low notes were groovy

    • yo how about a little scat?

    • higher soft palate on [a] perhaps? idk

    • higher point of resonance on higher notes

      • maybe aim higher? forehead

    • nice run!!

  • Maribelle

    • If I can stop one heart from breaking… classic Emily

    • oh a Lori Laitman setting! lit

    • good, consistent tone

    • your high notes are sooooo good

    • kiss me

    • keep airflow on lower notes. support drops out a bit

    • yay high notesss

    • the hum is good too

  • Rachel Hall

    • how will i know (death takes a holiday)

    • tone is consistent and speechlike. i’m a fan i guess

    • keep breath support though long notes and phrases

    • find higher placement for “how” the first time. a little unsupported as well i think

    • we have some of the same issues in this range. i can’t help you if i can’t even help myself.

  • Layton Loucks, winner and audience favorite of the 2022 USU Aria Competition

    • Largo al factotum (Il barbiere di Siviglia)

    • i gotta learn how to smile

    • nice high A

    • practice triplets real slow

    • don’t fall off the voice on the fast bits (...lancete, forbici…)

    • nice falsetto on the “Figaro” cadenza

    • yeah, yeah


4 March 2022

  • trill - big fat H underneath



16 March 2022

  • go ahead and sing on game day.

  • sleep is the singer’s fuel

    • how many hours can you get before midnight?

    • don’t sleep in past 8

  • don’t watch TV on the day of the performance

    • puts you in a passive vs active state

  • there are seven cervical vertebrae


22 March 2022

  • Kaylee Borchert

    • Notre amour

    • open your mouth

    • sound is very consistent! Low through high. swell

    • i know your voice is feeling bad, but that high note at the end seemed very free

    • just kept singing very good nice

    • believe in yourself

    • lots of text

      • don’t be afraid of French

      • very legato language

    • think about breath in waves

      • BIGGER WAVES

    • don’t adjust for each note. everything fluid


  • Annica Bella Kropf

    • a schubert piece. wasn’t paying attention

    • i can’t tell exactly what’s going on here. i think maybe your breath is unfocused? spread vowel postures? idkkkkkkk

    • at the very least the sound is unfocused. begins to move backwards the higher you go. this is why you tend to be slightly flat

    • pretty, consistent tone. 

    • vibrato through voiced consonants

    • it’s actually ok to move ur jaw. it really is

    • idk if this is necessarily a bad thing, but there’s a lot of tension in the muscles in her neck. it is visible

“Breath is like love - the more you give, the more you find you have.”

  • Dr. Thomas Glenn

  • German is a bright language

  • vibrato??? why is it thusly sounding

  • arms showing space behind and vowel point in front

  • Timothy Stewart

    • Halt!

    • nice darkness

    • sing through phrases - vibrato is inconsistent

    • sounds a bit thin. bring some chest resonance in

      • but don’t sing in chest voice necessarily. ykwim

    • those leaps are hard even in the baritone key

    • soft palate isn’t raised much on the sliding ex - focus is a bit far back

  • Tori Turner

    • i think your tongue is depressed

      • but not like sad or anything

    • focus :clap: that :clap: sound

    • support all notes!

      • this transformed your sound quite a bit. nice

    • sing thru phrases


29 March 2022 Lori Laitman, Leah Lax

  • very cool

  • Taylor Woolf

    • Metropolitan Tower (Lori Laitman)

    • a bit spread, but that is the style to which you are accustomed

    • consistent vibrato, very rad

    • magical

    • your voice is well-suited to this piece

    • be careful of the syllabic stress of words where the unaccented syllable is on a higher pitch

    • very good consonants. crisp, one might say

    • I love the rit on “I saw the light turn red”

    • it’s true, this sounds so good in your voice!

  • Caden Webb

    • Apple Orchard (Lori Laitman)

    • oh man I’m so excited for the ending

    • hey this was written by the father of the guy who wrote the text for the piece that I’m singing. Dana Gioia and Mike Gioia. cool

    • tone is a bit swallowed. focus the sound

    • [r] should be sung through, but not the American one

    • dude find different stuff to do with ur hands

    • use breath to get on top of higher notes, not extra pressure

    • so cool!!!!

    • good tone in your middle range

    • really lean into glissandi. classical singers don’t get to do those often

    • make everything part of the story

    • I think I’m getting some tongue interference? something in your face is messing with sound production

    • sing allll the way through to final consonants. it sounds as if they are coming after you’ve already finished singing the words they ought to be attached to

    • sing up and not at the floor

  • Megan RIchards

    • Tonight (Lori Laitman)

    • [u]

    • consistent tone! very pretty

  • sing through voiced consonants

  • make more of important words! crescendi/diminuendi, consonants

  • subito piano in mezzo d’una parola? che interessante

  • consistent, focused breath energy through leaps

  • “rounder and louder” sounds

  • crescere through important words, not on them (interesting thought)

    • crescere per/attraverse le parole importante, e non su di esse

  • Patrice Densley

    • Little Elegy (Lori Laitman)

    • <<<<<<<

      • consistent breath energy

    • nice

    • I get the idea the Lori Laitman considers consonants to be rather important, or maybe just that no-one here is any good at diction

    • sing into the most important words of phrases

    • use breath energy to connect notes that go across one syllable, or even across multiple syllables


5 April 2022

  • Me

    • don’t drop the acting if you have to drop anything

  • Courtney

    • ghost of a rose??

    • good French.

    • tone is consistent

      • feels a little under-supported in lower range

    • high notes are so clear and pretty!

    • if you hadn’t let it show on your face that you made a mistake, I probably wouldn’t have noticed. keep up the façade!

  • Layton Loucks

    • Largo al factotum

    • use music! no shame

    • nice high notes. G on “la” the first time was a bit shallow

    • practice diction and tune slowly.

    • stay on the voice when singing fastly

    • yo you say that your falsetto isn’t good but that’s Quatsch

    • do something different with your hands

    • slow down the fast bit,

    • maybe melisma down on the last bit?


7 April 2022

  • recital and masterclass with Lee Gregory

  • [REDACTED]

    • idk man

  • Fauré cycle (4 songs)

  • I might still be too incensed about ASWCP to be analyzing this dude’s voice here.

  • sing through phrases
  • Cahill why is ur phone on????

  • there’s something causing interference here. might be tongue

  • oh dichterliebe huh very cool

  • it feels forced. benefit of the doubt- I’m sure it isn’t but it feels that way

  • Dallas is so cool

  • his German diction is good

  • this guy has experience singing operatic roles. this inspires me to practice very hard

  • not very speechlike, the recit. but i guess that kinda stuff is up to the performer

  • see below image to know what this guy is doing while he sings:

  • i’m hearing a lot of [i] in your [e]

  • good control of messa di voce!


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