Rock'n Robin
Disney Queen
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2000
- Messages
- 7,810
DD#1 is a good singer. At least that is what her teachers and choir directors have told me since she was 7 years old. She was in a show choir in 4th and 5th grade that she had to audition for. The director of that choir is the elementary music teacher, and she is now DD's voice teacher. She had a solo in a concert in grade 6, and was in an ensemble that got a 1 last year and this year. (grade 8 now--just turned 14)
However, there is no real proof for me that she is a good solo singer now since I haven't heard a solo out of her for 2 years. She made a callback for the musical but got pitchy when switching between head and chest voice and was in the chorus.
Today was the kicker. Although they got a 1 for the ensemble, her solo got a 3! That is bad. Only 4 kids got 3s, and 2 of those made huge mistakes (btw this was only for our school, as the big solo and ensemble contest is over our spring break). Since I was by the scoring table I saw her notes. "needs to relearn the basics of vocal singing"--"under pitch throughout due to poor tone"--"need to sing from lower rib cage and not chest"--"didn't notice any difference (in parts of the song) due to breathing"--"cut off ends of words to breathe"--"keep singing!"
Now what makes me angry is that she has practiced this with her voice teacher for a while now. Granted she has missed some lessons because during the last two weeks of the musical she couldn't practice, and then she had the coughing crud last week. But wouldn't you think a kid who had voice lessons for 1 1/2 years wouldn't need to "relearn the basics"?
DD thinks it is related to the fact that the accompanist was not her usual one and played it much faster than she was used to, but she is also unhappy. She is considering giving up singing altogether and concentrating on dance. She told me how much one of the 7th graders was bad and that girl got a 2. The thing is, her friends who watched her sing (she wouldn't let me) loved it. I also know she had the harder judge. Her choir director was very surprised at her low score and told me that she does have some "habits" that need to be corrected.
I have two conclusions.
1) everyone has overestimated her and I should stop getting her private lessons and throwing good money away. Perhaps the change in her voice was too much for her. I don't want to be a bragging parent who is building the kid up more than I should. The lessons are $20 a week and that is $80 we could use elsewhere. Honestly, I have no proof at all that lessons help her get better at all. One bit musical part and a 3 rating doesn't give me any confidence in the ability.
2) this was a horrible, horrible juxtaposition of circumstances and she can sing, but perhaps another instructor is in order. She did try out for cheerleading 2 hours before her solo, she had a piano player she had never seen before, and was doing a class B solo when everyone else did a class A (most doing "on eagle's wings" or "amazing grace"). Choir director mentioned again that she has habits that can be fixed--and will need to be fixed if her goal is being more than the chorus in a musical, which it is. If her teacher now hasn't fixed the habits, maybe I should just switch her. Choir director mentioned she knows of a good teacher who can reteach breathing, etc. Her current teacher adores her, and the musical leads at the HS go to her, but maybe we need to go in a different direction.
Any advice from people who know about tone, breathing, etc. is appreciated. I always have thought she was good but now I wonder if it is because I'm mom, not that she really is good.
Robin M.
However, there is no real proof for me that she is a good solo singer now since I haven't heard a solo out of her for 2 years. She made a callback for the musical but got pitchy when switching between head and chest voice and was in the chorus.
Today was the kicker. Although they got a 1 for the ensemble, her solo got a 3! That is bad. Only 4 kids got 3s, and 2 of those made huge mistakes (btw this was only for our school, as the big solo and ensemble contest is over our spring break). Since I was by the scoring table I saw her notes. "needs to relearn the basics of vocal singing"--"under pitch throughout due to poor tone"--"need to sing from lower rib cage and not chest"--"didn't notice any difference (in parts of the song) due to breathing"--"cut off ends of words to breathe"--"keep singing!"
Now what makes me angry is that she has practiced this with her voice teacher for a while now. Granted she has missed some lessons because during the last two weeks of the musical she couldn't practice, and then she had the coughing crud last week. But wouldn't you think a kid who had voice lessons for 1 1/2 years wouldn't need to "relearn the basics"?
DD thinks it is related to the fact that the accompanist was not her usual one and played it much faster than she was used to, but she is also unhappy. She is considering giving up singing altogether and concentrating on dance. She told me how much one of the 7th graders was bad and that girl got a 2. The thing is, her friends who watched her sing (she wouldn't let me) loved it. I also know she had the harder judge. Her choir director was very surprised at her low score and told me that she does have some "habits" that need to be corrected.
I have two conclusions.
1) everyone has overestimated her and I should stop getting her private lessons and throwing good money away. Perhaps the change in her voice was too much for her. I don't want to be a bragging parent who is building the kid up more than I should. The lessons are $20 a week and that is $80 we could use elsewhere. Honestly, I have no proof at all that lessons help her get better at all. One bit musical part and a 3 rating doesn't give me any confidence in the ability.
2) this was a horrible, horrible juxtaposition of circumstances and she can sing, but perhaps another instructor is in order. She did try out for cheerleading 2 hours before her solo, she had a piano player she had never seen before, and was doing a class B solo when everyone else did a class A (most doing "on eagle's wings" or "amazing grace"). Choir director mentioned again that she has habits that can be fixed--and will need to be fixed if her goal is being more than the chorus in a musical, which it is. If her teacher now hasn't fixed the habits, maybe I should just switch her. Choir director mentioned she knows of a good teacher who can reteach breathing, etc. Her current teacher adores her, and the musical leads at the HS go to her, but maybe we need to go in a different direction.
Any advice from people who know about tone, breathing, etc. is appreciated. I always have thought she was good but now I wonder if it is because I'm mom, not that she really is good.
Robin M.
