VOCAL TRAINING SESSION 2
Opening Conversation
The session begins with a casual conversation about the weather and personal comfort. The speaker acknowledges Sonia's attire, indicating the cold weather, suggesting that it is just before winter. The conversation transitions from the weather to the speaker’s student experiences.
Discussion on School Schedule
The dialogue reveals a discussion about the speaker's busy schedule, noting that they must leave home as early as 06:30 AM and return past 8:00 PM. This intense daily schedule seems to cause fatigue, which affects their ability to practice various breathing techniques. The speaker expresses acknowledgment of the situation but highlights the stress it causes.
Breathing Techniques Progress
The speaker shares their experience with breathing techniques, explicitly mentioning a significant achievement of holding their breath for one minute. They discuss the mental strategies they employed to accomplish this—specifically repeating affirmations in their mind, relating the exercise to a wish to sing like a particular singer ("Neeja and Annatoria").
Musical Practice and Challenges
The speaker discusses their challenges with specific exercises, particularly an ear training exercise. The speaker indicates they struggled with specific terms and exercises related to musical training, such as trying to remember complex terms and patterns. They detail some of the exercises conducted in their training.
Assignments in Music Training
The mentor advises the speaker to regularly practice the exercises, encouraging them to proactively utilize resources available at school. They mention the availability of various classes or private lessons where the speaker can practice in a less difficult environment.
Introduction to Chromatic Scale
The mentor introduces the concept of the chromatic scale. They instruct the student to write down a specific series of musical notes and letters: T, S, D, R, M, F, S, L, T. The mentor elaborates on the meaning of each letter:
T = Tone
S = Semitone
They explain how semitones and tones correspond to notes in music, introducing terminology like full step and half step, which relate to these concepts.
Concept of Enharmonics
The mentor further discusses enharmonic notes, explaining that some notes can have two different names. They highlight how this relates to the student’s own experience with musical notation, suggesting that it can cause confusion if not understood correctly.
Understanding the Scale Structure
The conversation shifts to practical applications, where the student must understand how to construct musical scales. They learn to construct their own scales by applying the concepts of tones and semitones, including their relationships within the diatonic scale, which consists of seven notes, versus the chromatic scale, which consists of twelve.
Visual Aids in Music Education
The mentor instructs the student on how to graph these scales visually, emphasizing the importance of writing things down for understanding. They discuss how to organize the scale for easier understanding and memorization by arranging them in ascending and descending order.
Practical Exercises to Reinforce Learning
In a hands-on exercise, they task the student with repeating scales and performing related singing exercises. The mentor mentions the use of karaoke tracks for practice, reinforcing the idea of integrating listening with active singing.
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
The mentor concludes with practical advice about maintaining a good singing posture, encouraging the student to sing from their diaphragm rather than shouting from their throat. They go over the new tasks and assignments, ensuring the student understands their objectives moving forward.
In conclusion, the session mixes daily life challenges with detailed musical instruction, progressing through various techniques, assignments, and theoretical frameworks to support the student's development in singing and music comprehension. By breaking down scales, incorporating practical and theoretical work, and addressing personal challenges, the mentorship is dynamic and multifaceted.