Term one was pretty difficult. I got on with my singing teacher or I really didnāt... there was no inbetween.
My idiot self decided to sign up to do two shows at the same time as doing my first term of conservatoire.Ā
I thought to myself... goodness I can just about handle this... then Conservatoire told me I had to be part of the undergrad chorus too... which sort of wrecked my schedule
Monday - Panto (tea break spent studying Pirates score)
Tuesday - Undergrad chorus (leave early) Pirates of penzance (arrive late)
Wednesday - Panto (tea break spent doing the readings for Thursdays class
Thursday - Pirates of Penzance (tea break spent making notes for panto scores)
Friday - Adjusting panto scores/ making notes on Pirates/ learning pirates dialogue/ writing up notes from the weeks singing lesson
Saturday - Panto all day
Sunday - Pirates all day/ Pirates am + Panto PM
Obviously this is far too much for one person to do.
Next year I will only be doing the Panto, and I hope to be involved in the scheduling to make it more consistent.Ā
Iāll be posting reviews of all the shows and my roles within each.
Because I had all this on I struggled with certain classes but others helped greatly
Music history and society in context -Ā I liked the concept of MHSiC, but due to its need for interaction I was regularly too tired or anxious to fully participate in the class. I found it near impossible to take in all the reading. and would continue to do so through the year.Ā
Iām dyslexic. it was just too much reading for me to get through AND to properly make notes on. having said this, I did enjoy the class mostly, and the notes I did take on readings are, if I do say so myself, pretty stellar.Ā
Applied musicianship - oh goodness it might as well have been a god send. Our tutor explained things very well and checked in with us regularly. he quickly learned to recognise myĀ āhuhā face, and found ways of rephrasing that made more sense to me. he was patient and helpful, even when I asked questions I couldnāt quite phrase. I wasnāt a fan of the class being so early, but you canāt have everything.Ā
Dalcroze Eurhythmics - Honestly, I ask you. a class less tailored to disabled people one could not find. I always showed up, and I always left knowing that the class (which honestly could easily have been adjusted for those who canāt move around as easily) wasnāt for me, and had done me little to no good. maybe Iād have liked it I was able bodied... but judging from the reviews of the rest of the class... probably not.Ā
Alexander Technique - I remember being excited for this for a long time before I attended... I didnāt quite change my mind, but I was a little confused as we didnāt start adjustments this term at all. I felt a lot of the first term of this class was all talk and no action or intent. (However I changed my mind about this in term 2)
Italian - We did have 3 or 4 weeks of Italian classes with the first years but the timetable clashed with AlexTech and so the subject was dropped for us... the class wasnāt at all happy. Must say Iām looking forward to next years classes of Italian. the teacher, Dominic, was a no-nonsense type guy but sort of a softie at the same time. After he sent a pre-first-lesson email setting strict rules for his class I was rather nervous of him, but in the first class he complimented my home-knitted rainbow scarf. which I was rather proud about.
Performance Technique - In my first class I had an ocular seizure and started to go blind. I felt embarrassed but up until that point Iād enjoyed the lesson.Ā
I missed a few of these classes (unavoidably for medical reasons) and I wish I hadnāt.Ā I remember a fake audition and ideas on how to talk to panels, and lessons on how to deal with performance anxiety. It was the first place I heard any of my piers perform. It was great, and nice to feel confident that my skill level fit well with the others in the class.Ā
Performance workshopĀ - I wish Iād taken more chances in this class. I avoided performing for ages in this class, but I should have been taking more opportunities to perform with an audience.
Performance tutorial - Here we studied with my year (foundation) and first and second year. The rooms were moved around a bit but I loved singing in the chapel in this class. It made me hella nervous throughout the class, to be singing in front of those 2 years (skill wise) ahead of me but a second year came and told me after that class that I had a nice voice. That boosted me.
Vocal Coaching - Alistair was brilliant the whole term. I knew he was getting bored of my pieces because I was focusing on them for minors but week after week he had something productive and helpful to say.Ā
Vocal Lessons - How to describe these. it was rather all or nothing. Iād have productive lessons where Iād leave and know everything Iād done wrong and have an idea what to do about it... or Iād leave knowing that Iād done something wrong, with no idea of quite what Iād done wrong, or how to fix it. My tutor here clearly wasnāt a fan of my voice. Iāve always thought I had a voice very suited to early music tonally, although when I told her I wanted to do early music she flatly saidĀ ānoā and moved on.
Towards the end of the term she asked me what Iād like to do in the future, and when I said Iād like to focus in baroque music she saidĀ āchorally right? not as a soloist?ā I felt this pretty disheartening... not quite sure of how I was supposed to take it. We either got along or we didnāt. I feel like there wasnāt much I could do that would ever have impressed her.
Thatās it for class reviews and schedule
