Lily was selected to sing the national anthem at her school's field day!!!! CONGRATULATIONS LILY!!!!!! THAT'S SO EXCITING!!!!
A few things right off the bat:
1. You'll want to get a pitch pipe so that Lily can consistently start on her song on the same note. Here are a few links to order one on Amazon (they range from $15-$20). Or you can go into any music store (including Guitar Center) and ask for a C-C pitch pipe and they will give you exactly what you need. If you want to make sure it's the right kind, you can look at the Amazon pictures.
2. We start on middle C. On a C-C pitch pipe, it will be the lowest note (and it will be labeled "C"). You can find it on a piano to practice as well.
3. You'll want to bring water to field day (even just a small cup or bottle) to make sure you feel like you have a clear throat and you are all ready to go when you sing!
4. Smile! Have the time of your LIFE!!
We vocalized on:
Mah-mah, lip buzz, Nay-yay, big light scales to relax all the way up and down on E, lip buzz, oh,oo, ah.
We worked on:
1. Singing forward/ through our teeth
2. Cadence/pacing/
3. Finding pitch when singing a-cappella
4. Performance routines
Singing forward/ through our teeth
We worked on moving our new song into our forward placement, making sure that our voice doesn't fall back, sound muffled, or nasal.
With each word, we practiced starting the word by pushing it against our teeth and then finishing the word like a water fall - or throwing the words at the flag in front of us, up and over the microphone to brighten the sound, help with pitch, and make it easier to control.
Cadence/pacing
Because the National Anthem is a-cappella, timing and pitch get a little bit crazy because there is no music behind us to take cues from. Because of this, it helps to have something to help keep us from falling behind, or making our timing inconsistent. (I always tap my heel). We worked on keep the rhythm consistent and steady so that our song doesn't speed up and slow down at random times.
Finding pitch when singing a-cappella
Again, because our song is a-cappella, pitch can be something that tends to wander without the background music guiding us through the song. Because of this, starting on the same note every time (using a pitch pipe), gives our brain some consistency so that it can learn to remember the pitch and octave skips - and how they fit within the particular key of a song. We worked on keeping as many things consistent in our song as possible so that the more we sing it, the more good, consistent habits are formed.
Performance routines
We also worked on what to do right before you sing. Having a routine will help keep things consistent so that when other inconsistent variables are added to the day, that Lily feels calm and ready to go no matter what.
The performance routine that we talked about and practiced today was very simple -
1. Take a sip of water right before
2. Walk out with your mic in one hand and pitch pipe in the other
3. Blow into the pitch pipe to get your note - hum the note for a second
4. Raise Microphone, smile, and sing! Aiming each word at that flag.