Some Notes From Voice Lessons #4(?)

Voice lessons went well again! For those who don't know, I'm taking voice lessons from the singer of a band I like, which I'm extremely grateful to be able to do. Today we finished up the last song she assigned me, Slow Disco by St. Vincent, did a few exercises, and talked about finding ways to enjoy my practice more and how important that is.

First, we started with the stretch and relaxation routine, which we do at the beginning of lessons (and practice). She introduced a few new stretches to do, such as opening your chest toward the sky and rounding your upper back a little. Then we talked about how it's important to enjoy your practice and kind of have it as a safe refuge to go to, which has been difficult for me lately. Honestly, practice has been stressing me out more and more with time, which is something I really need to work on improving. We then opened the book she asked me to get, The Sight-Singer (volume 1) by Audrey Snyder, and did some rhythm exercises with a shaker (or, in my case, a spice bottle). And in the end, I showed her my progress on Slow Disco, to which she said I was doing well and that the main thing I need to work on (again) is rhythm. So more rhythm exercises for me I guess!

Homework:

1) Work on finding ways to enjoy my practice more.
2) Repeat the warmup/stretches we did in the lesson.
3) Practice shaking the shaker and stomping your foot to a 70 BPM metronome. (I'll admit--this sounds really boring.)
4) Maybe practice solfege.
5) Experiment with exercises in book (around pages 8-11) with a drone and notice what feels easier and what feels more difficult.
6) Practice Shut Up Kiss Me by Angel Olsen with a shaker and stomping your foot. Start with the shaker and stomping your foot, and when that becomes a little easier, add in singing.