After the interval we continued the morning's music making with the Girls Vocal Solo 10 & Under 12. This proved to be a wonderfully high standard of class. As a singing teacher I know that this is a tough age to be singing at. We're all aware of how boys voices change dramatically, but girls voices also go through transition period, especially around this age: singing is so personal anyway, so it can be really tough when your voice seems to have a mind of it's own. What was great to see is that there is some fab teaching being done with the girls in this class, as each one of them had a wonderful tone to their voice, and were singing songs which really suited each of them, all of which is so important for the transitioning voice. Our adjudicator was quick to reiterate what good teaching was reflected in this class, as well as the sympathetic accompaniments. It's great to see Elizabeth jumping straight in to praising the behind the scenes work for each performer - we forget sometimes that each performer has their own little village of support! Overall, Elizabeth had some really positive and encouraging things to say to these young singers, most of which were centred around being able to convey the story of the song to an audience. One such suggestion, and one I frequently use in my own teaching practice, is getting singers to watch themselves in a mirror. It's amazing how you can convince yourself that you are doing something, and be shocked when you see yourself and realise that things are perhaps very different! Videoing and recording yourself is also really effective in helping improve yourself, both from a technical and performance aspect . One singer I'd like to mention from this class, who I thought really told the story of her song, and who had a wonderfully relaxed presence on stage, was the class winner, Evie Patterson. Her rendition of 'Bessie the Black Cat' was delightfully presented, and I thought her change of facial expressions to reflect the emotional context of the piece showed a such maturity for a young singer. A well-deserved Distinction mark indeed!
- Sadly, the final sessions or the morning, the Special Needs Choirs Primary School Age, and Special Needs choir Secondary School age, were scratched from the session. Unfortunately I think these groups were casualties of the extreme weather, which is a real shame, because I always thoroughly enjoy these classes and the wonderful music both Le Rondin and Le Murier schools have to offer. I really hope both these groups will find another time to perform their pieces, and I look forward to seeing them next year.
Kicking off the afternoon session we had a rather spectacular show of young talent, in the Concerto Open. Concerto pieces essentially showcases for a soloist, usually with an orchestral backing (which is NOT possible at the Eisteddfod, so the orchestral part is played by a piano), which often feature virtuosic skills. This class really highlighted the high standard of the instrumental teaching in this island, especially in the oboe playing of Jack Tostevin-Hall, who won the class with Distinction - Jack’s playing is truly exquisite, and I have no doubt he has a great future ahead of him as a professional musician. Bravo!
The next class, the Novelty Class U18 has been moved to later in the week, so we followed directly on with the Country & Western Class Under 18 - happily this relatively new class is becoming quite popular, and the five young ladies who performed in this class are clearly enjoying exploring this genre of music. Country is a surprisingly wide genre; there’s more to it than just banjos and cowboy boots! Particular vocal techniques such as twang and actually using carefully placed diphthongs within the lyrics really work to enhance the country sound - just think of classic artists such as Dolly Parton and Billy Cyrus. Some quality singing in this class, which was won by Luella Taylor with a Distinction. Rounding off the afternoon session we had two classes of Chamber music; Chamber Music Duo/Trio/Quartet, and the Chamber Music Ensemble (both secondary school age). A lovely set of classes, which again really showcased the quality of instrumental teaching. Chamber music playing is a wonderful way for young performers in particular to build teamwork and leadership skills - sometimes as musicians, if we’re not regularly playing in a band or ensemble we can get a bit solitary and confined in our practice, and there's so much repertoire to explore, it really is worth just getting a group of yourselves together and having a go - if anything, you'll have much fun regardless!
Now, the evening class were a little complicated, as we had some reshuffling to do thanks to the weather, so try to keep up: The Piano Film O18 class will now be on Saturday Evening, the Tenor Solo Class will now be on Monday Evening, and the French Class, originally scheduled for yesterday, was slotted in at the end of the evening. Once we got the program announcements out the way, it was time for my first performance of the Eisteddfod; The Two Pianos, which happily I was able to perform as my mother finally made it back from Alderney! Fantastic! We performed the third instalment of the Richard Rodney-Bennett Suite we are working our way through, a funky little Ragtime piece in homage to Scott Joplin, which earned us the trophies and a very respectable Distinction Mark of 87 - I do wonder what we might have achieved if we hadn't lost four days of practice thanks to the will of the elements. Something which I did at the start of this class was just give a little explanation about the piece we were about to perform, which Elizabeth really appreciated - a short speech about something you're about to perform, especially if it's a song in a foreign language, or out of context of a production, can really help you to set your performance up for the audience, and give your listeners a little bit more of an insight into what you are about to do. Remember though, if you do choose to do this, make it relevant, and make it short!
- Following the Two Pianos class we had a well represented Chamber Music Open Class, which showcased a fabulous array of instrumental combinations, from String Duets, woodwind combinations and a Voice, Piano & Clarinet trio. Elizabeth talked about how empowering it is for young performers to be able to perform music with their teachers, and praised the two young violinists who formed two separate violin duos with their teacher Nicole Perrio. Some fabulous work being done by Nicole with these violinists, especially Aurea Almeida, who is starting to show some great command of her instrument. The winners of this class were the Fortuna Trio, made up of Jo Marsh (Soprano), Samantha Nichols (Clarinet) and Marilyn Pugh (Piano), performing 'The Shepherd on the Rock' by Franz Schubert. A really stellar performance of this work by this trio. Samantha Nichols in particular showcased her amazing skill on the Clarinet, with an incredibly controlled use of dynamics, and mastering some wonderfully technical musical passages. Elizabeth praised Samantha for her ability of make her Clarinet sound like a 'second voice' to Jo's, and praised the ensemble for their balance and well crafted use of dynamics. Good job ladies!
Just before the interval we had the Folk Song Groups Class, which featured a new ensemble to the Eisteddfod, the Cat's Chorus, as well as Eisteddfod regulars The Accidentals. The Cat's Chorus presented a performance which featured choreographed movements along with their singing, a performance technique which can really heighten a performance when executed well. Although this new group show much enthusiasm, I do agree with Elizabeth that a little more time spent polishing their movements and making sure everyone is fully up to speed with it all will make for a more secure performance, and take their performances to the next level. A great way to get yourself onto the stage for the first time though; all gun's blazing, well done kitty cats! As part of The Accidentals, I'm really pleased to say that we won the class with the first Outstanding mark of the Festival, a 90!
 |
| Jo Marsh, winner of the Soprano Class with a distinction mark of 89..... and a trophy nearly as big as she is! |
All in all, a fabulous eventual start of the festival, setting the standard high for the rest of the week to come. Let's keep this musical momentum going shall we?
No comments:
Post a Comment