Services included in Noteworthy’s vocal instruction curriculum.
Vocal Pedagogy
The study of the art and science that embodies beautiful singing. It demonstrates to the student the structure and function of their instrument, as well as what proper technique looks and sounds like, and how to execute it. As vocal athletes and ambassadors of sound here is just some of what you can expect to learn at Noteworthy Vocal Studio.
Diaphragmatic Breathing, Breath Management and Tongue/Jaw Coordination
Diction-1 Articulators and the role they play in proper diction (the art of sound shaping and sound making).
Diction-2 Sound Shapers. (Nasal, Explosive, Hissed, and Consonant Exceptions)
Diction-3 Sound Makers. (Italian and English Vowels. Where they live. Diphthongs and how to properly execute them.)
Resonators-How to access the complete network of your built-in, onboard, speaker system, and how to direct your sound using it.
Range Expansion- Accessing the northern and southern most parts of your range by tapping into the pathway of vibration through visualization.
Learning to seamlessly navigate the Passaggio region of your voice so it remains unified in all of its regions (Chest Voice to Mid-Range to Head Voice).
Vocal Hygiene- Including the importance of diet and exercise as well as the roll that the environment and chemicals can play (smoking, alcohol, drugs and prescription medication) in the proper function or mal-function of your vocal cords.
Sight Singing: (Solfege)
Sight singing is very different from sight-reading and is a critical part of any singer’s education. Most musical theatre auditions and musical festival competitions require it as a skillset. It is also a huge asset to the singer who belongs to a college, high school, church or community choir. Sight-reading teaches the student, usually an instrumentalist, to interpret the written notation on their sheet music, as finger or chord positions on a keyboard, a fretboard, or say, a flute. Sight singing teaches the student how to make pitch associations in their mind with the written notes on the page, using assigned syllables as the bridge. This method is called Solefege. A universally recognized approach that has been successful with children as young as four years of age. Since, as vocalists, we can neither see nor touch our instrument, this method is essential in our brains ability to interpret the notes on the page with a given pitch and to do it all without the benefit of an external instrument. Once the student masters the basic concepts of this method it allows them to easily adapt it to other keys using what’s called “The Movable Do.”
Competition Prep
Preparing for any sort of vocal competition or theatrical audition is essential. There is so much more in play in these types of performances than singing alone. Beyond learning the musical content and lyrical text of a song, human connection with the audience/judges is paramount. Once you’ve mastered the piece, our focus will shift to analyzing its content so we can harvest the emotions intended by the author. Our goal then becomes learning how to organically communicate those emotions in performance in the most authentic way possible.
District, All-State, Jazz All-State, Regional and National Music Festival Prep
Music festival auditions have a very specific criteria the student is required to meet in order to be accepted as a festival performer. In the District and State competitions there is usually a Classical Contest Solo required and it is often, but not always, in a foreign language. This means that in addition to learning the proper pronunciation of the foreign text there are a variety of other metrics the judges will use in evaluating each student. Phrasing, intonation, breath management, dynamics, placement, blend and let’s not forget that all important sight-singing. They will be required to sight sing a piece that they have never seen before. Having taken first place in every single district, state, regional and national competition in my four years in high school I feel beyond confident in training my students for this wonderful experience.
College Audition Prep
Preparing for a college audition could NOT be more important. This is your opportunity to introduce yourself to the potential school of your choice. And as the saying goes…“you never get a second chance to make a first good impression.” The criteria for each performing arts college may vary from school-to-school, but generally speaking they usually require an ‘Art Song’ as well as a song of your choice. There is usually a music theory test, a pitch matching and a sight-singing test all of which are metrics they use to determine how advanced you are as a musician and a vocalist. If this is a musical theatre audition there may also be a monologue and dance requirement. Because of Noteworthy’s laser focus on best Pedagogy practices from day one of each Student’s enrollment, our students typically do very well in their auditions. Noteworthy has been fortunate to see students accepted to Berklee School of Music, Peabody Conservatory, Gordon College, University of New Hampshire, USM, Shenandoah University, Tisch, and Belmont University.
Stage Performance Prep
Some students come to me with a great deal of theatre experience and have very little difficulty transferring their acting or ensemble performance skillsets into a solo vocal performance. But for others who haven’t had the opportunity to perform on a stage the task can seem daunting. So before we ever enter the performance space we start in the studio and work on:
How to take the stage
How to engage the audience before you sing
Body and facial language
How to move on and use the stage space
Mic skills
Press Kit, Media and Portfolio Development
If a career in Performing Arts is your goal than early development of your resume and YouTube channel is key. At Noteworthy Vocal Studio you will learn the necessary components needed to make up a stellar press-kit, and the steps needed to develop it. A press-kit is worth its weight in gold at auditions. It allows the director to learn a little more about you, your level of experience as a performer, and of course how to reach you. And if they want to hear more from you, the link to your YouTube channel, included in your press-kit, will allow them to do so.