Field Experience Hours Mix-up

Well, I found out what was happening to all of my Field Experience Hours. All of the syllabi for my education courses that dealt with field experience have stated to place the hours within the final portfolio. None of them stated whether the hours should be copies or original forms though, so I have been putting originals in, assuming that the teachers were going to turn in the hours all together. What isn't stated is that it IS the students responsibility to turn in the hours to the field experience office, and that the hours in the portfolio's should be copies, not originals.

Just thought you should know,

-Eric-

Finals Week

Sorry for my absence from blogging for the last couple weeks. After my senior recital, things got crazy really quick. I have had to deal with, and am still dealing with, several problems within the Education department concerning my field experience hours. I think there is not a lot of talking between people within the department, and that has led to misplaced forms and missing hours. As of Thursday, they sent out a letter saying that I had a total of 8 hours. I had recently turned in 94 hours worth of forms earlier that week, but apparently they had no clue. So now I have to meet with Phylis and provide proof that I even completed the hours. As you can imagine this has made the weeks leading up to finals, including dead week, very debilitating.

As for my senior recital, it went well. The only spot that really went remotely bad was one of the German songs, Fur Musik. I skipped from the first verse to the last verse, and by the time I realized what I had done, it was too late and I had to just finish the song. Other than that, though, I think the recital went ok overall. Now its just worrying about finals, and about keeping the music rehearsed for the trip to Scotland and England.

Later
-Eric-

Well...This is It!

And cue senior recital on Saturday!!! The dress rehearsal on Wednesday went well except for one of my French pieces. I completely cut out half of the song on the first run through and was forgetting words left and right. I guess its good that it happened at the dress rehearsal and not during my recital though! Lesson on Thursday went ok considering how sick I was feeling. I think all the stress and small amount of sleep have started to take a toll on me, so I caught some bug. I feel better today though, and as long as I keep up with meds and such I should be over it by performance time on Saturday. For anyone reading this, my senior recital is this Saturday, April 2nd, at 2:00 in Ley Theater, second floor of the Brandenburg Education Building, in Wayne America, Nebraska, United States. That should about cover it ;)

Later

-Eric-

A Week Before My Recital!!!!!

Today's lesson went really great. We got through almost all of my repertoire and everything went fine. I just have to remember to keep the buzz with any soft singing and work on a couple of word issues with German and French. Other than that, I feel ready to go vocally. Now its just getting everything else set up!

Later

-Eric-

Reciatl Jury and then Intercollegiate!!!

Well I figured I should blog now since I won't have a voice lesson this week because of Intercollegiate Honor Band. Tonight is my jury for my senior recital, and I am nervous as all get out. I know that I know the music, I'm just worried that I will forget a word or two and that the whole thing will come crashing down around me. The same thing happened at NATS with Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair, and I really don't want to have to re-jury for my recital. I just hope that I remember all the information for my composer's as well. The biggest songs for me, I feel, will be the one's that I did last semester, as well as my French. I have been practicing everything, but I think I am nervous simply because I've had them that long, and have felt more comfortable with them. I guess we'll see how it goes, I'll just try to be myself and let it all happen. Tomorrow a group of us leaves to play at the Nebraska Intercollegiate Honor Band, and then its spring break, full of observing and nonstop homework for other classes. I also have to finish a building project I started for a group here on campus, as well as polishing off my resume and updating it, along with compiling a professional portfolio for a mock interview I have on in late March. All that said, its gonna be a bumpy ride.

-Eric-

Practice and Voice Lessons 4

Today's lesson went really well. I am to the point now where it is extreme minor details that we are going over, and as far as memory goes everything seems to be sticking pretty well. I had some interval issues with the quartet, but I'll work those out in a practice room and it'll be ready by Wednesday of next week. I think I am going to try and put both my aria and Linden Lea on the Wednesday recital. They are both really contrasting pieces, both in language and style, so it'll be a good test to see how well I can transition between songs in a performance. It seems like its always the little things that I pick up, whether it be from concerts, method classes, or conventions, that help the most. I've found that most of the changes I have made with my voice have been literally microscopic in size, yet have effected it tremendously. My recital should come out just how I want it to, then its on to other songs that I have in mind for afterward. But for now, I'll stick to focusing on my jury next week.

-Eric-

Practice and Voice Lessons 3

I think this week was fairly productive as far as my voice goes. I did ok with Die Forelle on Wednesday's recital and my voice lesson today was good as well. I need to focus more on my aria and especially on the intervals in my English and other German song. That will just take some practice over this next week though. One thing that I think has helped a lot with my phrasing in my singing this semester is my Poetry Workshop class. It focuses mainly on writing and reading poetry, and this I think has helped me to straighten out any problems with phrase flow that I was having. I think I will try to either put my last German piece Anakreons Grab or my other English Linden Lea on this next Wednesday's recital, so we'll see how either one of those go.

-Eric-

Practice and Voice Lessons 2

So far so good on this week. Recital went really well with Bois e'pais on Wednesday and my lesson today was really good. It's getting to the point in my lessons that most everything covered is small changes and minor details. I'm starting to realize the difference between my head resonance and mouth resonance, and I am starting to be able to differentiate between the two with particular vowels. This has been the hardest part so far with my voice, and finally being able to feel and understand what I'm doing while singing is a big relief. Its all snapping in to place right before my Senior recital. Up for next week is Die Forrelle by Schubert, so we'll see how well the German goes.

-Eric-

Practice and Voice Lessons Post 1

Practicing this week has been pretty successful I think. I had some difficulty in my rehearsal with Mr. Pfaltzgraff with placing correct intervals in the music, but after practicing on it some more it was better in my lesson on Thursday. I have slowly been starting to figure out how to brighten my voice, but the problem I'm having is in order to do that I have to drop the soft pallet slightly. What I need to figure out is how to keep it bright as well as rounded off and in tune. Hopefully that hits before March 2nd and especially before April 2nd with my senior recital. I am slated to be on student recital on next Wednesday and Bois Epais is on the list to memorize and perform, so here's to working on French!

-Eric-

Double Lung Transplant for Soprano

Here's a really interesting video of an operatic soprano that went through a double lung transplant.