Hi.
A colleague on another mailing list/newsgroup suggested that I write here, so here goes...
I'm having trouble with one of my principals in a youth theatre group which I MD. This guy has two main problems I can see, neither of which I'm having much success with fixing.
Firstly, despite my best efforts he continues to sing through his nose. I can't get him to sing a clean note. I've tried my usual hint of getting him to say "aah" as if he were yawning or sighing, then to put a pitch to it but that's not getting through. I've tried getting him to picture the sound starting at the diaphragm and finishing in the auditorium as a continuous flow, but he keeps stopping it with his nose. Any other hints which may work? I think that his projection problems would be solved, and the intermittent pitch problems eased if he could grasp what it is I'm after.
Secondly, he's got it into his head that he can't do it, he's panicking and losing all his breath on the opening note. (for those familiar with the show, we're doing Godspell and he's not coping with "Prepare Ye..."). Of course he thinks he can't manage it, so he doesn't perform, so he thinks he can't manage.... It's a vicious spiral. Any hints on increasing this lad's confidence would be great. He's around 15-17 years, and is about the best male we have in the group.
Thanks in advance, and sorry if I'm covering a topic which has been discussed to death...
Ian Black
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