Self Review for Performance Exam, Essay Example

This is an appraisal of the performance studies exam that took place on 20^th April 2012 in Coombehurst Studio. The performance was primarily jazz, and the ensemble performed five pieces which were: ‘Come fly with me’, ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’, ‘When sunny gets blue’, ‘My one and only love’ and ‘All of me’.

In this performance, the tempo of the five songs was varied in order to create contrast. Similarly, the emotion of the songs also varied, with both happy and sentimental themes. This variance in theme was in part due to the quality of the composition, but also it was how I naturally interpreted the songs. The structure of the performance was designed to create contrast and maintain interest through the variation of tempo and intensity. Generally speaking, the whole performance was completed with accurate tuning and appropriate emotion. I had an emotional mental map that I flowed through when giving the performance. I was able to prepare for these performances ahead of time, but had a very difficult time adjusting to the freestyle nature of the improve parts. The shortcomings of the improvisation can be noticed, especially in ‘When sunny gets blue’. In addition, some other problems such as pronunciation and shaping of the pieces also weakened performance. There are clear instances where improve is obviously a problem for me. I can be seen thinking about what I will say next verse allowing the words to come naturally. The analysis is detailed below.

The first song ‘Come fly with me’ is an upbeat standard with saucy lyrics originally sung by Frank Sinatra. Saucy is defined as bold and lively; smart looking, and Sinatra adds the smart looking feel to the words that were bold for their time. Even when the song is covered by other artists, it is always recognized as Sinatra’s song his style is present in every line. It constructs a light-hearted travel theme, thus it requires a playful and carefree feel from the performer. As much as I wanted to incorporate my own ideas into the piece, I found myself trying to emulate Sinatra.

‘Somewhere over the rainbow’ is from the musical Wizard of Oz. Compared with the film version (1939) and the jazz version by Sara Vaughan (1963), Vaughan’s version goes with much more freedom and there are more variations. I believe this version has a freer feel to it because of how the pitches change from how to low in the musical score. This could have been my interpretation, but it definitely was how I sang the song. I fluctuated from high to low frequently while singing this song and it made me feel free, excited, and a little invincible.

The last piece was ‘All of me’ which has been performed by numerous singers such as Frank Sinatra, Michael Bubble, etc. The theme of the song was sorrowful but it was delivered in a fast tempo in order to create a feeling of self-mockery. The best part of the performance was its sense of liberation and dynamic and the good coordination with the piano. Nevertheless, the phrasings from bar 29 to 32 were incorrect and one could also note the problems in pitch during these four bars. Overall, I felt confident throughout the entire performance. There were times when I would close my eyes to enjoy the music but I might have lost communication with the audience. I also got a better understanding of the coordination and hard work that go into creating an impressive jazz performance and appreciate why jazz continues to have loyal fans, despite the fact that it is most definitely a dated musical genre.

What I would do differently

If I could do the performance again, I would try to have more fun and enjoy it. I did feel confident and free, but I was also nervous which made it difficult for me to glide into the lines and sing with rhythm. I am sure if I was able to do it again I would relax and probably acted while singing, which would have put me in a better rhythm to be in sync with the pianist.

Strengths & Weaknesses

The strength that I am proud of demonstrating was my ability to continue and complete songs, even when I felt like I was making mistakes. After reviewing my performance, I noticed that I always kept a continuous pace; I focused on completing all five songs and I did not make a big deal about my mistakes while performing, which made it even harder for me to recognize them when I was watching the video. The most important weakness, the one I want to work on, has to do with timing. As I mentioned before, the timing I shared with my supporting pianist what out of sync, but not noticeable until I started to sing the improvisation parts. When I did this, my problems with starting and stopping were very obvious. Improvising in jazz is a tradition with a long history. It is also very beneficial for singers looking to develop their timing. As Paul F Berliner note, “improvising by starts and stops, they develop the ability to formulate credible idea in jazz and to develop them — carrying their part of the conversation forward — over increasing stretches of time. With growing skill and assurance, their goal is to control evolving lines of thought over an entire solo, minimally one chorus length (1994).” Here Berliner makes it very clear that the practice of improvisation plays a major role in the success and skill of the singer. This is why it is one of the main methods I would use to strengthen my weaknesses.

Conclusion

In sum, this experience was good for me. I was never truly aware of how much attention to detail jazz singers invested when they improvised. I also realized that I have what it takes to perform even when I feel out of tune or forget lines. My most obvious weakness is my improvisation and timing. In addition to being out of sync with my supporting pianist during improvising I struggled with starting and stopping. Improvising has a long honoured tradition in jazz as a way to practice and exercise rhythm. I look forward to taking what I learned in this review, specifically about what it take to perform jazz music live and applying some of the carefree methods to how I handle stressful situations.

Bibliography

Berliner, Paul F. 1994. Thinking in Jazz: The Infinite Art of Improvisation.

Chicago. The University of Chicago Press. Available at: http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=tqPnM_e4CPYC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=Jazz&ots=gq_ISPXJ1L&sig=1VLlwQhtBvJYBuRZxIi8IL2IqfE#v=onepage&q=good%20practice&f=false

Catman916, 2010, Frank Sinatra- My One and Only Love [Video Online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkWplI8fOyM [Accessed 3 July 2012]

ClassicMusicVals, 2009, Sting- My One and Only Love [Video Online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alhpdv-YMWw [Accessed 3 July 2012]

Helium, 2008. Album reviews: Come Fly With Me, by Frank Sinatra. [Online] Available at: http://www.helium.com/items/800435-album-reviews-come-fly-with-me-by-frank-sinatra [Accessed 1 July 2012]

movieclips, 2011, Somewhere Over the Rainbow- The Wizard of Oz (1/8) Movie CLIP (1939). [Video Online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSZxmZmBfnU [Accessed 3 July 2012]

RoundMidnightTV, 2011, Sarah Vaughan- Over The Rainbow (Live In Copenhagen) 1963. [Video Online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTMQDgUuGI0 [Accessed 3 July 2012]