@BearHouse Actually, I think it is common with younger singers and is something typically addressed in college. My son had known for a while about tightness and tension, and several judges had commented on it. One of his criteria for a college voice teacher was someone with a plan to address tension with more than just a comment that he needed to loosen his jaw.
S does singing secondarily and when the college lessons started, a whole new set of ideas emerged - like āstiffen the upper palletteā (or something like that) and ālower the larynxā. We didnāt know these were āthingsā.
So great to hear @BearHouse ! Your D sounds amazing!
@BearHouse āI wonder if this is common for singers as the ramp up their singing in college?ā
I believe it is. My D struggles also with the jaw tension.
I agree with @coloraturadad. From what Iāve learned from my singer, techniques to relax the jaw, larynx etc. increase the resonating space in the head and allow the voice to spin more freely. The voice prof has to be able to communicate lots of these adjustments in a way that the student can visualize and act upon - with the goal of being able to sing for a long time in a healthy manner. This is why sometimes observing a voice professor teaching a lesson can be a helpful way to determine if a student could work well with that teacher.
Ditto. The cool thing is that your kid enters as one singer and exists as whole different singer. If you think or thought they were good in high school, hold on to your socks!
A lot of the āfixesā come with age and may not be fully worked out until grad school or even later. It will all come in time.
I posted this as a separate post but thought Iād post here in case any of you have kids who auditioned for CalArts (I couldnāt recall from my following of this post.)
Wondering if any of you have kids who applied to CalArts for music (Herb Albert School of Music.) My D is applying for the āPerformer/Composerā program (as a vocalist) and her audition is coming up soon in Chicago. Iām just looking for an audition description/what to expect/any tips.
At the end of this post is the description they give so itās a little vague and open-ended, probably by design. She submitted mostly original songs for the portfolio/artist statement. Since they say the audition can duplicate the portfolio, I assume she should plan on doing a few originals and maybe a jazz song or something contrasting if they want to see some diversity?
Reading about general CalArts auditions on CC, they sound a little unique, perhaps focused on the interview and forcing the student āoutside their comfort zoneā during the performance part of the audition.
If any of you have children who experienced a CalArts music audition in recent years, please respond here or private message me. Thank you!
Portfolio/Audition Guidelines
The portfolio submission should reflect your primary areas of interest and artistic strengths. Examples include: instrumental performance, vocal performance, jazz, composition and experimental sound practices, music technology, world music performance, performer-composer integration, musical arts/experimental pop, cross-disciplinary approaches, and other combinations of disciplines involving music.
You must submit a digital portfolio containing at least 3-5 works submitted via SlideRoom. Materials to upload may include: recordings, videos, appropriate media documents, scores, writings, and any related materials that further illuminate your work. You may also link to media from YouTube, Vimeo and SoundCloud. Applicants for VoiceArts must include ONE classical song or aria in their portfolio/audition.
The faculty are especially interested in reviewing work that emphasizes:
Applicants own original compositions documented through scores or other appropriate media.
Performances demonstrating strong technical skills in extant musical literature and any, if appropriate, any original work including improvisation.
Innovative performance practices.
Skills with music technologies including novel and innovative uses.
Interdisciplinary work.
Artwork beyond music that broadly informs your larger musical practice.
The portfolio can duplicate the audition, and the audition is a chance for us to get to know you in person and answer any questions. There are no specific repertoire requirements for the audition, however we would prefer to see what you consider your strengths.
Cal Arts is known for its relatively edgy ācontemporary classicalā aka ānew musicā focus as well as an emphasis on interdisciplinary work. As you know it also has a well-respected program in composition and experimental sound practices, involving innovative technologies. I donāt have any direct experience but I would assume they are looking for originality more than polish and would want to know what composers your daughter like, what work she admires, where she wants to go with her music, and other interests in the arts. But I am just speculating.
Thank you @compmom. That interview/audition focus would definitely make sense. My daughter is artsy in more ways than music and thinks outside the box when it comes to musical collaboration so weāve been told CalArts might be a good fit. Iāll keep you posted on how the audition goes. Itās January 12th in Chicago.
@AmyIzzy - did I send you my conversation with a just graduated senior from Cal Arts? I ran across him on the Bass Talk (an online forum for bass players - I was looking for a rental bass for my daughter). He had some really good perspective. And I was just thinking today that my daughter needs to forward your daughterās contact info. to the student that she knows that goes there.
My take on the application is that they want original pieces - in all genres. I think they have all sorts of genres there - and love those that innovate. Thatās just what Iāve heard.
How are all my buddies from this thread doing? I just made my final ādouble tuitionā payment! Whew! I had not looked forward to this year, 2 kids in college. Especially after the year of audition travel expenses. Son graduates in May in engineering and is eyeing grad school. That one is on him lol. D has been home for a almost a month visiting which has been nice. She heads to Miami to visit a jazz voice friend at Frost for a long weekend and sunshine and warmth. Iām jealous. I just wanted to check in and see how everyoneās kids are doing. Everyone happy with their college decisions? My D loves New School and NYC. It was such a crazy way how she ended up there but she really landed where she belongs. 
Yes, please tell how everyone is doing! This thread gives me hope!
@SpartanDrew - no more double payments - now thatās something to celebrate!!! Congrats. When does Jen head to NYC? Alexās audition is scheduled for March 3. Iāll PM you to see if Jen is around that weekend. Alex is having āaudition freak-outā tonight. The life of a music parent!!
No payments for S18 (lucky me) but last one for D15 at USCal! S22 is going to break the bank, no doubt, so will be saving up for him. S18 loves FSU. He has a great group of friends, is doing well academically and growing as an artist. Joining a large university choir and a small a cappella club taught him a lot about blending his voice and working with other singers. For this semester, he was just cast as Lt. Cable in South Pacific, at a local community theatre! Will be so much fun to see him on stage again.
My daughter is a junior interested in vocal jazz. Wondering where your kids are now and how they are liking it. Advice for starting on the journey and camps? We have trips planned to Frost, Belmont, western MI and Indiana so far.
Hi @NECJ97 and welcome. My daughter is at The New School. I donāt think there is much in vocal jazz at Belmont. I have a lot of info on the different programs. Frost and WMU both are fantastic. I think Indiana May be in a bit of disarray from a vocal jazz perspective but Iām not sure. Tierney Sutton had been there running the program but left so I donāt know who runs it now. Check out NEC as well. Berklee too depending on what she is looking to do. Berklee has a 5 week summer program. NEC has a summer program as well as does Frost. USC, Cal Arts, Loyola New Orleans, William Paterson, SUNY Purchase are all great programs as well.
Thank you! Sheās been on the fence about Indiana so thatās helpful. We will take a look at the other you suggest. Right now she is planning to do the summer programs at frost and the New York Voices camp at Western but Iāll look at the others as well. I really have no sense of how to know if she is good enough for these top programs so maybe the summer programs will help. Iām having a hard time finding people who know much about vocal jazz so thankful to have found this thread! Did your daughter do a lesson with Kate Reid when she visited Frost? My daughter emailed her but hasnāt heard back yet.
@NECJ97 Iām sure Kate will respond. She is amazing truly as is Greg Jasperse at WMU. They are in the middle of all of these current auditions so likely when the dust settles she will get back with you. I will shoot you a PM since you are new to the board and canāt PM yourself yet.
My S18 opens tonight in the role of Lt. Cable in South Pacific, at a community theatre near his college. Canāt wait to see him on stage again! On other fronts, it is full steam ahead. He has roommates and an off campus apartment set up for next year. Itās quite nice and a five minute walk to campus, so he is pleased. The honors section of Music Theory II is challenging, and he keeps warning us he is going to get a B. We will see. Itās also Parents Weekend at the music school this weekend, with classes to sit in and lectures geared to the parents about what itās like to study music and careers in music. Thereās a music theory class for parents (skipping, lol), a master voice class to watch, and several musical performances.