Music Lessons by University of Brighton Tutor: Production, Mixing, Theory

Student and Tutor engaged in working memory exercises using number recall, leading to a deeper discussion on emotional regulation and managing frustration during performance. They explored strategies for patience in the creative process, drawing examples from other artists. The session concluded with the Student selecting "Ain't Today" by Saga Ludvigson to practice section-by-section with a backing track, with plans to record their progress for review.

The Student and Tutor reviewed the Student's recent singing performance, focusing on vocal technique and lyric accuracy. They engaged in a working memory test using digit recall to identify memorization patterns and discussed how strategies like chunking and intonation could improve learning song lyrics. Future sessions will incorporate these memory exercises into warm-ups, and the Student will prepare a new song.

Student and Tutor reviewed a recorded singing performance, focusing on how performance anxiety manifested in the Student's posture. They discussed the broader concept of evolutionary fear responses and how they apply to stage presence. For homework, the Student will re-record the same song, actively working on an exaggeratedly open and confident posture, while continuing to refine the melody.

The Student and Tutor worked on advanced vocal techniques, specifically focusing on breath support, diction, and the concept of "recoil breathing" using consonants. They applied these techniques to the song "Oft I Sight" and discussed managing vocal transitions and glottal stops. The Student was assigned to practice the song with these new breathing strategies, and future sessions will explore transferring these skills to other songs.

The session focused on developing the Student's performance confidence and vocal practice techniques. The Student and Tutor discussed the importance of consistent self-recording and review to build comfort with performing. They practiced specific lines from the song 'Off to my side,' with the Student assigned to record a full performance of it as homework for the next lesson.

The Student and Tutor reviewed the classical song "Off Thy Side," discussing the concept of ornamentation in classical singing and its historical background, including the evolution of music notation. They practiced specific vocal phrases from the song, with the Student focusing on maintaining pitch accuracy for challenging note transitions, and was assigned homework to practice these particular sections.