Develop your playing style with the help of a mentor who focuses on musical expression and confidence.

Thom Isaacs reviewed Max's band's recorded performances, offering advice on drumming dynamics, piano arrangements, and vocal delivery for Max's reimagined song. Thom emphasized the importance of Max taking a leadership role in directing the band's creative vision. Max was tasked with uploading additional recordings for review in the next session, where they will also revisit music theory.

In a recent singing lesson, Thom worked with an individual, a dedicated music student at St. Petersburg College, on various aspects of vocal technique and performance. The lesson focused on learning a Sam Ryder song, addressing a shaky voice through warm-up exercises, and improving high notes, diction, and memorization. A particularly challenging vocal run in the song was broken down note by note, with Thom offering specific techniques and exercises for mastery. Beyond the musical instruction, they also touched upon personal topics, including the learner's new football allegiance and Thom's ethical work stance.

Thom and Max reviewed Max's recent performance before diving into music theory concepts for exam preparation. Thom explained timbre, articulation, texture, melody, and harmony, using examples like the songs "Heat" and "Three Little Birds" to illustrate these concepts. Max was encouraged to analyze the bass lines of songs to identify their underlying harmony.

Thom Isaacs coached David Arnold on singing Sam Ryder's "Spaceman," working through the song line by line, focusing on vocal techniques like head and chest voice transitions and the "spaceman" howl. They clarified lyric versions and addressed David's specific challenges with certain notes and transitions. Due to David's car issues, they ended the session with a plan to continue practicing the song independently.

Thom Isaacs and Seth Livingston worked on Seth's singing technique, particularly focusing on accessing his head voice and understanding the concept of a backbeat in music. They practiced applying the backbeat to the song "Chocolate Jesus." Thom recommended the album "Small Change" by Tom Waits for further listening and rescheduled the next session for Thursday.

Thom and Reid discussed Reid's recent guitar acquisitions and his progress with improvising using pentatonic scales and the CAGED system. Thom provided feedback on Reid's improvisational techniques, suggesting ways to incorporate larger note jumps and develop musical ideas through repetition. They plan to continue working on improvisational skills and exploring different positions within the CAGED system in future sessions.