Music Festival FUN!
Sweet, sweet revenge and delight!
Muhahahaha.
Yes, that's right folks - we finally had an UNBIASED adjudicator.
Hallelujah.
I really loved this adjudicator.
I didn't get an honors, yet again (A+...missed due to stupid mistakes I fully acknowledge, because I was horribly lazy, procrastinated, and got stuck in a rut) but didn't do any worse, either.
But no one else in my class got an honors mark and medal either.
A miracle, all things considered, since the whole class but me was comprised of past medalists that really never deserved it - but had it handed to them because of publicity in the community, or because they were the rare guy. (We only have two guys here participating in Classical. It's sad.)
I was so HAPPY to see this adjudicator knock Seamus off his pedestal. It was very redeeming. I adore Seamus, he's a great guy, but none of the previous adjudicators have honestly told him what he's doing wrong. And he has as good a list as me or any of the others. Instead, past adjudicators would oooh and aaah over how he was such a wonderful little tenor...
Cue current adjudicator, who promptly starts with, "You choose to sing Tenor because you hear they pay better, right?"
Seamus: "...yeah..." -quietly-
Adjudicator: "Hate to break it to you, but you might not be a tenor. It sounds like your voice is going down, not up. You should embrace it."
HE WON MY HEART THE INSTANT HE SAID THAT.
Oh, then cue my lovely pianst, Val. I ADORE Val. Her and her awesome stories. I swear, she needs to become a part time comedian, because I'm always laughing around her. She's the grandmother I never had.
Anyways - she hears Seamus, of all the people, being critiqued honestly - and she snorted SO LOUDLY, I swear she sent explosive boogers flying forth from her nose. Many people looked back at her, and she put her head down and proceeded to knit furiously. She's my hero. I told her as much, and she straightened up and gave her usual, prim and proper response of, "Well, it was only to be expected." (She was overjoyed to hear him being honestly critiqued)
One thing that always saddens me is how scared of the adjudicator everyone always is. They're human. At this rate, our poor adjudicator was a very, very sick-with-cold baritone opera singer. Have you ever heard a sick baritone? Funniest thing ever. They get even more resonant. He sounded like an overstuffed bear.
Anyways, at some point, he started getting concerned he was crushing everyone else's little glass hearts with his, honest and very helpful critique. So he added more and more jokes until he began to beg: "I know I probably sound horribly harsh, and you hate my guts right now. But I really hope this helps better you. And I imagine some of you have another class yet with me?" -a couple nod- "I hope you come! Please, please come! Don't stay home because of this and skip!"
Me: "They might call in sick!"
Adjudicator: -blinks eyes rapidly, with a stunned expression- "Hahahahaha! Oh god!" -roaring belly laugh- "That's a good one...and heavens, NO! Please, please, NO!!"
Why was my quip so funny?
He was sick. He was probably wishing, at this point, HE could call in sick. It wouldn't be my dream, to spend 12 hour days marking a bunch of young adults and little kids alike and trying to keep your grouchiness from showing in doing so. Having a cold makes it worse. So he loved and appreciated the irony. But He was really shocked I made such a comment. I got on his good side really fast, as per usual, and got off with the nicest critique. But he also knew, after a bit of talking, that I was aware of my stupid mistakes - I just wasn't sure how to phrase them. So after that, he was giving suggestions on how to fix them and making me very happy.
I was also the only one not to have my sound critiqued. My technique was off, I BUTCHERED one of my songs for timing ALL THE WAY THROUGH, but...because I performed it, A) no one but me, my voice teacher, and him knew I had and B) I sounded great, vocally. It was just - I was wayyyy behind the eight ball, timing wise. (Why wasn't this noticed, you ask? Youtube "The Monk and His Cat" by Samuel Barber. It's nuts. Its supposed to sound like a cat playing a piano. It is one of the hardest songs you can learn, because piano and voice are completely separate from one another. OF COURSE no one could tell!)
But the others really got beaten for their sound. Some didn't raise their soft palette enough, others backed off notes, and...yeah. Whole other rant there. But me? It was "Be more precise, fix your timing, get your french down better on page 29, make the ornaments your own in this piece". That was it. Really, extremely nice critique. Very bluntly stated, which I love. And he had an excellent sense of humor.
Oh, extra points: He GROWLED like a BEAR at Seamus to wrap things up. Seamus looked ready to faint. xD
Overall: My voice teacher thinks I'm completely insane because I loved this adjudicator (She thought he was too harsh on the younger kids) and is torn between adoring him as well for how he knocked down the Divos and Divas of the groups she's seen. Really excellent. I may go to study music in Alberta yet, if all these teachers continue coming from there!
Muhahahaha.
Yes, that's right folks - we finally had an UNBIASED adjudicator.
Hallelujah.
I really loved this adjudicator.
I didn't get an honors, yet again (A+...missed due to stupid mistakes I fully acknowledge, because I was horribly lazy, procrastinated, and got stuck in a rut) but didn't do any worse, either.
But no one else in my class got an honors mark and medal either.
A miracle, all things considered, since the whole class but me was comprised of past medalists that really never deserved it - but had it handed to them because of publicity in the community, or because they were the rare guy. (We only have two guys here participating in Classical. It's sad.)
I was so HAPPY to see this adjudicator knock Seamus off his pedestal. It was very redeeming. I adore Seamus, he's a great guy, but none of the previous adjudicators have honestly told him what he's doing wrong. And he has as good a list as me or any of the others. Instead, past adjudicators would oooh and aaah over how he was such a wonderful little tenor...
Cue current adjudicator, who promptly starts with, "You choose to sing Tenor because you hear they pay better, right?"
Seamus: "...yeah..." -quietly-
Adjudicator: "Hate to break it to you, but you might not be a tenor. It sounds like your voice is going down, not up. You should embrace it."
HE WON MY HEART THE INSTANT HE SAID THAT.
Oh, then cue my lovely pianst, Val. I ADORE Val. Her and her awesome stories. I swear, she needs to become a part time comedian, because I'm always laughing around her. She's the grandmother I never had.
Anyways - she hears Seamus, of all the people, being critiqued honestly - and she snorted SO LOUDLY, I swear she sent explosive boogers flying forth from her nose. Many people looked back at her, and she put her head down and proceeded to knit furiously. She's my hero. I told her as much, and she straightened up and gave her usual, prim and proper response of, "Well, it was only to be expected." (She was overjoyed to hear him being honestly critiqued)
One thing that always saddens me is how scared of the adjudicator everyone always is. They're human. At this rate, our poor adjudicator was a very, very sick-with-cold baritone opera singer. Have you ever heard a sick baritone? Funniest thing ever. They get even more resonant. He sounded like an overstuffed bear.
Anyways, at some point, he started getting concerned he was crushing everyone else's little glass hearts with his, honest and very helpful critique. So he added more and more jokes until he began to beg: "I know I probably sound horribly harsh, and you hate my guts right now. But I really hope this helps better you. And I imagine some of you have another class yet with me?" -a couple nod- "I hope you come! Please, please come! Don't stay home because of this and skip!"
Me: "They might call in sick!"
Adjudicator: -blinks eyes rapidly, with a stunned expression- "Hahahahaha! Oh god!" -roaring belly laugh- "That's a good one...and heavens, NO! Please, please, NO!!"
Why was my quip so funny?
He was sick. He was probably wishing, at this point, HE could call in sick. It wouldn't be my dream, to spend 12 hour days marking a bunch of young adults and little kids alike and trying to keep your grouchiness from showing in doing so. Having a cold makes it worse. So he loved and appreciated the irony. But He was really shocked I made such a comment. I got on his good side really fast, as per usual, and got off with the nicest critique. But he also knew, after a bit of talking, that I was aware of my stupid mistakes - I just wasn't sure how to phrase them. So after that, he was giving suggestions on how to fix them and making me very happy.
I was also the only one not to have my sound critiqued. My technique was off, I BUTCHERED one of my songs for timing ALL THE WAY THROUGH, but...because I performed it, A) no one but me, my voice teacher, and him knew I had and B) I sounded great, vocally. It was just - I was wayyyy behind the eight ball, timing wise. (Why wasn't this noticed, you ask? Youtube "The Monk and His Cat" by Samuel Barber. It's nuts. Its supposed to sound like a cat playing a piano. It is one of the hardest songs you can learn, because piano and voice are completely separate from one another. OF COURSE no one could tell!)
But the others really got beaten for their sound. Some didn't raise their soft palette enough, others backed off notes, and...yeah. Whole other rant there. But me? It was "Be more precise, fix your timing, get your french down better on page 29, make the ornaments your own in this piece". That was it. Really, extremely nice critique. Very bluntly stated, which I love. And he had an excellent sense of humor.
Oh, extra points: He GROWLED like a BEAR at Seamus to wrap things up. Seamus looked ready to faint. xD
Overall: My voice teacher thinks I'm completely insane because I loved this adjudicator (She thought he was too harsh on the younger kids) and is torn between adoring him as well for how he knocked down the Divos and Divas of the groups she's seen. Really excellent. I may go to study music in Alberta yet, if all these teachers continue coming from there!