Concert Details
GUIDELINES AND RECORDING INSTRUCTIONS for online concerts
It's important to remember why we have concerts… to showcase the vocal abilities of my students, to celebrate the goals that they have achieved, and ultimately to give each of them a chance to perform and to learn and grow from performing. Concerts are very important because they:
· Give everyone a "polished" performance goal
· Put the students ON STAGE, which is the most crucial part of becoming a vocalist – handling the stage and the live audience. It is my experience that the younger a child can get on stage, the less stage fright they feel as they grow. Maybe they become like me and have no stage fright. 😊
· Concerts will feature each student in a more formal and public setting
· Give each student the chance to perform with the support of a track or piano accompaniment for ear training and performance practice
· Celebrate everyone's progress
· Cultivate a sense of community among students and their families
Right now, as we all know, the world is very different from what we have ever known, and moving my lessons to an all-online format has been a challenging task. Learning how to use Zoom for teaching in the best way I can for my students has been both challenging and fun. Prior to this summer, my lessons were 30 minutes long. When I switched to Zoom, it was an excellent decision to increase them to 45 minute sessions. That allowed for time to workout any technology hiccups or glitches and provided a solid lesson experience for the students. I am supposed to have a 15 minute break between students, but if you ever have observed, you know that usually I keep my students extra time because I enjoy teaching them so much. 😊
I have given much thought as to how I can give my students the best concert possible, although it will be a “Virtual Concert.” So, here is my plan…
1. You will film yourself (if you are an adult student) or your child singing the 2 songs we have chosen for the performance.
2. You will upload or email me the MP4 video file of your child’s performance. You can email me the video directly to laurahallvocalcoach@gmail.com or upload first to YouTube and then send me the YouTube link.
3. I will edit the students’ performance videos together in a very nice way. I will serve as the emcee and do an into for each student, and then we will cut to that student’s first song. Later in the recital, the students will sing their second song.
4. The edited video will be mastered for the best quality of sound.
5. After the editing process, the Fall Concert Video will be shown on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. I will let you know the dates that each concert will air on each platform.
Now… the difficult part will be that you (voice parents) and my adult students’ spouses or family, have to become not only a great audience for your performer, but also sound engineers and videographers. However, in our pockets we hold technology that only television studios had 20 years ago. The camera of your Smartphone or tablet gives each of us the ability and wonderful opportunity of having a concert, even during the time of COVID. And, truly, many more people will “attend” these online concerts than we would’ve been able to provide in a live setting.
So here are the things you need to know and do for the concert to happen…
How to Record Your Child’s Music Videos
for our Concert
1. RECORDING: Please plan for your student/yourself to take time to practice recording their music before the “real” performance. Do a practice run a day or two before. You can record the song multiple times and use the best recording (just like the stars do ; ).
2. STAGE: Set the “stage” for your performance: Hold it in a nice room in the house, and provide a place for family members to sit to be an “audience.” Make sure to silence all cell phones and to make sure the house is quiet when you begin recording for the concert.
3. BACKGROUND: Think about the background for your performance. Some of the prettiest backgrounds I have seen have been in front of a fireplace or in a dining room. If you are filming inside your house, make sure the room in the background behind you is clean. I have seen people singing in their very messy rooms, and you definitely don’t want a messy house in the background to draw attention away from the performance ; ). Also, there are very pretty places outdoors you can film, but check weather.com when making your plans. If you record outside, estimate the road noise or other outside noises you might hear, and the camera or microphone has to be much closer to the singer to be heard well.
4. LIGHTING: When considering a room, remember the lighting is important. It is VERY important that the performer NOT be in front of a window or have other lighting behind them. If light comes from behind them, they will appear as a dark figure. If you have a “ring light” or lamp you can use to sit closer to the face of the student performing, you will have a better, more clear recording.
5. DRESS: Students should dress nicely and professionally. From relaxed to formal… make sure that your outfits match your song selections. What I mean by this is that if a girl is singing a ballad, she may wear a sequin dress, while other boys or girls who sing country might opt for “Western Wear.” But most of my students just wear a nice, semi-formal, cute outfit.
6. MUSIC: You must use the two songs you picked out with Laura and the specific tracks that Laura has provided to you because she recorded and mixed them in her studio, made just for you, to make sure each student can be the most successful of a performer they are capable of.
7. SOUND: Recognizing that not everyone has a microphone at home, it is not necessary. If you do have a microphone, you might try to record one version with the microphone and one version without the microphone and see which one sounds the best. Through the editing I do, I will be able to add some effects onto your voice and cover minor errors.
When recording, try to make the music about the same volume as the vocals. Ideally, they should be seamlessly blended together, but the voice would be just a slight bit louder. You may want to use a microphone or karaoke machine, or, you may just want to play the music on a Bluetooth speaker in the room and have the performer sing without a microphone. Record it both ways and see which one sounds the best.
8. WATCHING THE RECITAL… Host a “Concert Watch Party:” After I have received all of the videos, I will edit everything together. I will let you know the air dates and times for the recital on all three platforms: Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. So, invite family and friends over for a “Concert Watch Party” (if it is COVID-19 safe). Consider making a special snack to have together afterwards.
I want to thank you for your patience and for allowing me to work with your child these past few months. It has meant a great deal to me. Thank you also for being patient with me when I extended the concert date so that every student could be totally prepared to give their very best performance. So here are our new plans…
Follow the included schedule for our weekly lessons (unless we have to do a rescheduled lesson)