Description:
Welcome to your 14-Day Performance course with Abram! This course, while beginner friendly, requires that you are matching pitch comfortably and have a basic understanding of vocal technique and registration. It's not required, but we recommend that you have completed Abram's Beginner Course Part 2 before attempting this course. It's also a good idea to be at the place in your practice where you are ready to sing a song all the way through. You are welcome to use any song you are working on along with the excerpts I’ll provide throughout the course.
The course is divided up into 3 Parts:
In Part 1, we will practice general skills and strategies for preparing our mind and body for a successful performance. This involves everything from vocal technique and stretches to mindfulness practices and our ability to maintain a growth mindset in the face of failures.
In Part 2 we will cover different performance venues and opportunities as well as how to specifically prepare for each unique type of experience. This section will involve lots of musical excerpts to explore, and particular exercises and warm-ups to accomplish them.
In Part 3 We will put many of these skills to the test with a 3 STEP performance preparation routine that you can use as a model for any future performances you may have.
Warm-Up:
It's always important to have a warm up routine to continue stretching and conditioning your voice. This will make sure your voice is always ready for when performance opportunities come your way. Let’s sing through a warm-up you can use before starting any particular day during the course.
- Hiss to Hum to Open
- Weyah (3,2,1)
- Mah Mah Mah (1-5-1)
- ZZZ to Zah (1,3,5, Zah 8,5,3,1)
- Wee-oo (1-5-1)
- Chest to Head voice sirens (Ahh–eee–Ahh)
Lessons:
- 1: Welcome
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2:
Song Choice
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3:
Releasing Physical Stress
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4:
Performance Anxiety
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5:
Expression in Song
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6:
Casual vs. Formal
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7:
Auditions
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8:
Choir
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9:
Opera & Musical Theater
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10:
Band & Contemporary
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11:
Recording, Social media and Posting
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12:
Practice
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13:
Dress Rehearsal
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14:
Performance Day
Instructor: Abram Poliakoff
Abram Poliakoff is a singer, guitarist, pianist, teacher, conductor, and composer. He received a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Arts from USC’s Thornton School of Music and has been teaching music for 8 years. He is currently both the Associate Artistic Director and a tenor in the L.A. Choral Lab, which recently released its first studio album Sonic Visions in the fall of 2019. Abram teaches and performs a wide range of genres including Classical, Jazz, Folk and Popular music in the Los Angeles area. He has also sung with the San Francisco Opera and Pocket Opera in the Bay Area. His teaching mission is to help his students utilize vocal technique to find their authentic and healthy voice while maximizing genre flexibility and a naturalness of expression.