Brief biographies of professionals interviewed

Manon Heijne - Dutch soprano and singing teacher at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague, graduated from Royal Conservatoire of The Hague in 1991, receiving special recognition. I included Manon in my research as her approach to teaching singing is based on the use of the whole body.

Erik Willems - Erik is a teacher trained as a theater maker. Having finished studies in 2004, he stopped acting and directing 10 years ago, continued teaching and trained to become a therapist who works with people with addictions. I chose to include him in my research due to his expertise in a variety of fields adjacent to singing and his experience teaching the Stage Presentation course.

Annika Weissman - Dutch singer, singing coach, conductor and Alexander technique teacher. She studied jazz singing in Amsterdam, Graz and Philadelphia from 2007 to 2013. I included Annika in my research as her experiences with jazz singing and with Alexander Technique teaching are closely related to my research.

Martine Straesser - Dutch alto/mezzo singer who trained at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam. Martine is also trained as a speech therapy, providing anatomy and phonetics lessons to all 1st year singers. I chose to include her in my research as I wanted to include her vocal health perspective in my analysis.

K. Appendix

Full analysis - movements made during performance

Please note: the musical elements identified in this analysis (lyrics, mood, rhythm, melody) are not the same as the final key musical elements I chose to focus on, which are rhythm, lyrics/mood, pitch and dynamics. 

The insights from the professionals are highlighted in yellow.

General observations

• I tend to walk aimlessly and fidget quite a bit i.e. adjusting my glasses, hair flipping, closing my jacket - these movements are not related to any musical elements and thus I believe they hinder the performance
• Hands generally tend to be limp and unresponsive to what is happening musically
• Hands / arms often echo just the rhythm, which does not add to performance as they disregard the lyrics/mood, pitch and dynamics,
• Posture is often not consonant with mood or meaning of lyrics - I tend to adopt a rigid, formal, as I was “presenting”

Nothing like you

• 1.35 - arms spread out wide emphasizing lyrics and mood ( how wonderful life could be

Nothing like you

• 1.35 - arms spread out wide emphasizing lyrics and mood ( how wonderful life could be)
  
  

Chega de Saudade

• Example 1 - 3.24 - aimless walking 
• Martine - in another moment, you did something with your whole body but here there’s some movement in your legs but it’s not really everywhere
• Erik - agrees with my analysis
• 3.33 - shoulder tension up 
• 4.40 - walking during solo, more meaningful as im searching for a note
• Example 2 - 6.30 - body movement echoing rhythm drum drop out (dentro dos meus brazos)
• Martine - that’s much more whole body, much nicer, much more in the music, I liked the plie as well. That’s almost like choreography although I’m sure you didn't really think that, it’s just what happens when you’re singing. 
• 6.34 - dancing! On final section of song

Precious by Esperanza Spalding

• Example 3 - 9.31 - accenting rhythm with hand yet the movement it is in contrast with themood, unconvincing, note ran out (wanted something more from my body)
• Martine - that looks a little less organized. Hands are ok, you can also really do something with your hands and not even use the rest, but that was more aimless moving. I don’t like it when it looks like you’re conducting
• Erik - “I don’t see a lot of connection to the music.. I think we’re always connected to something, could be that we’re connected to our thoughts or our worries or to our fears (oh somebody is in the audience looking at their phones, what are they thinking? Or maybe they’re bored or maybe I’m not doing well) or we could be connected to the music, to the emotion or to the lyrics, or we could be in flow.. Of course ideally we’re connected to flow then everything almost happens by itself and we’re very connected in the moment”
• Manon - “you’re free on stage but the movements don’t support your narrative, your story.. but you are free so you can turn this around quite easily”
• 10.58 - chin up, tension in throat? (let you down, you say I )
• Martine - “there’s a little bit of this [moves chin up] which affects the sound a bit. Head movement is something to be aware of, that you don’t reach up or move in, like a turtle.”
• Annika - By pulling head up, you’re controlling the vocal tract with external muscles, yes this works to a certain extent. What I believe it also often does is lets you stay in speaking quality longer which makes the hump towards head voice bigger. Chin up means head back and down, of course it’s much harder to resist that and re train to have a free balance of the head   
• 11.02 - head movement as if talking supports lyrics (did you forget about all of..?)
• 11.10 - arm roll at start of solo, as if riding wave .. dancing loosens me up
• Martine - the floating arm, I liked that. That’s something you can use. 
• Annika - because you lift your arms a certain way, the head is pulling a bit back and down and that of course can affect the vocal use
• Example 4 - 11.36 - “presenting” posture while singing lyrics (you always wanted something more), but in a formal way is totally disconnected with thelyrics and mood  + tense jaw, as if speaking causes vocal strain on “lovin” at 11.40
• Martine - that’s a lot of hands. I think there if you definitely mickey mouse it first and then see what you end up with. You feel you want to do something with your hands but first figure out what it’s about and then see what’s left, what movements are helping. 
• Annika - from AT point of view, the posture doesn’t add anything to the use of myself. I think it could if we added more directions through the arms, because as you narrow your arms, you narrow your rib cage. Regarding jaw tension - these are things we think we need to add that for emotion, for example furrowing your eyebrows in ballads
  

Tragic Inevitability by Lalah hathaway

• 15.36 - started dancing/swaying to rhythm in convincing way (we cant even make believe)
• 16.35 - extended hand forward with intention and kept it there, free sound vocally (if we are truly fashioned by fate)
• 17.20 - changed in stance to highlight change in solo attitude  (surely we)
• 17.53 - shoulders up, tense moment didn’t know where i was going vocally (we must concede)

They can’t take that away from me

• 22.27 - moving as if speaking, pointing at audience member (the way YOU haunt my dreams)
• 22.44 - moving as if speaking (always, always)
• 23.57 - hand movement supporting melody of improv ideas during solo turned into dancing
• 25.41 - hand gesticulating words to add further meaning to lyric (no they can’t take that away from me), turned into hand emphasizing the intention of sung melody (the way your smily just beams)
• 26.28 - leg movement emphasized rhythmic break in melody -- would have worked better if it was more conscious (... No they cant take)

Bach 

• 28.38 - queued break with body 
• 29.20 - dancing throughout, voice sounds freer
• 29.28 - stop in dancing to accompany rhythm break + change in mood in volume in sung melody
• 30.00 - purposeful walking related to dynamics, change of energy as I end the form and give the stage to the instrumentalists
• Martine - Out of the 4 people on stage, you’re the only one that can walk. 
• 31.21 - body posture fit mood/ rhythm

Look no further

• Example 5 - 34.22-35 - movements echo themood, meaning oflyricsand rhythm of music, until hand starts to emphasize rhythm
• Manon - this is more convincing, I think you can be more up straight because right now you’re like this [closes chest] I don’t think that’s necessary because you have a lot to offer and bring us, you’re a very interesting singer, so be open and be proud.
• Annika - I see an arm movement that is typical of jazz singers.. is this conducting there necessary for the band?
• Erik - 25.55 - you seem to be going very into the song, your body is very spontaneous and then you correct yourself. You’re following your impulse but the impulse doesn’t stop here, it never stops and stands straight again, that’s our head. 
• 34.38 - sway sideways during (why) + small bits of dancing during rest where you are emphasizing mood + rhythm
• 36.22 - vocal trades - highlight of video for me, movement emphasized mood+rhythm + melody of solo - it wasn’t a conducting type movement, it was coherent with the pitches and the mood 
• Martine - 23.30 in her audio - the movements there are really together with what you’re singing, that’s nice because you’re improvising that? Yes, well then that’s fine if you can use the movement with that as well. 
• Erik - it’s almost like you’re waiting for him [the drummer], you stop the flow, then he goes and then you go again
• 36.57 - meaningful walking to move elsewhere for effect later
• 37.05 - swaying side to side echoing change in melody (look no further, look no further)

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Volunteer 1 - Nina

1.33 - performing in front of an audienceaudience 
3.17 - round 1 lyrics

• “sing with that focus”
• 3.37 - she asked do I make my own interpretation of this, do I move according to the lyrics, or what they mean or the flow, the feelings? -- 
• This round, she started the song higher and had Difficulties with intonation

6.33 - round 1 lyrics feedback

• More expressive than performance for audience? Yes more
• Movement helped or hinder vocal technique? Audience focused performance round “was easier because I didn't think as much as meaning of lyrics, I was also kind of in my head oh what am I singing, what do i do now, so there was a bit more thinking but there was more sound and more expression than the first time” -- “i tend to stand a bit like this” 7,17
• Was it easier to sing now vs audience focused? “A bit” because it was the third time she’d sang it
• How authentic did you feel? “Well again, a little bit in my head, kind of forgot assignment halfway through but it did help to invite myself to move more” -- from 1 being super non authentic to 10 being your truest self on stage, she rated this round as 7 or 8

8.55 - round 2 - rhythmic elements

• in the melody “or in the backing track that you hear in your head”

10.16 - round 2 - rhythmic elements feedback

• First comment, “I don’t know if im doing enough - moves arms around.. I can do a bit more right?”
• 11.00 More or less emotional / expressive? -- “i dont think so” -- the lyrics was more emotional “i also wasn’t thinking about it so it felt ok, it felt authentic but not more emotional”
• Helped or hindered vocal technique? “It did help a bit because you’re moving a bit more when it goes a bit slower so i did think that helped but it’s not more emotional than moving according to lyrics”
• Both movement focused takes are more emotional than audienced focused takes? Yes
• 12.19 -- Was it easier to sing this time, did your voice feel free-er or not? “Not much changed.. easier than first time yes, but not specifically more than the lyrics version”
• More musically creative this time or equally as before? 12.34 -- “Yeah I think a bit more, I think also I have the melody a bit more in my head, I'm not thinking about singing well or something so I guess that helps, just focusing on something else than finding the right note or whatever, so that helps to focus on something else”

13.00 - round 3 - dynamics

• what you’re singing or the section, it can be of what you sing or what you hear
• Dani noticed difficulties in pitches 

14.38 - round 3 - dynamics feedback

• How did you feel? It was good, it felt good
• You looked the most comfortable so far doing that one, how come?
•  “It also kind of matches a bit the thing I’m trying out with singing loudly and also not singing the whole song super loud because I have to practice it but also finding the changes” 
• 14.47 - “it feels more natural I think I do that more myself, maybe that’s what makes it more authentic, I’m more used to it “ I said “it’s your default way of moving” , “I think yes, it felt more natural”
• Easier to sing this time than in the past or the same? It was the most easy 
• Was it also the most expressive? “Yes, close to”

15.44 - round 4 - pitches

• Move according to the different notes you sing
• Invite your whole body to do whatever echoes the diff. Pitches

16.57 - Round 4 - feedback

• How do you feel? “I was also comfortable I think -- moves hands in expressive forward movement -- a bit more thinking about oh god I had to do the pitches and not the dynamics... i don’t know it’s all kind of morphed together a bit in my head, I had to find the right focus then - It felt also quite good”
• “I saw you were quite expressive musically - Did you feel that less more or the same? 17.31 I did feel in my voice i took a little bit more risk, it was a little less flat” compared to the round 1 lyrics + round 2 rhythm 
• She said she Was more emotional
• A bit easier to sing vocal technique wise, similar level to round 3 but maybe even a bit easier than round 3, though both of these last round were better than first two

18.49 - Round 5 - no movement focus

• sing as if you’re performing for audience, not necessarily thinking about body, be free “with the audience?” “yes, performing”

20.25 - Final qs

• Which was your most favorite performance and why? 
• Last one because there was a lot of to focus on, And I tend to be in my head [when I get external instruction] I tend to go there in my head 
• How do you feel your emotional expressiveness and vocal freedom changed throughout the exercise?
• 20.49 - It got easier as the exercise kept progressing - vocally 
• I didnt think a lot, I was just doing it, I also felt more calm, more secure vocally 
• Because you were getting more practice? yeah but not only because I was getting practice 
• 21.15 - I felt looser more at the end 
• I think I moved a lot more the second time with the performing for audience than in the first time because you've just done a bit more [moves arms] and you’ve invited your body. I felt it sounded better
• How did the exercise affect the way you connect to the song?
• “It's good to think about like the multiple levels of like how you can focus on the song for example, the meaning of the lyrics.. My default mode is dynamics or pitches, so it’s good to try something else, discovering a bit more level to the song than just singing the right melody - I thought it was fun”  
• What new things have you felt or discovered about your singing through this exercise?
• 23.10 - “i dont know why but towards the end when I felt a bit looser physically and also mentally and also vocally, i did other things with the melody, i took a bit more risks, tried a bit more, went a bit louder, a bit more expressive and not so within myself”
• 23.36 - “For me it’s also kind of a lesson, a challenge for me personally because i know I can be a bit more [big arm movements!!] expressive. But I really notice the difference vocally, daring just to do it a bit. Big changes also not keeping my feet locked
• Do you feel like you will move differently next time you sing from now on?
• I would like to say yes
• It’s nice to use it other things and see what happens when you focus on moving a bit more, moving with a certain purpose in mind

Volunter 2 - Merel

0.22 - Sing on stage
1.48 - false start round 1 - lyrics
4.15 - Round 1 - lyrics

• Miming

Round 1 - feedback

• More or less expressive delivery? More than on stage version
• 5.54 - “because of the movements, you are more in tune with what you’re actually singing rather than just singing.. You’re actually thinking about what you’re singing about”-- was more able to let go once I was into it
• You were more looser? Yes
• This movement helped or hinder vocal technique? Helped only after I got into it (the flow)
• It was easier to sing than the first time
• Musical creative? Quite the same as first time
• How authentic did you feel? A little bit but also the lyrics are very real, so almost cliche to “do the things that you sing” - you didn’t feel authentically yourself? no

7.47 - Round 2 - rhythm

• Whatever rhythm you feel or here, melody, instruments

Round 2 - feedback

• More expressive than on stage but less expressive - now she was not focusing on lyrics, she wasn’t thinking that much about what she was singing about
• Hinder or helped vocal technique? “It aids but mostly because it is letting go about thinking about everything and getting more into it’
• Vocal freedom, easier to sing than first time, similar level to previous
• 11.40 - Creativity wise - “there was more room for different things than what you’re told by the lyrics, I think i could have done more with it, but it’s less straightforward -- because lyrics tell you what to do but the rhythm doesn’t tell you exactly, you can focus on different aspects of it 
• 12.33 - she’s not thinking about the vocal singing technique part as much anymore because im focusing on the moving
• 13.08 overall i felt more creative but with the singing, i didn't feel like i was more creative and also not with the lyrics one vocally -- overall she felt more creative, but not with the singing in any of the tasks so far
• Which round felt most creative so far? Maybe second or third
• Felt more authentic, because there was more freedom, like she said before lyrics tell you what to do but the rhythm doesn’t tell you exactly, you can focus on different aspects of it 

14.29 - Round 3 - dynamics

• Follow dynamics of what you sing

16. 00 - Round 3 - feedback

• How do you feel? More creative with the voice - 
• How would you rate your emotional creativeness? More than all previous takes, but felt vocally expressive in diff ways 
• The lyrics was expressive because if you focus on what you’re saying you, become more expressive automatically
• “Now you’re focus on how you wanna say it and also listening to what you’re saying, and then it becomes more expressive, because I had to create the dynamics myself” 
• Helped vocal technique - how so? Because your body is doing the same thing as your voice, or it supports  
• Voice was freer than all previous times
• More authentic than all takes

18.28 - Round 4 - pitches

• Gave example of happy birthday

20.15 - Round 4 - feedback

• I think i missed a whole lot of different pitches
• It was the hardest one to do because “I was focusing on this is a higher pitch or this is a lower pitch.. I don’t have it in my head completely what it looks like, I know what it sounds like but it’s more like the on average, now we’re in a lower section now in a higher section”
• Delivery more expressive - least expressive compared to every other take
• 21.22 - Movement hindered - “because I was struggling to do the ‘moves hand up and down’ - so it distracted you? Yeah but I can see how it can help other people who know exactly where they are on the ... but I don’t have that kind of awareness
• Voice felt less free than all other takes
• Least musically creative

22.01 - Round 5 - no movement focus

• Put everything to the side that we’ve done
• Just allow your body to move as it wants, move or no movement is correct

23.40 - Round 5 - no movement focus - Feedback

• How do you feel? This take was better than first one - why? Also because I sang it a couple times but I was moving a bit more and that helped - how? It helped when i was doing the higher notes, vocally to sustain and convince myself that I could do it  -- 
• *****25.00  expressively I was telling more the story compared to the fist, where I was focusing still on making it sound okish (points at throat) and now it’s a bit more loose and free
• Which was your most favorite performance and why? “Either last one because there was nothing I needed to focus and i could do anything I wanted to do or the rhythm one, because there was a lot of different options and the rhythm gets into your body easier than lyrics”
• How did the exercise affect the way you connect to the song? I’m more confident now in singing it in general
• How do you feel your emotional expressiveness and vocal freedom changed throughout the exercise?
• Expressiveness got better, less rigid, more freer
• Vocal freedom didn't change that much up until the dynamics, dynamics was most free?
• New things your realized? Need to let go of expectations or pressure to do well.. 

Volunteer 3 - HyeJung

• 0.15-1.40 - performing for audience - 40% authentic
• 2.00 - round 1 - lyrics
• 3.25 - round 1 - lyrics  feedback
• delivery feel more or less emotionally expressive than the first time?
• Almost the same, i was confused by how i can express the lyrics with my gestures, it was really hard to do something with my body because lyrics are quite literal (i.e. leaves, windows), things that are not really for moving so it was very difficult to do something
• Performing for audience was 5, this one 4.9
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique?
• It didn't help as i tried to think more about gesture movement than technical things 
• Some parts i lost focus on singing
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel?  -- similar
• Was it more musically creative this time? -- it was difficult this time
• How authentically were you singing from 1-10? -- 50% authentic
• Not very authentic, Everything was confusing, what shall i do? I didn't focus on the phrase of song, when i sing first phrase, i was already thinking about the second and how I can express it with my body
• 7.41 - round 2 - rhythm
• 9.04 - Round 2 - rhythm - feedback
• She shared immediately : This one was more comfortable! Most comfy take so far
• Did the delivery feel more or less emotionally expressive than the first time?
• This take was most expressive out of all of them. One question, when I just follow the rhythm with my body, most of my movements don’t have any reason and meaning - (I asked was it distracting you? ) Not really but when I work with my vocal technique teacher, they always ask me what does it mean? This time I couldn't say anything because there is no reason. (other than rhythmic echos) of course this really works for me, technically things also followed
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique?
• Same as before
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel? -- more free than all past times
• Was it more musically creative this time?
• more rhythmically creative than first or second take because I also did some movements with the rhythm so it was really good
• How authentically were you singing from 1-10? She felt 80% authentic! 
• 12.40 - round 3 - dynamics
• 14.10 - round 3 - dynamics - feedback
• How did this one feel for you? 
• This was different than last one, but it also worked quite good for me. 
• This one really helped me in controlling the dynamics. I think if I mix the focus in the rhythm and in the dynamics, the movement would help me even more
• At some parts i felt i need to follow the rhythmic things more than the dynamics, but this time i tried to focus more on the dynamics
• Did the delivery feel more or less expressive than the first time?
• Same as rhythm
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique?
• When I was sure with my movement, it was really helpful. For example, and she recalled which part!! 
• She knew what to do with the dynamics because she knew what to do with the movement
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel? -- Similar to previous
• Was it more musically creative this time?
• Similar to the previous take but it was a totally different feeling - how so? 
• Previous really helped to express technical things of singing, this time it helped more with the emotional expression
• How authentically were you singing from 1-10? - 70% authentic
• 19.25 - round 4 - pitches - she said oh interesting ! was excited to try it
• 20.52 - Round 4 - pitched - feedback
• Did the delivery feel more or less emotionally expressive than the first time?
• most comfortable from all takes, when i sing improvisation, I use my hand like a horn part instrument, like when i sing a high note, my hand goes up, so I already do this kind of thing when I sing so it was very natural and expressive, everything just flowed
• Most emotionally expressive? A bit less than dynamics
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique?
• Vocal technique was really good, im very used to following the pitch with my body - so because you felt comfy moving this way, then your vocal technique was better ? yes, and my movements were just following my pitch and of course the dynamic of the pitch
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel?
• This take was easiest take
• Was it more musically creative this time?
• This was most creative take
• How authentically were you singing from 1-10? - most authentic
• 24.15 - Round 5 - no movement focus
• Forget everything we’ve done, let it escape your mind, let your body just move however it wants, free to move or not more, no specific focus,
• 25.42 - Round 5 - no movement focus - feedback
• I think this time I mixed the Dynamics, rhythm and pitch, which is what i usually do
• 100% authentic, very comfortable, vocal technique works best
• when i sing whole theme I want to express different sections differently, so when I want to express rhythm more, then I also moved more rhythmically, vocal technique also followed, emotional things also followed, everything combined pretty well
• I was noticing I was thinking “this time i want to focus on dynamics” so then the singing was focused on dynamics and my movements also supported dynamic things, when i focused on rhythm my hands also moved accordingly, when i sang long notes my hands moved like that [ moves hands in long flat motion! ]
• Which was your most favorite performance and why?
• Last, because i was 100 percent comfortable, i didnt think about how should I move, when i think of my movements whilst singing, it always disturbs my singing and singing technique, even the emotional things  
• How did the exercise affect the way you connect to the song?
• No effect
• How do you feel your emotional expressiveness and vocal freedom changed throughout the exercise?
• What new things have you felt or discovered about your singing through this exercise?
• before i started last one I thought interesting, because i never thought i was moving like that, but after i sang first phrase, i noticed this is how I move -- i was already doing it but i never noticed
• Anything else you want to add?
• Do you feel like you will move differently next time you sing from now on?
• My movements will change because now I know what I am doing, which element I follow

Volunteer 4 - Anonymous

2.15 - performing for audience

• How do you feel? Fine , haven't really warmed up properly

5.06 - Round 1 - rhythmic elements 

• Responding to the rhythm? Allowing body to react respond echo to the rhythm

7.02 - Round 1 feedback - rhythmic elements 

• How did it feel
• there was more curiosity, because i'm following movement but its a simultaneous movement within the melody and within the movement itself, they’re kind of linked - This simultaneous movement brings a lot of curiosity in my mind 7.55! 
• Did the delivery feel more or less emotionally expressive than the previous time?
• 10.36 - Both were expressive but in different ways, cant rate which is more expressive because they felt different - spheres of focus were different 
• 8,26 - In a performance setting it can be interesting to observe movements but in a way im closing off the audience -- i can be emotionally connected to the audience also by just standing still, but movement helps to enhance or point out certain things - this time i wasn’t mimicking lyrics 
• 9.15 - when you talk, you emphasize something with movement 
• 9.32 - when im more focused on my little bubble it is interesting to observe but if it is performed it might not be as open as just focusing on this energy giving or delivering of emotion 
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique?
• In performance round, I was more focused in story melody and how do i technically do this, but in this round i didnt think about it, so my performance my benefit from that or not at all but I think in this sense it did because i was in a flow
• I was not paying attention to it but maybe in a way it was better because it was in a flow, that’s what matters more for me
• She didn't think about her vocal technique, something i can judge after by hearing back recording
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel?
• didn't notice any particular difficulties, it was freer than first time 
• Was it more musically creative this time?
• I'm really sticking to one way of singing the melody, but I think flow wise, it was more musical
• How authentically were you singing from 1-10?
• Felt more authentic this time, because even I didn't know where it's going to go

 15.00 - Round 2 - lyrics

• Is that a performance? No, just playground

16.47 - Round 2 -  feedback

• How did that feel? 
• this was more imaginative, when i focus on words, then I imagine what it would look like, how does it feel like
• Focused mvmt on words? In a way yes, i closed eyes it helped me to go into my own bubble, imagine how the things I'm saying feel like and movement followed from the feeling -- 17.43 -- hands went to chest heart, lips heart open and then lost, closed.. So in a way it did respond to the lyrics
• I closed my eyes, that hadn’t happened before
• Did the delivery feel more or less emotionally expressive than the first time?
• Compared to previous two, all quite similar, the rhythm focus one had most flow 
• I needed more time to get into the lyrics so at first I felt a bit hesitant and not so opening up as much
• -- never did this while observed and not so warmed up, so i'm quite hesitant to go into biggers spaces, i stay in comfortable movements and spaces  .. 
• each movement focus, im only trying it once, not as free if I would spend an hour on it exploring the possibilities
• So you’re not as expansive as you could be both in movement and emotional expressiveness wise? Definitely. You can always do better and more, but for this setting it is what I can do.. With the lyrics there are some places where i can go to more emotionally within myself, i didnt let myself get in there
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique?
• When i sing, i tend to fall into emotional side rather than technique / singing things well - i'm not really thinking about singing with good technique, im focusing on delivering the message emotionally or at least connecting to it emotionally rather than singing the correct note
• For me, singing and moving does help to kind of feel this flow or relief - im very self aware of how I move on stage to the point that it bothers me, sometimes i get stuck and i don't want to be stuck, then rest of what i do goes somewhere else
• Movement helps to have flow in general, it helps to go somewhere and reach a flow and at same time it can be a choice - 27.05 - if I do this I open up more to others, it’s doing something to me but at same time movement is a reflection of emotion of you in that moment anyhow, whatever movement it is - if im stuck, then that’s the movement i have in that moment, that’s how my body reflects where I am right now
• Hard to compare takes because there are so many elements that could have affected the delivery, not just the movement, could be because it was the first time. ect..
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel?
• Was it more musically creative this time?
• Most creative take was still rhythm
• How authentically were you singing from 1-10?
• Hard to tell because what is authentic ? it did feel authentic because im present in the moment, idk if I can compare
• When focusing on rhythm, I felt more present physically, present in my movement. Now I felt more present in my feelings, I was thinking of my own experiences.. Maybe less present now because i'm thinking about past experiences

32.50 - Round 3 - pitches
35.19 - Round 3 - pitches - feedback

• Did the delivery feel more or less emotionally expressive than the first time? 1-5, 1 being least
• she rated in 3 or 2.. Because focus was on melody, there is emotion but not the one lyrics/song is asking for
• Less emotionally expressive compared to previous takes - this was more lighthearted, compared to previous take 
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique?
• Didnt think about it but Fine, I felt comfortable
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel?
• Was it more musically creative this time?
• In terms phrasing wise there was more freedom, its a balance between me guiding movement through melody and the movement guiding me through melody
• Melodically wise, it was more musical compared to the lyric takes 
• Rhythm and melody takes are very similar and linked for her -- 39.44 - she shows this -- pitches was more creative than rhythm because i feel more comfortable, i could go further places, i was more expressive than the rhtyhm
• How authentically were you singing from 1-10?
• Yes authentic, but different emotion, more playful - i didn't focus on lyrics, i was following more the melody

43.36 - Round 4 - dynamics

• She asked me is Body is following voice or voice is following body? I'm more interested in body following voice but if that relationship changes as you sing, that’s fine

45.50 - Round 4 - dynamics feedback

• Did the delivery feel more or less emotionally expressive than the first time?
• Feels similar to previous takes - i am present, there is emotion, im focus on another task that might translate into emotional expressivity
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique?
• No impact - average -- No significant diff. between takes .. 
• There’s been moments in each takes where specific movements help me open up my voice, in the way that i would feel like oh this note feels very comfortable -- 49.53 - i’m having a direction in the movement it helps to have to a direction in the voice, it leads somewhere and there’s more flow 
• there’s moment where these two things come together, im more open in the movement and also vocally more open
• She Focused on voice guiding the movement,
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel?
• Was it more musically creative this time?
• Kind of playful and free, how will my movement respond to that , but compared to other takes, maybe a bit less free because this time i heard the lyrics more compared to the pitches... less free in a sense because there is a certain emotion expressed in the text
• How authentically were you singing from 1-10?
• Similar -- hard to rate authenticity because im present and it didn’t happen before, improvisation is authentic 
• I have already explored movement in connection to voice before so i don't feel awkwardness 

57.35 - Round 5 - no movement focus
59.00 - Round 5 - no movement focus feedback

• Which was your most favorite performance and why?
• Last time, felt more connected to the meaning of the song, i wasn’t really moving but i felt it in my body  and it translates to the meaning as well 
• It’s not really necessary to move -- sometimes knowing which places you can go, just knowing the possibilities --
• How did the exercise affect the way you connect to the song?
• 1.01.10 - “It helped me to connect to the song to the melody rhythm lyrics, to the different aspects through my body, that’s why last time was my favorite, i don't have to move a lot, i did move i know what i did, but what we explored before helped me come to this last moment, because i explored so much so it helped me be more present ”
• Because we explored these many things, i know where my body can go so I let it go wherever, and it didnt want to go further than that 
• 51.50 - There’s this limitation and im exploring it, it’s not that there;s freedom that overwhelms you, no there’s a specific task and you explore it and there is freedom, you feel a sense of there’s playfulness
• How did emotional expressiveness change during the exercise
• It changed my presence, so because of that it helped me to deliver in a more emotionally connected, more grounded performance
• Most emotionally expressive take? This last one. The least? The lyrics wise 
• Which take was most / least easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel?
• rhythm one was most comfy, least comfy the lyric one
• Which take was most / least musically creative?
• rhythm was most, I remember a moment in that one where its leading me somewhere
• Lyric one, i felt restricted in some ways, because of the specific images it brings up, the movement should reflect exactly the word i'm saying, you have a certain idea of what does words mean, 
• What new things have you felt or discovered about your singing through this exercise?
• New things, it was nice, never focused on these diff aspects so systematically  -- Usually i’ve explored them simultaneously, fluctuating between diff aspects

Volunteer 5 - Alise

Video 1 -- Warm up with movement + sing performing for audience

0.10 - performing for audience 

• 1-5 how would you rate emotional expressiveness here, 1 being least 5 most?
• 3, I was doing it as if I was on stage but not truly feeling the emotions, I was more acting them and not truly feeling the song. - I asked so because you weren’t truly feeling it, you weren’t truly expressing? Yes, mostly the performance part of me came out 
• Do you feel the movements you made helped or hinder your vocal technique or neutral? 
• I was thinking about movements, so neutral
• How free did your voice feel, 1 not free at all, 5 being very free? 
• 4 because it’s a pretty comfy song for me but still there could be places where I can use more of my breath and maybe I got a bit of a tense jaw.. now looking back I dont remember where but im pretty sure it happened, it usually happened 
• Other observations about the easiness of the voice? The parts where i really feel more comfortable, my voice does feel easy, I can do more and make it flow more effortlessly, but where it gets higher, it gets less comfortable and less easy
• How musically creative was it, 1 being not very creative, 5 being most creative? 
• 3.5 i was trying to not sing exactly as the leadsheet would be, I was putting in some interpretation of mine but also it wasn’t a lot, it could have been more my own
• Authentic - 1 least, 5 being most
• 3.5, because I was singing for myself, i wasn't trying to be anyone else but still I think in me there is a part of me following how a jazz singer should sing this. Even unciously i was trying to do something like someone maybe, so i wasn't completely authentic

6.15 - round 1 - rhythm

• Not focused on performing! Just focus on audience

7.19 - round 1 - rhythm - feedback

• How do you feel? - weird because I really don;t know how to move with this music.. What i was doing felt fine but if I would have to do something more then i don't know what else i can do here, unless I start fully dancing. While i'm singing and trying to focus on what I’m doing, I couldn’t fully focus, for example I forgot the lyrics
• From 1-5, how emotionally expressive was your delivery and why? 1 being least expressive, 5 being most expressive
• 3, I feel like I wasn’t thinking about it.. Again i wasn’t thinking about the lyrics as much, I was thinking about the movement and the fact that I should be moving.. Maybe something still comes out because I am the emotion, I am the song but I wasn’t conscious of my body
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique and how so? 1 being it hindered you, 3 being neutral, 5 being it helped
• 4.5, because although I did feel weird, I think it helped maybe in a way because i was more in my whole body, the sound wasn’t coming just from here [points at throat] but more from my whole body
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel and why?  1 being not free at all, 5 being very free 
• 4.5, it was pretty free, i wasn't thinking about it but now i don't remember any tensions -- because you weren't having vocal tensions or because you don’t remember it? Well first time feels somehow more tense than this time, and now this time overall feels more easier than first time
• Was it more musically creative this time and why? 1 being not very creative, 5 being the most creative possible
• 4, because i don't sing it exactly as written and i still naturally change things, and i notice that, it’s not complete unconscious, i did change a few things creatively
• How authentically were you singing? And how so? 1 being least authentic, 5 being most
• 3.5, although Weird to say because I felt a bit uncomfortable (forced artificial?) yeah, but i dont understand if it felt uncomfortable because it was new or because it was forced.. maybe both

14.04 - round 2 - pitches
14.52 - Round 2 - pitches - feedback

• How do you feel?
• This I actually enjoyed, i've never done this kind of thing, moving with pitches was new but i knew what to do naturally - do you feel like you have a map of the pitches in your brain and you can see it visually and that’s why you’re able to move along to them? Yes I think so i'm really seeing the, i'm just like following for them
• From 1-5, how emotionally expressive was your delivery and why? 1 being least expressive, 5 being most expressive
• 3, Again i wasn’t really thinking about that, i was focused more on the moving part 
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique and how so? 1 being it hindered you, 3 being neutral, 5 being it helped
• 4, it helped that I wasn’t thinking about the parts that were hard for me, i was focusing on different things, so it helped to focus on movement
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel and why?  1 being not free at all, 5 being very free 
• 5, I feel more free, I can just express myself with my voice.. It came out easier somehow because of the fact that i was so conscious that the pitches were going up, which usually would maybe scare me a bit, now i was going for it and maybe that was the thing that helped
• Was it more musically creative this time and why? 1 being not very creative, 5 being the most creative possible
• 4, i was being creative but could have been more if i focused on it
• How authentically were you singing? And how so? 1 being least authentic, 5 being most
• 4 because i was doing what came out of me while following these certain rules but it was still coming out of me, i wasn't trying to be anyone else

20.15 - round 3 - dynamics
21.06 - round 3 - dynamics - feedback

• How do you feel? Good, I observed I was finally thinking about the song, and singing lyrics and expressing myself more emotionally. Because before i wasnt thinking about dynamics at all, and now to be able to use dynamics, I had to think about where it would make more sense to be more softer or louder, so I had to think about lyrics, which then resulted in other things 
• From 1-5, how emotionally expressive was your delivery and why? 1 being least expressive, 5 being most expressive
• 4.5 it wasn't my focus but i think it just came out because of this (the movement focus), and I dont know what I was doing, I wasn't acting or trying to put any emotions out but I was thinking about lyrics, what i'm singing about so I think it did come naturally out
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique and how so? 1 being it hindered you, 3 being neutral, 5 being it helped
• 5, I dont think i was moving a lot but the few movements i did helped overall.. I think the fact that I was thinking about it helped most 
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel and why?  1 being not free at all, 5 being very free 
• 4, it felt quite easy but i was trying a bit more things, i went higher up which usually is uncomfortable for me, and comparing to how it would usually go, then it was better
• Was it more musically creative this time and why? 1 being not very creative, 5 being the most creative possible
• 4,5.. --- You seemed quite conscious about your creative choices this time, is that true? Yes that’s one more effect of this movement focus.. Was it a result of the movement or of you trying to be more musically creative? It was collaboration of those two things because as i was thinking more about the text, i also wanted to put it as I thought, as it came out of me
• How authentically were you singing? And how so? 1 being least authentic, 5 being most
• 4.5 because of this emotional expressiveness and more creativity, i felt like it was coming more out of me

26.17 - round 4 - lyrics/mood
- Round 4 - lyrics/mood - feedback

• How do you feel? Every time im starting to think more now about all the questions so it maybe distracted me a bit at some point that i was thinking “ i should try this now” and i wasn't so much focused on main task-- i enjoyed it, i was telling the story more
• From 1-5, how emotionally expressive was your delivery and why? 1 being least expressive, 5 being most expressive
• 4.5 because i was thinking of lyrics and mood and thats when the emotions come out cause i finally think about the song, although i was distracted a bit during the song because of thoughts i mentioned
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique and how so? 1 being it hindered you, 3 being neutral, 5 being it helped
• 3 Neutral, it didn't do anything more
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel and why?  1 being not free at all, 5 being very free 
• 3.5 - felt a bit more tense this time, not sure why, maybe because focused on questions coming up
• Was it more musically creative this time and why? 1 being not very creative, 5 being the most creative possible
• 4, now because i've sung this song so many time, i'm running out of ideas, it probably could be more but i should really focus on it
• How authentically were you singing? And how so? 1 being least authentic, 5 being most
• 4, i don't know if there was something super authentic in what i was doing, i was just telling my story in my way

30.37 - Round 5 - no movement focus - try to forget everything we’ve done and sing as if you’re performing for an audience
31.42 - Round 5 - no movement focus - feedback

• From 1-5, how emotionally expressive was your delivery and why? 1 being least expressive, 5 being most expressive
• 4.5, i was thinking about lyrics and what i was singing about so emotions just came out
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique and how so? 1 being it hindered you, 3 being neutral, 5 being it helped
• 5, I think it helped, i still wasn't doing a lot but still the fact that i was doing something and what i was doing came just because I felt like it
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel and why? 1 being not free at all, 5 being very free 
• 4.5 Didnt feel any tension
• Was it more musically creative this time and why? 1 being not very creative, 5 being the most creative possible
• 4.5, i had time to think about it now so i was more creative than before
• How authentically were you singing? And how so?
• 1 being least authentic, 5 being most
• Which was your most favorite performance and why?
• The last one and the dynamics - in the last one i was feeling more comfy, like i was on stage, telling story, natural but also more conscious -- in the dynamics, I felt like i was expressing more and just generally, dynamics is not something i think about a lot so it was nice to do that and it helped me somehow. It’s a nice thing to put more in my singing in the future
• How did the exercise affect the way you connect to the song?
• How do you feel your emotional expressiveness and vocal freedom changed throughout the exercise?
• What new things have you felt or discovered about your singing through this exercise?
• Moving along to pitches, I’d never done that either and quite enjoyed it, so I might as well try it again sometime
• Anything else you want to add?
• Moving along to rhythm didn’t really help me, it distracted me the most as i was really thinking about moving and not about the song, but generally other ones helped
• Do you feel like you will move differently next time you sing from now on?
• 
  

Volunteer 6 - Carolina

0.00 Physical warm up
4.15 - song selection
8.12 - performing for audience

• How do you feel? I sang this song so many times and performed it as i've performed it many time before, and i realized i'm always standing in one place,’as often times i have very little space on stage since i share it with other musicians
• How emotionally expressive was this from 1 to 5, 5 being most? 
• 2, I thought in my mind that I was being emotionally expressive but actually it was not as much in comparison to the rhythm round, where I felt an energy around my body
• Vocal ease? from 1 to 5 
• 4, Because I've repeated the song so much that the technical muscle memory is there, so I was very grounded, I was trying to be expressive but the technical aspect was a priority
• Vocal freedom from one being least five being most free? 
• 2 
• Musical creativity from 1 to 5? 1.5 or 2, because I always sing the song in this way, I know how I can sing it well and 
• Authentic from 1-5? 4 

12.38 - round 1 - rhythmic elements
13.48 - round 1 - rhythmic elements  - feedback

• What did you observe?
• From 1-5, how emotionally expressive was your delivery and why? 1 being least expressive, 5 being most expressive
• 14.00 - 3.5 because i feel like i could do so much more but im kind of a bit shy, avoiding myself going there,  but there were some moments where i felt more free, the song felt a lot more vibrant, I felt like I sang it very beautiful in those moments as I felt a very connected with my body and I felt a lot of energy moving in the torso, but not so much on my legs -- 4 for emotional expressiveness, i felt it in my torso due to my approach to the song, i felt that the emotional expressiveness was not so shy but the movements were
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique and how so? 1 being it hindered you, 3 being neutral, 5 being it helped
• It was interesting to feel that when I moved my arms, i felt a lot of control and i felt like my vocal technique was there. This was interesting because i might believe that when i move, I lose all my technical control but in this case I felt in control of my technical things and so I was letting myself go that's also why it sounded beautiful actually
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel and why? 1 being not free at all, 5 being very free 
• 3.5, Compared to the first time, I feel like it was a different approach, maybe not necessarily easier or more difficult . Because I have sung the song so many times before, I have a certain wave sing the song and I have muscle memory. However I did feel free in some phrasing that I've never done before, how long are held one note or another, I did feel that.
• Was it more musically creative this time and why? 1 being not very creative, 5 being the most creative possible
• 3.5. I felt more free here because you said I'm not performing and so because I'm not performing, I was thinking okay this is an exercise. The musical creativity was very much connected to my arms, they were the ones that were taking me, who were feeling the music (20.00). In a sense I felt more creative musically but not so much more, i didn't do many crazy things out of the box
• How authentically were you singing? And how so? 1 being least authentic, 5 being most
• 4. 5 When i sing in spanish its the most authentic I can be, its my mother tongue so its very much authentic,

22.03 - round 2 - pitches
23.08 - Round 2 - pitches - feedback

• What did you observe? It was super interesting because I think this was an exaggeration of things that I do. Because I already tend to use my hand to move along to pitches but never as expressive as now. She gave an example at 23.25, hands moving for “trieste y sola”
• From 1-5, how emotionally expressive was your delivery and why? 1 being least expressive, 5 being most expressive
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique and how so? 1 being it hindered you, 3 being neutral, 5 being it helped
• 3, I didn't have much control of my technique aspect because I was very much focused on the movement, my vocal technique was not as good in comparison to previous rounds, where I thought it was great, i was in control
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel and why? 1 being not free at all, 5 being very free 
• 3.5, because I was not thinking about performing, I was more thinking about how my body move when I go up, when I go down.. that automatically freed up my way of singing.. So in a certain way i felt more free vocally speaking but not overly so
• Was it more musically creative this time and why? 1 being not very creative, 5 being the most creative possible
• 3.5, I don't know if I change the melody or notes but how I felt inside was different, I was very much focused on what does my body do in the high parts, in the low parts.. I was moving unconventionally this just to experiment where does my body go.. 26.18 - I think I could have been more creative if I would have started dancing Or something like that, or expanding myself but I just thought about that now, I didn't think about that in the moment
• How authentically were you singing? And how so? 1 being least authentic, 5 being most 
• 4.5, the exercise did increase my authentic voice in the sense that I tend to over control my vocal technique, so through the exercise, I lost this control and so the raw things came out and in the end I feel like that was authentic, I felt a bit more like me, like me in my house alone or in my practice room

28.24 - round 3 - dynamics
29.33 - round 3 - dynamics - feedback

• What did you observe? I'm probably going to close my eyes, is that ok? I'm gonna try to move as much as possible now.. It was interesting to see how my body reacts to the dynamics I often use, Because I'm just used to usually doing the dynamics inside, with my vocal cords and my technique, so I don't see how I could feel this with my entire body so it was interesting to see how much I grow in some parts and then suddenly I'm so small. That beautiful because also it helped my dynamics become larger
• From 1-5, how emotionally expressive was your delivery and why? 1 being least expressive, 5 being most expressive
• 5, because i put myself out of the box this time. Compared to all the previous takes, I was more expressive, I let myself go.. Because I’m out of have shape, I would have destroyed the song If I moved more
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique and how so? 1 being it hindered you, 3 being neutral, 5 being it helped
• 3 I could still sing, but It didn't help as much because I was using a lot of breath for the movement, this choice a song was difficult because I was moving often up and down quite quickly, so my vocal technique was completely lost as I was out of breath
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel and why? 1 being not free at all, 5 being very free
• 3, Because I was more focused on dynamics and went I louder, i was not so in control of my technique.. I could have been bigger and smaller .. I couldn't be as big as I wanted to be because my technique wasn't there, was afraid of screaming 
• Was it more musically creative this time and why? 1 being not very creative, 5 being the most creative possible
• 2.5, because i was working on my dynamics, i was forcing myself to be bigger and smaller but i was not as much creative
• How authentically were you singing? And how so? 1 being least authentic, 5 being most 
• 3, because i was trying to work on dynamics, i forced myself so in a sense it was not my authentic persona

34.33 - round 4 - lyrics
35.50 - Round 4 - lyrics - feedback

• What did you observe? I think the lyrics are so sad that I felt my body just wanted to close, be sad and cry. Similar or different to how you usually sing it? Completely different, I felt like every word now had a meaning and it was connected to my body, i felt it from the first two words. it changed the tempo, how i sing it, the dynamics and i let myself suffer, as the song talks about suffering of being cheated on  
• From 1-5, how emotionally expressive was your delivery and why? 1 being least expressive, 5 being most expressive
• 4.5 it was very much expressive because i let the emotions that the words convey control me and my body, i was singing with a lot expression with my body, voice and lyrics
• Did the movement aid or hinder your vocal technique and how so? 1 being it hindered you, 3 being neutral, 5 being it helped
• 3.5, i had a lot of control on my dynamics which stood out to me the most, i didn't lose my breath as i wasn't moving around much as it’s not a happy song, so I was just there feeling myself and didn't lose my vocal technique as much - didn't distract but did it help? It was neutral, compared to first round where vocal technique was just present
• Was it easy or less easy to sing this time? // How free did your voice feel and why? 1 being not free at all, 5 being very free 
• 4.5, I felt very free which was kind of ironic because I was following the words but because I was following the words, I felt freedom in how I understand every single word, That was really interesting, Because when I was talking about suffering, I felt the suffering in my voice -- It allowed me to really feel the emotions
• Was it more musically creative this time and why? 1 being not very creative, 5 being the most creative possible
• 3.5, In this kind of songs, I'm very curious about how creative can I be so I tried to be creative but I felt it was difficult because I was very much closing my body, because I was again following the words 
• How authentically were you singing? And how so? 1 being least authentic, 5 being most 
• 2, I was not very athletic because I was following the words and I was acting the lyrics and message 

41.40 - Round 5 - no movement focus
43.10 - Round 5 - no movement focus - feedback

• What did you observe? I feel very nice, very much connected with my emotions and my body.. and with my vocal technique and with the lyrics and with the audience, with everything!

Which was your most favorite performance and why? How did the exercise affect the way you connect to the song?

• This one was my favorite take because we went through the complete warm-up for a singer, in the sense that everything we just did was integrated and it was very interesting to experience that. At the beginning I started very much grounded but then I became bigger, I felt a lot of energy, I felt like I was in the music. It was pretty emotional this time because I had so many things involved through the song
• I felt we worked a lot with dynamics, I felt I had more expressiveness with my arms, my face, my phrasing, my breathing and stops 

How do you feel your emotional expressiveness and vocal freedom changed throughout the exercise?

• Moving with my body made me feel more free with my body,  and especially moving with the dynamics and the words made me understand my creative potential, how creative I can be and explore my limits 

What new things have you felt or discovered about your singing through this exercise?

• I can be very much expressive when I really connect with my body movements and my facial expressions, because I'm often very much focused on vocal technique. In my last performance I gave something new to the music and something new to my voice that was very big 

Anything else you want to add?

• I'm glad I chose to sing in Spanish because as I told you when I sing in Spanish I'm not hiding anything, curious to know how it would have been in english, as i use a lot of “make up” .. this felt like the complete warm up before a concert, because sometimes we forget about our body and we just focus on the “instrument’”