Near the end of October, I had the privilege of seeing this lovely group live in Toronto for their CD release party of LIGHT A MATCH._ They are a band that consists of Alexa Dirks, Annick Bremault, Andrina Turenne (Ariane Jean-who has since left the band to pursue other endeavours), drummer Sascha Daoud and newcomer Benoit Morier. These women have had long vocal careers beginning in other vocal ensembles, and it definitely shows. The women know their voices extremely well, and their blend with each other is amazingly beautiful! I must attest it is a wonderful experience to perform with other musicians when your voices blend well. There is sort of this magical sound and experience that is created for the performers and the audience.
Have to say the concert was awesome! It took place in the dark, rustic, cozy back room of the Toronto landmark: The Rivoli Theatre . The opening act was David Newberry where just he and his guitar serenaded the audience with some wonderful original tunes. When Chic Gamine came on stage they started with the soulful groovy, bass heavy song, "All Night". A great song that definitely got the crowd pumped up and energized. Throughout the night they played songs from their new album and also a couple of songs from some previous albums. (City City, Chic Gamine). I encourage everyone to check out this wonderful group, because their harmony, contrapuntal background vocals, and layers of rhythm are a breath of fresh air, especially in this over-produced machine driven "pop" genre world of the music industry. Their sound is unique, their lyrics are captivating, their harmonies are outstanding and they sing in both French and English which is wonderful to hear! (especially for this budding bilingual woman ;-) Furthermore, as a voice teacher, I must encourage if you can learn another language, please do! It will only help your singing capabilities...how you may ask? Different vowel shapes, tones, wider repertoire to sing,etc, etc, etc. Having the fortune of meeting this group afterwards, I can also attest that they are incredibly down to earth, and enjoy speaking with their audience members afterwards. (something I can say that not all performers do.) If you get the chance to see this wonderful Canadian band (and what luck you are in, they are currently on a North American tour) please do! Check them out here You won't be disappointed. As always, happy singing/practicing! Rebecca -Gracenote Studios **Photo of Chic Gamine from their website www.chicgamine.com
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A while back I had the opportunity to go to a workshop with a vocal coach named Tom Schilling. He is a well known coach within the US and Canada. I have to say that it is always fun going to different professional workshops because it allows me to gain new knowledge on different approaches to musical instruction! One thing I have consistently heard throughout my teaching career is that you never stop learning, and boy is that true! It is wonderful to be able to gain knowledge from some very talented people.
Tom's approach to singing, like other teachers I have gone to is about it being natural and fun....it's just how you get there that may be a little different. Tom discusses alot about having a relaxed jaw and just going for it! Something that I try to encourage my students to do. LESS IS MORE! Don't try to force anything, just sing naturally and usually my students discover that the voice works better. Tom works out of an old beautiful church in Hamilton, Ontario where an assortment of people from every age and background come out to have some fun. It is a very relaxed, safe and non-judgemental atmosphere where absolutely no recording is allowed. I like this idea because as I have mentioned in previous posts, singing/performing/playing a solo instrument can be a very vulnerable experience. However, if you don't take the leap and get out of your comfort zone, you will never discover different aspects of yourself that will enrich your musical potential. So, until next time, Happy Singing/playing. -Rebecca |
AuthorGracenote Studios- a professional music studio created by a woman passionate about teaching others to find their music within! Archives
September 2020
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