ENCORE

Krysta Ponce

ENCORE performance - Krysta Ponce

April 14, 2021

Krysta's Piano Level 9 Test Review

by Mr. Derrick Javier



Congratulations, Krysta has passed her Level 9 Test. In addition to the pieces in the video, she has learned the following music theory concepts and terms:

  • Identify chords to match given Roman numerals in Major key (I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi)

  • Identify all perfect and Major intervals

  • Identify key signatures with 4 sharps or 4 flats

  • Analyze a music excerpt in Major key with Roman numerals



Level Test Video Analysis:

Warm ups:

  • Your strengths:

    • Your warm ups sound great. Very professional. Your tones are rounded and connected. You have good support happening. I really like how you balanced your dynamic. You were a bit under at first but once you settled in, your projection came out and you really balanced well. I also really liked your focus. There was a small part where the accompaniment was a tiny bit off and it did not phase you at all. Keep up the great work.

  • Where you can improve:

    • This was a great warm up. My only suggestion is to get into that stronger dynamic range sooner. I know these are warm ups but we are recoding them to showcase your best tone and talent. Don’t be timid. You have a great sound. Come out strong right out of the gates.



Repertoire: Reflection

  • Your strengths:

    • This is a beautiful performance. You have an awesome sound and some very well timed phrasing. Wonderful work crafting this to fit your strengths as a singer. I really love your dynamics in this one. I can really hear your levels as you build to your choruses. Very well done and very well executed. Keep up the great work.

  • Where you can improve:

    • This is an amazing performance and you are an incredible singer. There are some little points to look at in this though. Making these small corrections and going over the fine points will help you develop your professional polish. In the phrase “Some how I can not hide,” you lose the “h” in hide. Also your “e” sound in “RE-flection” sounds a little narrow. Make sure you keep your vowels nice and rounded, especially in the refrains. These will be the sections people will recall the most.



Free Choice: Turn Page

  • Your strengths:

    • This is a staggeringly awesome performance. There are so many good things to look at and point out here. All the strengths from your previous performance are caried into this one. You have a wonderful sense of dynamics and your phrasing is spot on. There may have been some off spots but this particular recording shows you pushing through your mistakes. I think this ability to keep playing and move forward is one of the hardest abilities to master. As we progress and become more aware of our performance, the smaller mistakes weigh heavier on us. Learning to push through them is even more important at the higher levels and I think you play through them the best in this recording. Being critical of yourself is good. It’s how we polish our craft and continue to move forward but, we need to learn how to focus that criticism. It is not needed all the time and can be a hinderance in performance situations.

  • Where you can improve:

    • This is an amazing performance, not only as a vocalist but also as a pianist. Neither of these parts separately would be easy to play but you manage to weave them together very well. Amazing work. That being said, I think your vocal performance could have been stronger if you had someone else accompany you or if you knew the accompaniment better. Remember to keep in mind what the purpose of your performance is. This is a vocal level test and I feel your focus was a bit too shifted toward your piano playing in this one. Keep these ideas in mind when preparing for performances. They will help you bring the focus forward on what you want to highlight.



Level 10 Goals:

In Level 10, you will add on:

  • Transpose a melody from C major to G to D major

  • Identify augmented and diminished intervals

  • Identify key signatures with 5 sharps or 5 flats

  • Draw chords to match given Roman numerals in minor key (i, III, iv, V, VI)

We look forward to working with Krysta in Level 10 of the Voice Curriculum!




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