🎶 Week 3: Text + Music = Expression

Now we merge rhythm and text with expressive style. The playful and ambiguous meaning of this aria comes to life through tone color and phrasing.

📅 Daily Assignments

Day 15 – Onsets, Legato, Release

• Practice balanced onsets; avoid “popping” into light syllables.

• Keep legato smooth, even through text repetitions.

• Prompt: Which phrase required the most care to keep smooth?
  📌 Cohort Check: Post a clip of your opening phrase; peers offer one strength + one suggestion.

Day 16 – Vowel Core & Resonance

• Focus on clarity of [e] and [i] vowels—bright but not spread.

• Practice a small messa di voce on a sustained tone.

• Prompt: Which vowel resisted staying resonant?
  📌 Cohort Check: Post a sustained vowel phrase; peers describe it in one word.

Day 17 – Derrick Goff Livestream (Wed, Sept 24, 11:00 AM PT)

• Attend livestream; post questions in this thread or livestream thread.

• Apply one of Derrick’s suggestions directly in practice.

• Prompt: Which insight from Derrick shifted your interpretation?
  📌 Cohort Check: Share your “Derrick takeaway” and respond to a peer with a similar or contrasting insight.

Day 18 – Phrasing & Rubato

• Experiment with rubato to highlight irony or affection in the text.

• Prompt: Where did rubato best serve the meaning?
  📌 Cohort Check: Post a rubato clip; peers vote: expressive or too free?

Day 19 – Consonant Clarity & Diction

• Keep Italian consonants crisp but playful; avoid heaviness that kills charm.

• Prompt: Which cluster risked breaking your legato?
  📌 Cohort Check: Start a Consonant Relay with a tricky word; tag a peer to imitate.

Day 20 – Full Run-Through

• Run the aria once on neutral syllable, once with text. Add stylistic flair: gentle dynamic shifts, teasing articulation.

• Prompt: What one choice captured the playful character best?
  📌 Cohort Check: Post your clip; peers describe the mood in one word (tender / playful / ironic / coy).

Day 21 – Performance Video & Reflection

• Record your full performance and post it by Sept 30 to be eligible for showcase.

• Include 2–3 bullet points about your interpretive approach.

• Prompt: What changed most for you since Week 1?
  📌 Cohort Check: Watch two peer videos; offer one strength + one growth suggestion.

🎭 Fun Along the Way (Cohort Edition)

• Two Takes Challenge: Post one version “innocent,” one “playful.” Peers vote which feels truer to the text.

• Feedback Chains: After posting, tag two peers to give feedback—and return the favor.

• Cohort Vote: As a group, vote on who captured the playful irony of Se tu m’ami most vividly.

🎥 Performance & Showcase

• Final videos due: Sept 30 (end of day, PT).

• Showcase livestream: Oct 1 — selected performances + reflections + cohort winner announcement 🎉

📚 Scholarly Lens (Week 3 – Se tu m’ami)

“In interpreting simple strophic songs, the singer’s artistry lies in subtle variation—tone color, dynamic nuance, and rhythmic inflection—so that repetition becomes revelation rather than redundancy.”
— Miller, Richard. The Structure of Singing: System and Art in Vocal Technique. Schirmer, 1986.

✨ By the end of Week 3 you will:

• Perform with smooth onsets/releases and resonant vowels

• Shape phrases with subtle rubato and nuance

• Balance consonant clarity with playful tone

• Post a polished performance video

• Join the Oct 1 Showcase and cohort celebration