Last August I signed up for some classes at Studio A.C.T. A voice building class and an acting class. It had been years since I had done any formal work in either.
The acting class was the usual, we partnered up and did scenes. My first scene partner nearly abandoned me, my second was a lovely woman who, while she didn't have tons of acting experience, was a lot of fun to work with. My third partner was kind of a rookie. That was ok too, if a little frustrating. He was always prepared to work though so I couldn't complain. The voice building class was just a big room full of people, all singing along with the exercises the teacher gave us.
When the next session came up I decided to stick with the singing. It was just more fun and didn't require any meeting up with a partner during my busy week. I tried to get into an ensemble class, but it was cancelled. The director of the school suggested the master class instead. We determined I'd had enough prior experience with music.
It was a frustrating class at first, I didn't hit stride until 1/2 or 3/4 the way through the 10 weeks. Finally, I made some improvements and it got more fun again. I decided to sign up for the class again this session.
A couple of weeks ago I started to notice some real changes in my voice. Louder, sure, but also just better and easier. My range is much larger, and I've got a lower chest range I never had before. Now the teacher has assigned me some pretty difficult songs. It's a challenge, and I love it.
The next class is an audition class, and I think I'll give it a try. If I start auditioning, I'll definitely need a different job, I think. Anyone got any ideas?
On Friday I recorded another 80s cover with jsd and he could definitely tell that something different was going on. I'll post it when I've got it.