Thank you very much for your suggestions.
She definitely does not have a problem with over-opening her mouth. Most of
the time it's about right...occasionally, she closes off her sound by keeping
her mouth too-closed. We are working on this, and it helps to a small degree
with her intonation. I also don't think a "floppy" jaw is her problem.
We are working on glottal vs. non-glottal attacks. But this does not seem to
affect her main problems, either. I would have guess that she has a problem
with placement--that is too far back. But her former teacher taught her mask
placement very well (to the peril of other things...). When I try to correct
her placement, it doesn't seem to change her heavy, dark, flat sound very
much. And she does not have much of a tension problem.
I have asked her to sing with as little airflow as possible, and this DOES
seem to help with her excessive breathiness in her head voice.
It may be worth noting that she's a clarinet player, too. I have a feeling
that the way she plays her instrument is directly affecting the way she
breathes when she sings. (I've also found that when she sits and sings, her
sound quality improves...again, I think this a habit formed from her wind
instrument.)
As I think I mentioned before, her sound is much clearer and
healthier-sounding when she's in her chest voice. It's when she goes to her
head voice that this ugly, heavy, dark, flat sound occurs.
I'm a little baffled...and perhaps more so just because she is such a
promising student with so much natural talent.
Kristina
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