Final blog post! End of an era!

Sumi's Daily Practice: Day 30!
Time: 30min
Rep: "Elastic Heart" by Sia
Technique: Rip offs, Edge cry, breathiness, middle voice
Musicality: Very relaxed diction, slurred words (like Sia), legato, connectedness, backphrasing

Time in Nature 1: Beth Schmidt Park

I've been on this trail before in the fall when Corbin's dog Sadie was here. There's a dog park next to the trail, and so we had done both. I had remembered the place so this time I decided to go alone. It was extremely grassy and beautiful - tall trees everywhere, birds chirping, lots of shade, cool breeze, and the sweet smell of all the grassy leaves and trees. Literally the whole trail was covered in green that for a while I thought I was getting lost because I kept taking new roads and the more and more I walked, there was just more green. The trail was a lot smaller than it felt though, and the visuals of continuous green just confused me for a second. I walked through for about thirty minutes, taking a new road everytime I came into a fork in the road. I was wearing my chacos so it was so fun to be able to do a mini hike (they are so comfy!!). I got to a bridge at one point and even saw a car and a little house - I couldn't believe someone lived in the middle of this forest! It must be so relaxing, and even though they are in Burlington it must not feel like it. I found a bench further along on the trail so I decided to sit and pull out my journal. There are...well...a LOT of things going on in my life right now in terms of my future. My parents were just here last weekend and we all had a big talk so there has been so much on my mind. It felt really good to journal about it in while being away from campus because I really needed to get away from reality for a little bit and be able to journal with no interruptions. When I finished writing, it really did clear out my mind and straighten my thoughts. I gotta spend more time outdoors!!! Truly!!

Time in Nature 2: Lake Mackintosh

It was so beautiful!! I actually sat by the edge of the dock and was able to put my feet in. The water was freezing but it was really nice out so the water felt nice on my feet. I brought my book again and kept reading it. It was starting to get warm so I had to move to the shade, and I had brought a blanket so I continued to read while on my blanket. I had also picked up some grapes from Moseley earlier that day so I had a little snack while I did my reading. It was so quiet and peaceful and no one else was by the lake so all I heard was the sound of the water, the breeze, and the birds chirping. It was seriously so relaxing, and it felt so much better to read outdoors than in my bed at home. It felt so good to get some fresh air and to get some sunlight after being indoors so much during Next to Normal tech and performances. I feel like I'm finally getting to enjoy and appreciate spring! :)

Dance class: 9/12 - Ballet III with Sara Tourek

Dance class: 10/12 - DMS II with Lynne

Demo: "Elastic Heart"
Link: https://soundcloud.com/sumi-yu/elastic-heart-cover-by-sumi-yu

Charitable deed 1 - Singing standards for a Sing Along at The Village nursing home - this was the BEST part of the 30 day challenge!!! These old folks are truly the best. I got to know them at Jake's Fellows concert but singing with them was truly a magical experience. They all came up to me to talk to me afterwards and I recognized so many of them through Jake's show and I would say things like - oh my goodness, I LOVED your story in Jake's show!! I specifically remember talking to the guy who took a girl out to the dance and they've been married ever since...agh so sweet! It was so wonderful when they all came up to us after and really thanked us - our little sing along meant so much more to them than we would have ever thought. It's great to bring them back to a special place in their memories by singing tunes from their younger years.

Charitable deed 2 - Donating 10 inches of my hair to Locks of Love! I was terrified at first because I was getting really attached to my long hair but this meant more to me than it would have ever meant a few months ago. My friend from Flat Rock is battling Alopecia and in the last few months all of her hair has fallen out. Donating my hair really meant something to me because it really reminded me that it doesn't matter what length my hair is at - as long as some girls get to have hair at all. I knew going short for me wasn't the end of the world, in fact, it was the beginning of someone else's new chapter in their lives. And I'm so glad to have been a part of that for a women battling cancer or Alopecia. This charitable deed is dedicated to my dear friend Jackie Nguyen. I love you!

Coaching 1 with Carla Ely! We worked on "Pretty Funny" from Dogfight, "I'd Give my Life for you" from Saigon, and "Love, Look Away" from Flower Drum Song

Voice Lesson: 2/3 - headshot day...SO SAD!!! Almost cried throughout the whole lesson :'(

Voice Lesson: 3/3 - lesson, and Zach came for a visit!!! We got to give each other feed back

Attended Live Performance - Langhorne Slim and the Law in Saxapahaw!!!!

MY Live Singing Performance - playing Natalie in Next to Normal! Only the BEST experience of my life. :)

Day 26

I LITERALLY have not blogged in years...family was in town and I just wanted to spend every minute with them...but I DEF sang today hahaha.

Daily practice
Time: 30min
Rep: Kurt' and Polly's warm up
Technique: warmed up my voice as best as I could for the matinee...lip trills, singing through straw, edge therapy, meow mix, go go gos, wailing through scales
Musicality: soft, easy, legato, connected, slow and steady. Warm up my voice with ease and with lots of time.

Day 21 - Final Dress!

Sumi's Daily Practice 21/30
Time: 30min
Rep: "Superboy and the Invisible Girl"
Technique: Rip offs, edge cry, middle voice, transition from chest voice to middle voice, and middle voice to light mix, hard mix
Musicality: Bitchy consonants, dynamics, crescendos (swelling into the middle voice), straight tone

Dance Class 8/12 - DMS II with Lynne!

Day 20 - Muh voice is TAIRD

Sumi's Daily Practice: 20/30
Time: 30min
Rep: no rep - just Kurt's warm down
Technique: voice is feeling SUUUPER tired after each run through ( my run through was yesterday but the post nasal drip from my allergies are killing me)...so I did a good long warm down/edge therapy today. Lots of scales singing through a coffee straw, humming, singing on a "ng" vowel, sighs, muhmuhmuh on descending scales. My voice is super super tired, so made sure to stay in a lower range for all of my scales.
Musicality: very soft dynamic, gliding through easily, connected phrases, connected breaths, legato, flowed and connected, light and easy

Dance Class 7/12 - Ballet III with Sara Tourek!

Day 19 - Tech Day 2

Sumi's Daily Practice
Time: 30min
Rep: Kurt vocal warm up for N2N and "Light" from N2N
Technique: head voice, light mix, lifting soft palette, spinning the breath, connected phrases, keeping chords together
Musicality: soft dynamics (mostly piano), straight tone and vibrato at the end (stylistic choice), floaty, light quality, legato but still contemporary pop/rock style (not too operatic and classical)

Day 18 - First Day of Tech!

Sumi's Daily Practice: 18/30
Time: 30min
Rep: "Just Another Day" from Next to Normal
Technique: chest mix, light mix, edge cry, middle voice, wailing from chest voice up to middle voice, rip offs
Musicality: dynamics, diction, bitchy consonants, edge attacks, connected through line (legato but with strong diction)

Day 17 - STILL sick...ughhfdjsaklf

Sumi's Daily Practice: 30min
Time: 30min
Rep: No rep, just warm up...still feeling horrible
Technique: Kurt's specific warm-up for Next to Normal. Includes lip trills, edge therapy, sirens, light mix, middle voice, heavy mix, hard mix.
Musicality: connected, legato, through line, easy, soft, slow and steady.

We had sitzprobe today and my voice feels AWFUL. :'(

Day 16 - Still sick :(

Had to cancel my voice lesson AND miss TA-ing DMS today :( still feeling so sick.

Sumi's Daily Practice: 16/30
Time: 30min
Rep: "It's Gonna Be Good"
Technique: Had to fix the harmonies and dynamics...still on vocal rest because I'm sick but I wanted to review the harmonies we went over in N2N rehearsal this afternoon. I also worked on the light mix I use throughout the song because I take the top harmony.
Musicality: soft dynamics, energetic punches in entrances, staccato, clear and concise diction

Day 15 - Tax Day!

Sumi's Daily Practice: 14/30
Time: 30min
Rep: no rep...I'M SO SICK!! Just warm ups for 30 minutes.
Technique: Did my edge therapy warm up from my mix class with Kurt today to help bring my chords together...I also did my therapy warm ups with Leda, my voice therapist from Duke. Warm ups included singing through a coffee straw, singing with edge quality, humming, massaging the tongue and jaw muscles, lip trills, and sighs.
Musicality: very legato, connected phrases, use of the entirety of the breath, soft volume (piano), light and easy

Health Conscious Meal: 25/25 <-- HERE IT IS!!!

Spicy Tuna Roll
Spicy Mayo (I thought it would help clear up my sinuses but it was SO SPICY)
Brown rice
Tuna
Cucumber
Avocado

Ok so...I KEEP FORGETTING TO POST DANCE PICS. I promise they are from different days. But here we go:

Dance Class 4/12 - Ballet III with Sara Tourek (April 13th)

Dance Class 5/12 - DMS II with Lynne (April 14th)

Dance Class 6/12 - Ballet III with Sara Tourek (April 14th)

Day 14 - BAI pollen

Sumi's Daily Practice: 14/30
Time: 30min
Rep: "Maybe/Next to Normal"
Technique: chest voice/heavy mix, light mix, transitioning registers and mixes, keeping sound forward, not spreading, straight tone
Musicality: more angsty color, bitchy consonants, pop/rock style, edge quality and recklessness

Health Conscious Meal 23/25

Double turkey burger
Tomato
Lettuce
Pickles
NO cheese :)

Health Conscious Meal 24/25

The Wrangler
Brown rice
Black beans
Onions
Carrots
Corn
Cajun spice seasoning
Light ranch dressing

Day 13 - Relaxing Day

Sumi Daily's Practice: 13/30
Time: 30min
Rep: "Wish I Were Here" from Next to Normal
Technique: Middle voice, breathy quality, edge cry to bring chords together, pop/rock tone and color
Musicality: pop/rock style, straight tone, bitchy consonants, edge and breathy attacks on the introduction of every phrase, dynamics, slurred style (tripping on acid)

Health Conscious Meal: 21/25

Blueberries
Yoplait Light Vanilla Greek Yogurt
Lowfat honey-coated granola

Health Conscious Meal: 22/25

Avocado California roll (crab, cucumber, white rice, avocado)
Superfood smoothie (kale, spirulina, apple, peach, banana, mango, strawberries)

Day 12 - I'm tooo TEERD

Sumi's Daily Practice: 12/30
Time: 40min.
Rep: "Superboy and the Invisible Girl", "Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling", and "Wish I Were Here"
Technique: We warmed up as a full cast today with Kurt in Next to Normal so I had plenty of time to practice and lots of room to practice because my voice was so warm. Worked on heavy mix, middle voice, light mix, edge therapy, dopey lips, and effortless transitioning between the different registers.
Musicality: pop/rock style, edge color, breathy quality, edgy attacks, angsty color, bitchy consonants, dynamics, straight tone

Health Conscious Meal 18/20

Grilled Turkey burger
Tomato
Lettuce
No cheese :)

Health Conscious Meal 19/20

Blueberries
Low fat honey-coated granola
Yoplait Light Greek Vanilla yogurt

Day 11 - last grand night ever!

Sumi's Daily Practice: 11/30
Time: 30min
Rep: "Too Much For One Heart" from Miss Saigon
Technique: middle voice, keeping soft pallete neutral, singing through the legato line, straight tone into vibrato
Musicality: keeping longer legato line, diction, dynamics (growing through out song as dramatic intention increases)

Health conscious meal 17/20

2 Ground turkey burgers
Steamed broccoli
Brown rice

Day 10 - Grand Night!

Sumi's Daily Practice: 10/30
Time: 30min
Rep: "Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling"
Technique: Middle voice, transition from middle voice to mix in a higher place (feeling the physical space and position of head voice)
Musicality: softer dynamic (don't yell out - keep notes supported), bitchy consonants, edgy cry

Health conscious meal 16/20


Sweet potato fries
Tortilla wrap
Lettuce
Edamame
Red cabbage
Grilled shrimp

Day 9

Sumi's Daily Practice: 9/30
Time: 30min
Rep: "Something Beautiful" by Stephen Schwartz
Technique: chest mix, light mix, and transitions from chest mix to head voice...lots of jumps in the song. legato line, through line, connected phrases
Musicality: making high notes sound light and easy, singing high notes in a soft soprano, legit quality, still making song sound contemporary rather than a traditional music theatre piece

Private Lesson #1
Instructor: the one and only PBC
Repertoire: "Something Beautiful" and "Love, Look Away"
Technique: head voice, legato line, legit, trasditional style, singing words the way you would say a sentence and NOT singing syllabically
Concepts: feeling diaphragm three-dimensionally - outwards (diaphragm) and sideways (opening up of ribcage), finding a smaller vowel on high notes, keeping the breath spinning on sustained notes

Dance Class 3/12 - DMS II with Lynne - we did the Time Warp and Legally Blonde!

Health Conscious meal 14/25

Island Green smoothie:

Kale

Spinach

Mango

Pineapple

Banana

Vitamin C-immune complex supplement

Health Conscious meal 15/25

Rice noodles with cabbage

Sauteed vegetables (zucchini, green beans, squash, carrots)

Cooked beef

Day 8 - HUMP DAY!

Sumi's Daily Practice: 8/30
Time: 30min
Rep: "Pretty Funny" from Dogfight
Technique: legato, steady vibrato, light easy chest voice, light mix
Musicality: continuous phrasing, contemporary MT style (conversational), floaty, light approach to song to match style

Dance Class 1/12 - T.A.ing DMS II!

Dance Class 2/12 - Ballet III with Sara Tourek!

Health Conscious Meal 11/25 - Breakfast

Whole wheat bread
Reduced fat peanut butter
Low fat honey-coated granola
Banana

Health Conscious Meal 12/25 - Lunch

Two turkey burgers
Tomato
Lettuce
NO cheese :)

Side of sun chips

Health Conscious Meal 13/25 - Dinner

Indian vegetarian curry with peas and mushroom
Indian vegetarian curry with chickpeas
Sauteed green beans
White rice

Day 7 - Going uppp on a tuesday

Sumi's Daily Practice:
Time: 30min
Rep: "Everything Else", "Superboy...Invisible Girl", "Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling"
Technique: Middle voice, edge technique, breathy voice, bitchy diction/conversational speaking, straight tone, transition from middle voice to a higher placement (head voice feel) especially in "She's Not There" part of "Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling"
Musicality: dynamics, backphrasing (conversational speaking), less volume and less of pushing notes out, less singy and more conversational and pedestrian when singing songs in dialogue

Health Conscious Meal: 10/25

Beach Club sandwich at Jimmy John's:
Avocado spread
Provolone Cheese
Turkey breast slices
Lettuce
Tomato
Cucumber
Sprouts
No mayo :)

Day 5 - Detox Day

So yesterday was Easter...and I ate A LOT. I felt super bloated. So today, I decided to use my unplugged day to go for a run on this beautiful day! There was still a chilly breeze so it was perfect running temperature. I have this waterbottle belt that you can wear while running so I decided to do some long distance running and carry some water on the go. I was super proud of myself- I ran straight from my apartment to campus. If I got tired, I jogged a little slower but I maintained a steady jogging pace for the entire time. It's about 1.5 miles from Partners Place to the gym and I got there in 14 minutes! I was proud of myself :) I was going to exercise some more by the time I got to the gym but MAN my body was tired. I decided to do something that would calm down my body and relax and stretch the tight muscles from running. It was so gorgeous out that I decided to do some yoga/stretching at the boobs of central campus, right outside of Moseley. While I did some yoga, I took in the beautiful blue skies and fresh air. It felt good to be sitting on the long, soft grass and nothing made me happier than being surrounded by blue skies, green grass, and fresh air. I was SO done with being in New York's concrete jungle that this was such a relief. I finally had the time to enjoy nature AND exercise, detox, and feel clean again after feeling bloated from eating terribly and drinking in New York. I will miss the beauty and calmness of Elon SO MUCH when I move to the city.

right before my run! digging my new water bottle belt~~~

When I got home, I cleaned my room and did some spring cleaning! I packed up all the clothes I'm going to sell to make money for moving to New York. It felt really good to have a clean room and to clean out my stuffed dressers. I hadn't cleaned my room since before spring break (eek!) so having a clean room again was a HUGE weight off my shoulders because I always feel like the cleanliness of my room and my level of stress are very much parallel. Clean room = stress free :) Also...my blog is last minute BECAUSE THIS NCAA FINALS GAME IS SOOO GOOD! AHH

Sumi's Daily Practice: 6/30
Time: 30min
Rep: "Maybe/Next to Normal", "Hey #3/Perfect For You", "Light"
Technique: Chest voice (Maybe/Next to Normal), head voice (Light), breathy quality, edgy attacks, straight tone
Musicality: dynamics, clear and concise diction, planning out breaths

Health Conscious Meal: 8/25





Rice and wheat flakes with oat
Dried berries
Yogurt-coated clusters
Light vanilla soy milk

Health Conscious Meal: 9/25























Grilled chicken breast

Organic brown rice

Day 5 - Interstellar

Happy Easter! Today we watched Interstellar - IT WAS AMAZING!!!

Sumi's Daily Practice:
Time: 30min
Rep: "Cry Me Out" by Pixie Lott
Technique: Middle voice, edgy cry, breathy quality, relaxed dialect (Brooklyn accent- similiar to Sia - sloppy diction)
Musicality: relaxed, stretched out tempo (back phrasing), connected phrases (ballad, so less choppy)

Health Conscious Meal: 5/25

Island Green smoothie from Tropical Smoothie
Kale
Spinach
Pineapple
Banana
Mango


Health Conscious Meal: 6/25






















Healthy Yakisoba (Japanese fried noodles)
Noodles
Broccoli
Ground pork
Poached eggs

Day 4 - Relaxing Saturday

Today, I slept off my exhaustion from New York and slept in real late. Then I got to watch Logan's Broadway Speaks Out #TheREALBroadwayBod this afternoon and it was so inspirational and so fun. I really enjoyed the show! Then, I came home and took an hour and a half nap...I guess I'm SUPER exhausted from NYC and need to catch up on sleep still! Then, Corbin made me a health conscious dinner! It was a great day back at Elon :)

Sumi's Daily Practice: 4/30
Time: 30min.
Rep: "They Say It's Wonderful" and "Love, Look Away"
Technique: Steady and consistent vibrato, head voice, opening up and creating space in the back of the throat, constant breath support
Musicality: Traditional style, legato line (connecting phrases), each phrase is sung entirely (rather than conversational)

Health Conscious Meal: 4/30




Rice and wheat flakes with oat
Dried berries
Yogurt-coated clusters
Light Vanilla Soy milk

Health Conscious Meal: 5/30 (made by Corbin Mayer!)

Whole wheat pasta
Broccoli
Ground Turkey
Ham
Tomato meat sauce

Day 3 - Back to Elon!

Today, I had my first ever meeting with an agent and it went well! I'm super excited! I bought the novel version of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" so I plan on unplugging tomorrow and sitting by a lake with my wonderful new book :) I flew back from NYC to Elon today so I'm quite exhausted, BUT I'm super excited to FINALLY be able to blog from a COMPUTER. This is MUCH easier. Here's what I accomplished today!

Sumi's Daily practice: 3/30
Time: 40min
Rep: "Elastic Heart" by Sia (possible demo song)
Technique worked on: edgy cry, breathy quality, rip offs, chest mix and flip into light mix for stylistic choices, flipping from chest mix to middle voice on high belty parts
Musicality worked on: conversational approach to lyrics and less sung, slurred quality on words (lose diction), back phrasing, trying to imitate Sia's reckless style

3/25 Health conscious meal: Sandwich at Nadal Deli in Harlem!

 

Whole wheat bread
Avocado slices
Grilled chicken with pesto seasoning
Tomato Lettuce
Low fat muenster cheese

Day 2 - Audition Day

Today, I went to an invited call to the "Joseph...Dreamcoat!" I know other people from my class also attended this audition but in my opinion, that was a GREAT dance call and I got a great sweat out of it...but no worries if this doesn't count as one of the 12 required dance classes since it wasn't technically a class and I didn't take a picture with the choreographer (who was Andy Blackenbuehler who choreographed In The Heights!!) but I got a photo with my friends instead...But please let me know if it might: the dance call was an hour and we learned a high level jazz combination in heels and got to dance the combination a number of times.

Sumi's Daily Practice: 2/30
Time: 30min
Rep: "Holding to the Ground" from Falsettos by William Finn (audition song for today)
Technique worked on: chest mix, middle voice, sustaining breath and diaphragm
Musicality worked on: warmer tone in middle voice, less nasality, delayed vibrato at end of sustained note (contemporary musical theatre style), more conversational singing in phrases of song sung in chest voice.

I will post the health conscious meal again as a comment since while I am traveling and have to use my phone, I don't know how to post photos on blogspot from an iPhone. But my health conscious meal of the day was taco soup made by Chris Kalfas! Agent meeting tomorrow and then back to Elon in the evening!

xo Sumi

Day 1 - Back to NYC!

Hoorah! It's the first day of the senior sem challenge! I had no idea it started today...but I'm so glad it did. It couldn't have come at a more perfect timing. At the end of April, I open Next to Normal. With the 30 Day Challenge now on its way, this is the perfect time for me to get in vocal shape for the show. This show requires so much stamina and tricky pop/rock styles and mixes that I'm glad that I get to work on the material for at least half an hour every day. I'm also super excited to get my health & fitness game on because I'm already a health & fitness fan to begin with, but I'm excited to start eating clean and working out again after coming back from eating and drinking terribly over spring break while I was in the city. This feels like a total detox and cleanse that came at the right timing! And hey, it is almost bikini season...looool but it's true. I want to move to New York feeling fabulous in the inside and out, emotionally and physically. As for feeling fab on the inside, I am so excited about this spiritual cleanse and being able to do charitable work in the local community before I graduate. Ok, I LOVE this kind of stuff especially after having traveled on Semester at Sea. That whole trip was literally an unplugged service trip. We didn't have cell service or wifi all semester, and in every third world country we visited, we would do something charitable.

Today's Challenge Accomplishments:

Sumi's Daily Practice: 1/30
Minutes: 40 mins
Repertoire: "Maybe/Next to Normal" and "Hey #3/Perfect For You" from N2N
Technique worked on: chest mix, middle voice, light mix, transitioning between mixes, dynamics, memorization of words
Musicality worked on: straight tone, diction, breathy quality, edgy attacks, rip offs.

Health conscious meal 1/25: Chipotle burrito bowl (no tortilla)
Brown rice (healthy!!!)
Black beans
Tomato
Corn
Lettuce (leafy-green ohhh yes it is)
Guacamole (a must)
NO cheese or sour cream :)
(Picture will be on FB comment cuz I can't figure out blogspot from my phone and I didn't bring my computer to NYC with me...)

Ok - about to go on airplane mode as my plane is about to take off to NYC! I can't believe I'm already going back. It's going to be a busy weekend, but I can't wait to get back to Elon for Easter weekend and find some zen time for myself :)

Ciao!