This is generally what I saw in many of the performances this afternoon....and this is also one of the many factors why some of you didn't perform to your best today...it was disappointing to judge the competition today!
As both the judge as well as the organiser, I always want to see my students give their best when it comes to doing something that they really love to do - SINGING. I am sure you have 1001 excuses to convince me that your poor performance today was due to 1, 2, 3......but first, we have extended the competition due to H1N1, which would allow all of you ample time to prepare for a better performance, instead, it was disappointing...second, many of you are still not very aware of the judging criteria, e.g. wearing inappropriate costume for the song you were doing. Thirdly, when you are on stage, there should only be one thing on your mind, and that - You will give your best to the audience no matter what...
Like I always say - The competition is for those who are ready!
Let me start off with the English Solo Singing (B) as this is one group that I would like to groom due to the tremendous potential that they possess. For Category A, I see it as they are gaining experience to perform of stage and by the time they reach Secondary 4, that's the time for them to shine!
Judging Criteria:
A) Costume & Appearance 10%
B) Pitching & Rhythm 30%
C) Voice Tone & Expression 25%
D) Showmanship 25%
E) Diction 10%
1. Nur Athirah Baran (A) 8 (B) 26 (C) 21 (D) 22 (E) 8 = 85%
I was so afraid that she would stop in the middle and tell us: that's all! Good girl, you finished it.
You will never know what is ahead of you until you try your best. And you deserve it. There is not much problems in your performance today except that you should start training your stamina for the next round especially when you always choose to sing a hard song. The song was a good choice, and you have won half of the battle. What you wore was appropriate for the song and that was another clever move. To improve on pitching (B) and expression (C), you need strong diaphragm muscles to support your breathing, especially when you always move about from the start to the end of the song. I was so worried that you would faint due to short of breath! Showmanship was good except that you like to smile a little before your change your facial expression. And to me, it wasn't natural....that you were not singing from your heart. My advice therefore is that, please feel the song, feel the lyrics, think of a person in your mind and dedicate the song to the person!
2. Eleena Rashidah Khalid (A) 5 (B) 26 (C) 21 (D) 21 (E) 7 = 80%
It was again another good performance and you managed to hold on to your previous ranking. I love Saving All My Love For You and I thought it was really a difficult song to sing in a competition. You are very daring and brave, as usual. And I like that you tried not to strain your voice too much this time, you only did it when it was necessary, so congratulations! You may want to start training your stamina just like what I want Athirah to do. You were almost out of breath just then. I was so worried. However, as it was a very sensual and heart-core song, you need to internalise the lyrics of the song more. What I saw was a girl who constantly touching herself to show that she was enjoying the song...but was that really what the song means? It was too shallow. Your costume was ugly. The shoes were ugly. Luckily you are pretty. The showmanship was good but I always wonder why you look so tired (spiritless) these days...well, since last year I guess. Pardon me if I say that you looked like as though you were on drugs, of course not I know that. My only advice is that work a little on making yourself look good in the next round.
3. Yong Zheng Xi (A) 7 (B) 27 (C) 22 (D) 22 (E) 7 = 85%
It was my favourite performance this afternoon not because he was very outstanding but he didn't make as much mistakes as the other two pretty girls did. It was a simpler song to handle and he did it just nice, not too little, not too much. I like the outfit that he wore today. It was bright and it went well with his complexion. It was brilliant that you gel your hair a bit, and thus presence was very strong today. However, as you were appearing in many other events on the same day, I would suggest that you change into another baju next time to give the judges a new impression. Your voice sounded rough on stage probably because of the mics today, and I have to apologise for that. You always know what to do on stage, so that is not a big problem. (May I just express my comment on your Mandarin Solo Song here as I liked the way you execute that song....it was well done! I gave you a 89%). However, you have to be careful with how you control your expression/emotions when you are singing the song. The transition between the verses must be smooth. Your flow of emotions are always interrupted and that will affect your overall performance as you didn't sound sincere singing the song to us. My advice to you is that control your emotions and voices so that the entire song doesn't sound like it was chopped into fragments.
4. Fam Shen Deng (A) 6 (B) 24 (C) 20 (D) 20 (E) 7 = 77%
Besides the top 3, Shen Deng was most probably the last solo singer who did well today. As you noticed, his didn't score extra-ordinarily high is any aspects. What was good about him was that he was very average in all aspects and he enjoyed what he did on stage. He was not only sincere but was giving me that "I Don't Give A Dxxx" attitude as I didn't get to lock with his eyes even once! Yes, he was avoiding me...very good....It doesn't really matter whether you were looking at the judges or not, but what is more important is that you must enjoy what you are doing on stage. As everyone is annoyed by the shiok sendiri syndrome, so please don't ever try that. Obviously, you didn't do too much of the "sss" and "ttt" this afternoon, and I like your tone. As you are not as experienced as the other top three singers, my advice to you is that you start watching more YOUTUBE clips from now on, focusing on how those good singers perform on stage. Hopefully, in that short period of time, you could absorb as much experience of others as you can to make them yours!
5. Fam Kai Cong (A) 7 (B) 23 (C) 19 (D) 19 (E) 7 = 75%
Wrong choice of song! Straight Up was definitely not an appropriate song for you to sing especially with guitar accompaniment. First, you must be very familiar with the song for your friend to play for you. Have you ever thought of what if your friend played a wrong chord, and how would that affect your singing? I never like contestants to have live music accompaniment as to date, I still haven't found anyone who could play well and sing well at the same time as good as Nik Irfan. You can't force it as it comes natural in you, and it's very rare I must say! Many Malay students tried to be the second Nik Irfan who defeated all the Chinese singers clinching the gold medal in Solo Mandarin Singing, but I must say that none of you, yet, were as talented and as dedicated (you must have both) as Nik Irfan. Pardon me if I have diverted a bit, but I want to stress one point and that is next time get a minus-one instead! This is my advice to you. You could improve on (C) and (D) if you are more confident with your song and in what you are doing on stage.
6. Yasmin Mohd Fareed (A) 7 (B) 23 (C) 19 (D) 17 (E) 8 = 74%
It was a good song to sing in a competition. Like what I mentioned earlier, you have won half of the battle. This shows how important is choosing the right song to sing is! You didn't make a lot of mistakes as the song requires one to sing it in an imaginative way as though you were in a fantasy land. Your voice suits the song. You could improve on your showmanship by interacting more with the audience. You were lucky to get into the top 6 as the others were really bad today! I don't have much to comment about you because I didn't get to feel what you were feeling on stage. I didn't understand what you were going through during the performance although I tried to feel your emotions when you were singing. So, my advice is, open up yourself when you sing if you want to touch your audience's heart!
7. Andrew Seow (A) 3 (B) 26 (C) 20 (D) 18 (E) 7 = 74%
You must admit that your performance today was not as good as the last time. First, your outfit was very bad. Did you just go to the pasar malam before coming to school? I don't think you showed respect to the occasion. That's why I always emphasise of no slipper/sandals to be worn on stage. I won't respect someome who sing with their sandals on on stage. This is a proper competition, we must respect the rules. You should thank your parents for giving you such a good voice and tone. They saved you this round! With you moving around your friend who were playing for you, it wasn't good showmanship at all, instead it was very odd that you depended on him spiritually as you didn't know what to do on stage. I was very upset watching your performance today...and still am.....so, my advice is that you strategise your next song otherwise you shall not be performing at the finals!
8. Ryan Wong (A) 6 (B) 24 (C) 20 (D) 17 (E) 7 = 74%
Another very average performance. However, I quite like what you did today. At least you did your best and I saw the effort you have put it. I like the "just do it as I have nothing lose" attitude. Yes, you had nothing to lose. Congratulations as you managed to move from 18 to 8! What a great improvement. (Of course this happened to Shen Deng and Yasmin too). Looking at the score, my advice is that you watch out on your pitching and showmanship. Plan your song properly so that you have an OBJECTIVE and you don't embarass yourself on stage at those moments when you were not singing.
9. Saw Mei Yi (A) 6 (B) 22 (C) 20 (D) 16 (E) 6 = 70%
Someone told me that you were not feeling well. But let's put that aside, your song was bad! Your planning and performance were weak. I was forcing myself not to stop the music and it was painful to sit through the entire song. You made all the mistakes a person can make, as I mentioned earlier. I don't see any effort being put in in rehearsing that song prior to the competition. My advice is that if you are serious in this, do something for the next round, or it would be better to pull out so that you can focus more on what you are doing right now - studies?
10. Rachel Ng Feng Yeng (A) 7 (B) 24 (C) 18 (D) 18 (6) = 73%
I can hardly hear your voice. It was so weak that I almost gave up. The high pitch was barely manageable, the showmanship was weak. The song was bad! And you cannot manage! It was a boring performance and if you continue to be stubborn (as to keep choosing songs that you like instead of songs that are appropriate), you shall not make it to the finals. What you need now is to get sincere comments from people around you and not pacifying feedback telling you that you were great and the song was nice. As the truth is always painful to hear, it is the only way for you to learn and improve. I want you to get into the finals because I think you deserve it and that this is your last year in school.
11. Teh Xin Er (A) 5 (B) 23 (C) 20 (D) 21 (E) 6 = 75%
The attire was bad for the song. The song was too big for you to handle. I have noticed that you always pick the songs that were sung by your brother before, and that is not good. Generally, girls should be singing the girls' songs, and vice versa, because the songs were composed and arranged specifically for the gender. Your diction has to be improved. When you are not supposed to smile, don't smile....I can hardly feel your emotions when you were singing.
12. Mohd Faris (A) 4 (B) 25 (C) 19 (D) 17 (E) 5 = 70%
You were lucky that your friends didn't do well today otherwise you should be out already. What a waste to have a good voice with a weak performance. You were rushing to go home, weren't you? How many times do I need to remind you to let go of your nerves and be confident on stage? If you don't think you want to do it for the next round, can I suggest that you pass the chance to Tunku Alysha as she was just slightly lower than you.
Labels: Comments by Zachary Wong Ket Lud
