Michael Shofi

Song #1: Thin Air

Examining a performance of your best work

Discuss 3 qualities that contribute to making this your best work.

1. It was last summer when I discovered my love for the score of Amelie and “Thin Air.” I

think that the vocal range of this character fits into my voice very easily and I am easily

able to execute the jumps between registers.

2. The song is incredibly well crafted in my opinion and that makes it incredibly accessible

and easy for me to understand. The only question that the song asks is “who are you?”

and that is also the objective of the song… to find out who the hell this person is!

3. The style of the music fits my whole aesthetic and image. It doesn’t seem or feel like a

challenging song by any means but sounds impressive to an outside ear. The range is

incredibly big and shows that off too!

Describe a new discovery that you’ve made this year and how you will implement this discovery

in your performance.

This year, I discovered just how many people Nino can be. His character is written so

well in the movie and musical, but there is a myriad of different ways to describe him…

charming, easily surprised, confident, warm, etc. etc. I didn’t quite realize this at first,

and as soon as I started falling into the trap of not making choices and feeling

comfortable with the Nino I imagined, my awesome voice teacher Chris had me wipe the

slate clean and discover as much as I could about the potential of this character.

Discuss the process of your preparation for this performance.

 Kind of hit some of these points in my last answer, but I have been working on this song

for just under a year, and at a certain point, my Nino became very “set,” until this year

my voice teacher Chris expanded my view on the character and I have been discovering a

more truthful and full character since. I will also say that when I first started to learn this

song, I did not have the Bb’s at the end, but now I have learned how to sustain them

whenever I want! Now, most of the time I don’t even need to warm up before singing

this song.

Song #2: Epic III

Reflecting on the aspects of our artistry that have room for growth:

Provide examples of 5 areas for growth in your artistry.

1. Resonating consistently well in my falsetto and head registers.

 Go very high in warm-ups, addressing that part of my voice. Further, using a

relaxed jaw and bright, forward tones.

2. Navigating the stage and being present in my body while playing the guitar.

 Including the people in the room. Not using them as scene partners but inviting

them with my body language and gaze to join the story.

3. Articulating clearly in my upper-registers so that all of the lyrics are heard.

 Lip and tongue warm-ups!

4. Having a clear focus and intent throughout.

 Take the moment before to establish myself in the world of the show.

5. Not looking at my guitar too much.

 Practice!!!
List 3 techniques that you will demonstrate in this performance.

1. Guitar finger-picking

2. “Cinematic” approach to performing material

3. A little bit of riffing 

Briefly discuss the process of your preparation for this performance.

The sheet music for this show is not released yet and every chord pattern I’ve found

online for this song has been incorrect thus far. I learned the guitar part by ear by listening to the

live performance recording sung and played by Damon Duanno (perhaps my biggest influence in

the industry).