Congratulations To American Idol Season 11 Top 13 Singers.

March 2, 2012 by Masterclass Lady 6 Comments


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And here are your Top 13:

Colton Dixon, DeAndre Brackensick, Elise Testone, Erika Van Pelt, Heejun Han, Hollie Cavanaugh, Jermaine Jones, Jeremy Rosado, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Shannon Magrane, Skylar Laine

This is an exceptionally diverse group of singers. All are sublimely talented and the weekly Results Shows will be a heartbreaking experience this season. Any one of these singers can take the American Idol crown.

Consistency of weekly performances will be key to longevity in this competition. Song selection, performance technique, vocal skills, charisma, musical arrangement – it all has to come together for these singers each week in order to avoid early elimination.

Here are some quick personal observations of these singers:

  • Oh my goodness, not to sound crude but I feel I need to wear a diaper every time Heejun opens his mouth to speak. He is one funny, adorable dude. Plus he does have a beautiful voice. This boy is going to go far in the “biz”.
  • Jeremy and Jermaine melt my heart. They are lovable, sensitive artists blessed with beautiful voices. I don’t think we have ever heard the likes of Jermaine on the Idol stage. What a vocal gift he has!
  • DeAndre – plain and simple – is a star. Possessed with stellar vocal ability, he sings with sensitivity and artistry and, quite simply, has that X-Factor that the other show by the same name is struggling to find. Now, he has to remember to balance the head and full voice as he so beautifully managed to do when he “sang for his life” on the Top 24 show. Very important!
  • Colton and Phillip are remarkable performers, very distinctive and extremely creative in their musical approach. Both are strong, visionary performers and they should move quite deep in this competition.
  • Joshua is a passionate performer, but really has to be careful not to overstate his vocal message. Another performer who needs to heed this advice is young Jessica Sanchez. I really love this young lady – she is so gifted. But, she needs to ground her vocal sound in solid diaphragmatic breath support.
  • Something that Hollie, Erika and Shannon have already accomplished. These young ladies are absolutely brilliant in their technical approach and, based on what I have seen and heard so far, very crafty in their song selections. Their phrasing is so musical and their breath control very solid.
  • Skylar is a little spitfire – a mini- Reba- and I know we are in for some spectacular entertainment from her in her future showcases. I wonder which Whitney song she’ll select next week?
  • Speaking of which, I hope beyond hope that nobody sings “I Will Always Love You”. It is so strongly associated with Whitney Houston and far too soon since her home going service.
  • And, finally, Elise, who is a consummate musician but needs to work on cleansing her vocal delivery. The voice, for me, lacks purity, although she always sings with innate passion and sensitivity. I just worry that she and Jessica are going to experience vocal malfunction as the competition moves along. Both singers must be coached to sing in a healthier and productive manner.

Good luck to all the singers. I know we are in for a beautiful musical journey with all of you.

American Idol, American Idol Season 11, Music, Singing, Television
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About Masterclass Lady

Rosanne (Giallonardo) Simunovic began her musical career in Timmins, Ontario. She studied piano with Anne Pizzale and later, at an advanced level, with Soeur Anita Vaugeois (Sister Cecile of Les Soeurs De L’Assomption in Timmins). Her vocal and accompaniment skills were nurtured by her aunt, the late Dorothea Mascioli. When Rosanne graduated from O’Gorman High School, she moved on to the University of Toronto where she continued her piano and vocal studies while attaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She was hired as a piano accompanist for several musical companies, most notably, the National Ballet Of Canada. She presently holds an A.R.C.T. Teacher’s Diploma in Voice from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Rosanne has studied choral conducting with numerous well known Canadian Conductors, including Wayne Riddell of Montreal, Quebec and the internationally renowned Dr. Elmer Iseler. She has been a founding member of numerous community-based arts organizations: the Timmins Arts Council, later known as Arts & Culture Timmins, the Timmins Symphony Orchestra, and, the Timmins Youth Singers…as well as the TYS Alumnus choir, the Timmins Concert Singers. In 1987, she was also selected to be the conductor of the Timmins Board Of Education Choir, comprised of talented students from Grades 5 to 8. In 1988, she was elected to the Board Of Directors of the Ontario Choral Federation (now known as Choirs Ontario), where she served as Chair of the Festivals Committee for six consecutive seasons. In 1996, in honour of the Ontario Choral Federation’s 25th Anniversary, Rosanne was selected as one of 25 recipients of the OCF’s Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contribution to the choral art. The ceremony was presided by Lieutenant Governor, Hal Jackman. In November 1997, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Rotary Club Of Timmins to receive the prestigious Paul Harris Award for her years of dedication to the artistic development of young musical talent in Timmins. In August of 2002, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Board Of Directors of Choirs Ontario to serve as Conductor of both the Provincial Junior and Teen Choir Camps, now renamed in honour of the Camp Benefactors, Don and Lillian Wright. In November 2002, Rosanne was the one of the recipients of the Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, honouring her work in the development of the arts in Timmins. Under Rosanne Simunovic’s direction, the Timmins Youth Singers and the Timmins Concert Singers have been featured in numerous choral festivals and performing opportunities outside of Timmins. In 1985, they were selected to partici
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6 Responses to “Congratulations To American Idol Season 11 Top 13 Singers.”

  1. Aubry March 2, 2012 at 11:13 pm

    So glad you see that Deandre is a star. I saw it last season and was shocked he didn’t make it past the chairs. As usual I have no idea what America votes for and why they did not vote Dre in. His voice is amazing and singing Earth Wind and Fire is so difficult most singers would not even attempt it.

    MCL, I wish you could mentor Dre, he seems to want to show everything he can do in every song and this will be his downfall. If he has a vocal coach who can help him reign in his voice and manage to just use his range and falsetto as an accent to the beautiful rich tone of his chest voice he will go far.

    Probably won’t win as america rarely crowns the best vocalist but if he goes deep he will be signed and a star will be born who could top the pop charts.

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  2. Masterclass Lady March 3, 2012 at 12:07 am

    Aubry – thank you so much. I love this
    kid so much. But he is going to have to continue to sing exactly as he did last night. He picked the right song, the right key and made sure that every area of his enormous vocal range was highlighted. I think he will be fine and he will move deep in the competition. But he needs to believe in his talent, which I think he does, and simply continue to sing from the heart.

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  3. Kariann1 March 3, 2012 at 3:03 am

    Deandre was a favorite last year, but I think he uses his falsetto too much. He is not a young Barry Gibb, yet. With the theme being Stevie Wonder, he may sing in a richer tone. I agree yesterday was a good performance. I think many would have been shocked if he hadn’t gotten in. Now, if he wants to go on the tour, he’ll have to knock it out of the ball park.

    I am supporting Jessica and Skylar. Some are suggesting, “I’m Every Woman” for Skylar. It will be interesting seeing who becomes our Top Ten.

    Right now I am listening to Jackie Evancho on PBS. That little girl has been blessed with a voice like an ANGEL. How would you like to coach her, Rosanne?

    Like

  4. Russell March 3, 2012 at 1:44 pm

    I agree that Deandre’s performance of ”Georgia was better than his atrocious “Reasons,” but it felt to me as if the switching back and forth from falsetto was more labored than it needed to be. Not that an effortless passaggio is necessary in a pop star, but I did somehow expect him to be more facile in moving around within his voices. Especially since everyone is all gaga over his falsetto you sort of expect his transitions to be smoother rather than jarringly apparent and tossed in for no reason.
    He is desperately in need of coaching- for me he is a “kitchen sink” type singer who feels the need to demonstrate every vocal trick or affectation he has in his toolbox in every performance of every song. Sometimes simple does work best, and I think he would benefit from some vocal editing.

    I guess desperation does drive these kids to extremes, but it does them no favors, especially in a medium such as this one where every move and sound is scrutinized.
    Just as one single spotlight can be more compelling than 10,000 klieg lights and strobes flashing, a simple song sung well will often be better received than someone using every bell and whistle at their disposal purely because they can.

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  5. Mindy Moore March 4, 2012 at 2:49 am

    I see enormous potential in DeAndre. I think he may not fully know how to control and use his voice to its fullest potential yet. It was a noble effort to attempt “Reasons” by Earth, Wind and Fire was always going to be tough. This is an incredibly difficult song to sing and it is a testament to the talent of Philip Bailey. He was phenomenal.

    DeAndre will have to learn what song suits his voice best and it’s not easy in this competition. I was really surprised that he wasn’t automatically voted into the top ten, but very happy that the judges used the wild card to put him there.

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  6. Diana March 4, 2012 at 12:19 pm

    I don’t understand why people think Skylar is so much like Reba. Skylar is copying Miranda Lambert to a tee. Go to youtube and find Miranda singing Stay With Me, which she sings at a lot of her concerts. Skylar is imitating sound, twang, songs, and stage mannerisms. If she doesnt get away from that, like Scotty wisely got away from Josh Turner last year, she will get the boot. So far, Skylar has shown no originality at all. Miranda is known for her rockin performances on her tours, thus Skylar did the same. Miranda is Skylar’s idol and it shows.

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