Wade in the Water - Elements of Performance

The Elements of Performance (using DR C SMITH):

The song is sycopated- which basically means the notes are off-beat. The brotherhood sing louder on the repeated phrase "God's gonna trouble the water" for emphasis. the tempo is 108 (Andante/Moderato) and is a relatively steady walking pace. "Wade in the Water"  is a Negro spiritual first published in New Jubilee Songs as Sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers (1901) by John Wesley Work II and his brother, Frederick J. Work. Negro spirituals are religious songs that were created by enslaved African people in the United States. Spirituals were originally an oral tradition that imparted Christian values while also describing the hardships of slavery. The song relates to both the Old and New Testaments. The verses reflect the Israelites' escape out of Egypt as found in Exodus:14. The lyrics of the chorus: "Wade in the water, God's gonna trouble the water" refers to the biblical statement on healing: "For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had." Negro spirituals were important because they allowed a form of release of the slaves who had to live in captivity and had little to no freedom. Music acted as a form of their freedom.

Dr. C. Smith

Today in music we reviewed our music worksheet/quizzes from last lesson. We learnt about how to read musical time, the length and names of different notes, the clefs and their monikers, and the acronym for the 8 elements of music (Dr. C. Smith) which goes as follows:
Dynamics
Rhythm

Color (of tone)
.

Structure
Melody/Pitch/Register
Instrument
Texture
Harmony
Then we had a small aural test where we had a melody written in front of us which Mr. Karena played it and stopped, and we had to circle the last note played. I got 5/5. He also told us an opening incomplete bar is called an upbeat bar or an anacrusis.
After that he played two pieces and made us try to fill out the 8 elements of music.

What makes a good performance?

Confidence, passion, physical bond with the instrument, creativity (unique style), technical skill, focus, vulnerability, connection with the audience.
Tori Kelly - Dear No One (cover by Leroy Sanchez)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuq8mktbO54

I think even though this song wasn't wrote by Leroy Sanchez, I really feel his confidence on the belt-y notes, and his vulnerability when he sings higher and looks completely engrossed in the song. His technical skill is also good, as heard in his vocal control when switching from note to note. He also looks very much like he is playing his guitar, rather than vice versa.