Plugging Along

So I've been plugging along this summer without voice lessons and I am really missing them. I'm teaching myself Batti Batti and Gretchen am Spinnrade, but who knows if I'm teaching myself correctly? I could be practicing mistakes.

One of the things I'm trying to do is crescendo into a note. I want to start out quiet and get louder and louder in a slow and steady pace. I'm also trying to do it in reverse - decrescendo. I'm still trying to figure out the breath control. Something in my brain is mixing me up and I end up changing the note along with the volume. As I get louder, I get higher. It seems like no matter how hard I concentrate I still change the notes. I'm sure my teacher would have some way of describing what to do/think about/behave in order to achieve the steady crescendo on one note.

So that's my latest vocal struggle/challenge/desire/whatever. Feel free to post comments with tips if you have any.