VOCAL JAZZ CLINIC ~ NAfME In Service Conference ~

Nashville, TN

Presented by

John H. Nethaway

October 27, 2004 – 1 PM

A programmed, step by step vocal

jazz method designed for use

by children through adults

John H Nethaway 518-339-6714 8403 Elmer Hill Road jnethaway@twcny.rr.com Rome, NY 13440

Part I – Vocal Jazz Style

A. Introduction – Jazz is part of our musical heritage and one of my

missions in music education is to promote it so that it lives and provides a means of human expression.

George Gershwin - “Some people have the ability to put their feelings into words or music. There are thousands who have the same feeling and who are mute. Those of us who scan must speak for those who cannot – but we must be honest about it.” Duke Ellington – “To know and perform jazz is to know yourself.”

Louis Armstrong - "To Swing is putting the notes in the right place, not too early or not too late."

Artur Schnabel - “Applause is a receipt, not a bill.”

B. Jazz – Jazz is a style

1. It is recognized as the only true American Art Form 2. It is part of our cultural heritage. It is more difficult than other forms because the style dictates

freedom of expression, spontaneity improvisation, spontaneity and listening. 3. There are understood interpretations of the printed page, which are difficult and almost

impossible to write down. 5. Purpose of the music is to communicate feelings and emotion. 6. Students can express themselves through Jazz with its spontaneity and improvisational style. 7. If students are introduced in a programmed manner, they can learn, be proficient and have fun.

I believe that many of the elements of jazz are inbred in our culture. These elements are all around the students every day in all the media. They just need to be identified, pointed out,

practiced, repeated and the students given the opportunity to be spontaneous with them. It doesn’t take long to learn some basics and you can be a budding, spontaneous, improvising jazz musician. 8. Andre Previn - "The basic difference between classical music and jazz is that in the former the

music, is always greater than its performance -- Beethoven's violin Concerto, for instance is always greater that its performance -- whereas the way jazz is performed is always more important than what is being performed."

9. Buzz Words - Listen!!!! - Two-Four!!!! - Never, Ever Rule!!!! - Loud!!!!

Sample Lesson Plan

Paul Hindemith - “People who make music together cannot be enemies, at least while the music lasts.”

Part 1 - This plan is aimed at elementary level but with change in literature can be adjusted to middle

school, high school, college or teachers.

1. A. Intro – Jazz is a Style, it requires improvisation, spontaneity, listening

Andre Previn - "The basic difference between classical music and jazz is that in the former the music, is always greater than its performance -- Beethoven's violin Concerto, for instance is always greater that its performance -- whereas the way jazz is performed is always more important than what is being performed."

B. Demonstration Song –

1. Sing or play any song appropriate for grade level – sing or play a straight version 2. 2nd time, add accompaniment and scat singing or play jazz version or play jazz version of same song. 3. What did I do differently during the performance?

a. Improvised (made it up as I sang), composed, expressed some of my own ideas and feelings. b. This is JAZZ - I changed the style or dressed it up by modifying:

Melody - Changed the notes and added some of my own using words and scat syllables to express my mood or thought at that moment.

Rhythms - Changed them and added some of my own, Accented beats 2 and 4. Dynamics - Softer with accents, shaping of tones Tone Color - Changes the sound of my voice according to the emotion or mood I wanted to express and communicate. C. We are going to sing JAZZ, but we need to learn a couple of things first

1. Group sings: “Yankee Doodle” – 2. Sing using different descriptions - (Big, Small, Brave, Scared, Afraid, Happy, Mad,

Sad, Friendly, Student Choices) a. You changed or modified – Style, Mood and Timbre b. You changed those by changing the

Melody Rhythm Dynamics

Tone Color (Timbre)

D. Let's explore these some more

1. Rhythm - Swing Style - Accent on beats 2 and 4 a. Sit and move – 1=left thigh slap, 2=right fist in air

3= left thigh slap, 4=right fist in air OR

b. Stand and move 1= Stand stationary, 2=bend at knee or move hip

3= Stand stationary, 2=bend at knee or more hip

2. Style - Sing "Yankee Doodle" Use 2 and 4 movement Notice:

a. Melody - You wanted to alter or changed it b. Rhythm - It naturally wants to change, let it. They naturally want to syncopate some rhythms

c. Dynamics –It is almost soft with accents d. Tone Color - According to mood of singers e. Style - Song changed from a nursery rhyme to a "Cool" song f. Try it on 1 and 3 and see what happens.

3. Summary - You sang swing style jazz and improvised or changed the original song.

E. Review –

1. Jazz is a Style - It allows the performer to change the elements (Melody, Rhythm, Dynamics, Tone Color,) according to their own mood and abilities: This is improvisation

2. Confirm what they have learned - Use a different song - Appropriate for grade level.

Disney Tune, Pop Tune, Spiritual, etc. 3. "Twinkle, Twinkle" ( Use other appropriate songs for your situation)

a. Sing - “Twinkle, Twinkle" sing it straight b. Sing - "Twinkle, Twinkle" sing it in a jazz swing style - check for:

(1) Rhythm – Jazz – 2-4 (2) Dynamics – soft with accents (3)Tone Color – describe the star (4)Style - From nursery rhyme to "Cool" c. Scat if you can 4. Listen!!!!, listen!!!!, listen!!!! and listen!!!! some more.

Part 1a – vocal jazz style exercises how it sounds, how it looks

Gustav Mahler - “What is best in music is not to be found in the notes.”

Richard Sennett – “Every actor and musician has a text upon which to base his art, but he can treat the text in one of two ways. . .. In music this means asking how far the system of musical signs printed on the page can actually represent the music the composer heard in his head. If you believe these signs – the notes, the loud and soft markings, tempo indications – are an adequate language, then in perform the piece you concentrate on realizing in sound what you, the performer, read. If you believe music cannot be adequately notated, than your tasks in the performance is to find what is missing from the printed page. “

A. Rhythms – 1. Swing Style 2. Straight eighth’s 3. First some rhythm exercises

B. Harmony – Whole not exercise

1. Shape 2. Moods 3. Colors

C. Melody - Vocal Lines and Inflections -

Henry Threadgill – “Music should go right through you, leave some of it inside you, and take some of you with it when it leaves Articulations – symbols 1. Melody exercises – no vibrato 2. Time After Time – Written 3. How High The Moon – Written

D. Buzz Words

1. Never, Ever Rule!!!! - Never ever start and hold a note at the same dynamic or tonal level, it must change. Sting the note. There are exceptions. Exceptions aren't the rule. 2. Loud!!!! - Jazz is mostly a softer dynamic style. This allows for all the dynamics changes, shadings and accents. 3. Two-Four!!!! - Some body part between your nose and your toes (other than your clicking fingers) must being grooving on two and four or there is no swing style. 4. Listen!!!! - You must listen to live musicians and recordings to identify what you are trying to do and compare it with established styles A - Train

E. A Little Humor 1. Elvis Presley - “I don’t know anything about music. In my line you don’t have to.” 2. Samuel Taylor Colderidge - “Swans sing before they die – ‘twer no bad thing, did certain persons die

before they sing.”

3. Igor Stravinsky - “Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end.” 4. Lou Holtz, Jr. - “The trouble with real life is that there’s no danger music.”

Part 1b - Other Related Concepts (How to adapt these in your efforts to communicate through a

song and/or improvisation)

1. Voice Production and Tone a. Sound

(1) Vocal Jazz Sound – Similar to madrigal tone Timbre – Experimental sounds

Which register? Lift or push tone?

(2) Instrumental imitation b. Ballads

(1) Emotion – Timbre changes to match mood Refer to Yankee Doodle (2) Word painting- Misty - Rote

(3) Take your time c. Vowels – Usage according to group or solo singing d. Consonants – Vernacular endings versus classical endings - Yankee Doodle Examples

e. Dynamics – Not a loud style - Accents – Never, Ever Rule!!! f. Vocal Jazz Inflections – Shake, Gliss Up/Down, Fall Off, Smear, Plop, Flip,

Doit, Flip, Ghost Not Examples from C – 1a g. Vibrato – No vibrato on unisons and jazz chords (maybe at end of long note value)

Vibrato destroys the close harmonies. h. Group decisions - Interpretation and articulations based on music and feel from the ensemble as opposed to director's decisions.

2. Elements of Musical Sound a. Rhythm

b. Dynamics c. Melody - Harmony

d. Timbre 3. Properties of the voice a. Power Source – Air, lungs, and diaphragm

b. Vibrator – Vocal folds c. Resonators – The different cavities d. Articulators – Tongue, lips, teeth, vowel formation, language (the vernacular)

Part 2 – Improvisation Louis Armstrong – “There’s only two ways to sum up music: either its good or it’s bad. It it’s good you don’t mess about with it, you just enjoy it.”

A. Simplest - (See Elementary lesson plan first) 5 – Fast Blues in Bb

1. Blues progression - 12 bar blues a. Sing DO on I and IV chords and RE on V chord b. Improvise rhythms only c. Improvise pitches moving step-wise from DO.

2. Blues Scale a. Teach blues scale by rote b. Use scat syllables to begin improvising rhythms and pitches on scale tones

3. Improvising Drills 9 – Slow Blues in G

a. Two bar call and response expanding to four bars b. Riffs c. Original conversations - Students stand in a circle. First starts a two bar conversation with

person next to him. That person responds for two bars, then turns to the next and starts another conversation. A person can pass. They learn from one another by modeling.

B. Advancing - Must become familiar with – Ray’s Blues 1. Blues Scale –

a. Use scat syllables to being improvising rhythms and pitches on scale tones b. Conversations - Two bars, four bars, twelve bars. Fast Blues in Bb

2. Melodic riffs, licks (motives) – different chord positions

Chord Structure – Use easy progression song and use same techniques 3. Scat vocabulary –

a. Dictated by tune, mood, tempo b. Lots of ideas in books

4. Compositional techniques – a. Melody - Motive, Repetition, Imitation, Sequence, Antecedent phrase,

Consequent phrase, Contrast, Symmetry, Balance, Inversion, Retrograde, Conversations, etc. b. Ella style – Use words to create original melody on chord progression of

original tune c. Use classical motives – Play A-Train

5. General comments - a. When doing any of the above, remember to focus on one element at a time, then combine two

or more. b. Use short drills and phrases from other books - adapt to Aebersold Blues progressions

6. LISTEN!!!!!!!

Part 3 - Choosing literature

Arturo Benedetti Michelangelli - “Bad music disturbs me, but wonderful music disturbs me even more.”

A. Considerations –

1. General - ages of singers, range, skill levels (a) Skills – pitch and rhythm accuracy (b) Voice – age, range, (c) Style – ballad, rock, swing (d) Elements - Melody, rhythm, Harmony, timbre

(1) Melody – If working on melodic style, don’t complicate rhythm and harmony (2) Rhythm –If working on more challenging rhythms, don’t complicate melody or

harmony (3) Harmony – If working on more challenging harmonies, don’t complicate the rhythm.

Use a ballad in the beginning. Students must know scales and chord formations.

(4) Timbre – match the sound of the voice to the text.

B. Recorded Examples – 1. Are you listening to the vocal part or instrumental part? 2. Do you have the capabilities to reproduce the accompaniment Live? 3. Will the arrangement still sound good with just keyboard or split keyboard using piano and

bass? 4. Should you use a pre-recorded accompaniment?

C. Literature – Examples

1. Beginner – Accompanied First, the simple a cappella (a) Unison First – spiritual, folk song, pop song, cartoon theme (b) Combine two elements and finally all of them Examples: (c) Two Part – Linear – Each trading background written scat Ex. (d) Three Part – Easy chords and rhythms (e) Scat – written unison, simple 2 part, , original Ex. Work one at a time that is If it’s a rhythm challenge, then make sure the other elements are easier.

2. Examples (a) All of Me – Words and Music by Semour Simons and Gerald Marks – Arr. Zegree

Hal Leonard (b) Hit That Jive Jack – Words and Music by John Alston and Cambell Skeets Tolbert. Arr. Kirby Shaw – Hal Leonard

(c) When I Fall In Love – Words by Edward Heyman, Music by Victor Young – Arr. Kirby Shaw – Hal Leonard

(e) Time After Time – Words by Sammy Cahn, Music by Jule Styne – Arr. Kirby Shaw Hal Leonard

3. Advanced – Accompanied – advanced a cappella

(a) Four Part – Choose difficulty (rhythm, harmony, melody, vocal range, voice splits and style interpretation) and mix and match as in Considerations.

(b) Four and Five Part + - lots of arrangements are SSATB and use some upper voice chords in 4ths

(c) Difficult harmonies – Use ballads first

(1) student must understand chord structure and singing dissonances as used in Major 7th chord, 9th, 11th, 13th, etc. and chords built in 4ths.

(2) Use a ballad in the beginning. Students must know scales and chord formations. (c) Rhythms – Students must be able to read advanced simple and compound time rhythms. (suggestion) copy out some rhythm drills from percussion books (d) Scat – Written advanced 2 part, Chordal (5 part+), original

4. Advanced Skills

a. Triads – Solfege Major, minor, Diminished, Augmented b. 7th Chords - Solfege – Dominant 7th, Major 7th, minor 7th, half diminished and diminished

7th. Then they’ll understand 9ths, 11th, 13ths and chords built in 4ths. c. Scales - Solfege Major, Minor, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor, Chromatic and Blues

Scales.

5. Examples – (a) Do Nothin” Till You Hear From Me – Words and Music by Duke Ellington and Bob Russell

Arr. Steve Zegree – Hal Leonard (b) I’ve Got You Under My Skin – Words and Music by Cole Porter, Arr. Kirby Shaw –

Hal Leonard (c) Michelle – by John Lennon and Paul MC Cartney – Arr. Gene Puerling – Shawnee Press

(Hal Leonard) (d) Nice ‘N’ Easy – Words and Music by Lew Spence, Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman –

Arr. Kirby Shaw – Hal Leonard

6. Arrangers - (a) Easier – Jay Althouse, Roger Emerson, Mark Hayes, Kirby Shaw, Steve Zegree, Teena Chin (b) More Challenging – Anders Edenroth (Real Group), Darmon Meader (New York Voices),

Paris Rutherford, Steve Zegree, Teena Chin, Gene Puerling (c) Newer – Michelle Weir, Greg Jasperse

7. LISTEN!!!!

Part 4 - Resources – Aebersold, Jamey - Nothin’ but Blues – Body and Soul and others

Jamey Aebersold Jazz, Inc. – Contemporary CD’s Anderson, Doug - Jazz and Show Choir Handbook

Hinshaw - 1978 Ankney, J.R. - The Exciting World of Vocal Jazz (Eastern Division MENC) Director of Choral Music - 1999 Shattuck-St. Mary’s School Faribault, MN 55021 507-333-1606 j.r.ankney@ssm.pvt.k12.mn.us Primarily A Cappella – catalogue 1-800-827-2936

P.O. Box D Email: www.a-cappella.com San Anselmo, CA 94979

Stoloff, Bob – Scat - Gerard & Sarzin Publishing – CDs Stoloff, Bob – Blues Scatitudes – Gerard & Sarzin Publishing Co. - CDs Strommen, Carl - The Contemporary Chorus - Alfred - 1980

1. Artists – Groups Individuals

A Cappella Project Louis Armstrong Boyz II Men Patti Austin Four Freshmen Ella Fitzgerald The Hi-Los Al Jarreau Lambert, Hendricks, Ross Diana Krall The Kings Singers Cleo Lane Manhattan Transfer Bobby McFerrin New York Voices Maureen McGovern Pentatonix Mel Torme The Real Group Diane Reeves

SoVoSo Cassandra Wilson Swingle Singers Tierny Sutton

Take 6 Esperanza Spaulding Voca People

2. Playlist

1 Take the ‘A’-Train Bobby McFerrin The Voice

1 Blackbird Bobby McFerrin The Voice

2 How Do You Keep the Music Playing Patti Austin Internet Video

2 How High The Moon Patti Austin Internet Video

2 Porgy and Bess Medley Patti Austin Internet Video

3 Anything Goes Ella Fizgerald Ella Returns to Berlin

3 Mack the Knife Ella Fitzgerald Ella Returns to Berlin

3 Take the ‘A’ Train Ella Fitzgerald Ella Returns to Berlin

3 Take the ‘A’ Train Duke Ellington Best of the Big Bands

3a Fascinating Rhythm Dianne Reeves The Calling

3a Lullaby of Birdland Dianne Reeves The Calling

4 Fly Me To The Moon Diana Krall Live In Paris

4 I’ve Got You Under My Skin Diana Krall Live in Paris

5 All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm Mel Torme/George Shearing An Evening with George Shearing

5 Lullaby of Birdland Mel Torme/George Shearing An Evening with George Shearing

6 Honeysuckle Rose Jane Monheit Taking A Chance On Love

6a Softly, as in a Morning Sun Tierney Sutton I’m With the Band

6a Surrey With the Fringe On Top Tierney Sutton I’m With the Band

6a If I Loved You Tierney Sutton I’m With the Band

7 Ray’s Blues Ray Charles Blues + Jazz Disc 1

8 Down South Camp Meeting Benny Goodman Best of the Big Bands

8a Down South Camp Meeting Manhattan Transfer Swing

8a Java Jive Manhattan Transfer Swing

9 ‘Round Midnight New York Voices New York Voices

9 Baroque Samba New York Voices New York Voices

9 Oh, Lady Be Good New York Voices What’s Inside

9 All Blues New York Voices What’s Inside

10 Chili Con Carne The Real Group Nothing But the Real Group

10 It Don’t Mean A Thing The Real Group Nothing But the Real Group

10 Flight of the Foobirds The Real Group Unreal

11 Down By the Riverside SoVoSo SoVoSo World Jazz A Cappella

11 People Get Ready SoVoSo SoVoSo World Jazz A Cappella

12 Theme from “Superman” Swingle Singers Notability

12 It’s A Lovely Day Today Swingle Singers Notability

12 My Lord, What a Mornin’ Swingle Singers Notability

12 Penny Lane Swingle Singers Ticket To Ride

12 Drive My Car Swingle Singers Ticket to Ride

12 Yesterday Swingle Singers Ticket To Ride

13 Carol of the Bells Pentatonix

Official Video