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《原文》

7 PEDAGOGICAL OPTIONS FOR JAZZ CHOIR IN THE FALL
(Long post alert!) Have recently been having some long conversations with director friends about the outlook of jazz choir in the fall, and am aware that in some cases your school may be wanting to X out your ensemble for fall semester or even the whole year. We don’t want THAT to happen.
Out of these conversations I somehow ended up organizing a set of ideas for working with online vocal jazz ensemble in a way that provides solid educational value. The points below can potentially also serve to be arguments FOR continued ensemble in the fall.

First, let’s make the assumption you won’t be rehearsing live much or at all in the fall, but might be in the spring (or certainly next year.)

REFRAME THE CONCEPT
Consider a shift in the name and concept, changing it from VOCAL JAZZ ENSEMBLE to

VOCAL JAZZ ENSEMBLE SKILLS
(or JAZZ CHOIR SKILLS)

Just that one mind set shift offers much more promise for viable options! It IS an ensemble, but you’re working now to gain skills and experience in prep for rehearsal and performance down the road.

VJ ENSEMBLE SKILLS: COURSE CONTENT OPTIONS
Here are some ideas for genuinely useful content areas that also serve to prep your choir for rehearsals/performance down the road:

1. READING
Might start with basic sight reading – solfege or singing notes on numbers of the scale. Then move to jazz choir passages, like an 8-bar passage, or more. ALL singers can potentially read sop (in their own range,) then alto, tenor, bass. If it’s swing, can speak (read) rhythms/ lyrics only at first. Start with a ballad, do a swing tune or passage, do a bossa, break into 5-part or 6-part chords when ready. Etc, etc

2. JAZZ THEORY (Learn it by singing it)
Learn the jazz chord types, then arpeggiate them on numbers (1, 3, 5, b7, 5, 3, 1.) Listen – do ear training quizzes (What is this chord type?) Then start in on vocal group voicings – simple 4-way close chord voicings (what part am I singing? Root? Third?) Then sing (with associated ear training also) the extensions (9, 11, 13 and their alterations). Then inversions and other voicing types. Study excerpts from arrangements, “why is this chord hard to tune?” “Is this an open or closed voicing?” “What 2 parts have the most dissonance and why?” etc. etc.  (I directed the vocal jazz group at Cal State Long Beach years ago and as part of warmups I’d play a note then assign parts: “bass on 3rd, tenors b7th, alto 9th, sop II #11, sop I 13 – sing on oo’ “. Worked great – got them thinking/hearing/singing but took some education first.)

3. LISTENING
Shouldn’t all music lessons include guided listening? Listening for #1, “do I like it?” and “how does it make me feel?” Listening for #2, “is that electric or acoustic bass?” and “is that a turnaround progression on the intro?” Listening for #3, “how are they using [or not] vibrato?” “tone?” “stylistic inflection?” “phrasing?” “conversationalism? how’s the blend? balance?” Can also explore the history and musical background of the artist, making it sort of a jazz appreciation activity. Please see ListeningLessons classes at www.MusicHabit.com

4. RHYTHMIC WORK
Listening to different tracks (all kinds – jazz, funky, brazillian, 4/4, 2/2, jazz waltz, etc etc.) What is the groove? Tap the quarter note. Speak in rhythm the 8ths on doo-ba – are they straight? Swung? Shuffle? Could do reading exercises with rhythms only – in swing feel then in straight 8ths – the same exercises back and forth. Can you STEP or tap in tempo while doing these activities? Etc etc

5. PARTS LEARNING
Yes – learn parts to arrangements. Send different voice part sections (S, A, T, B) to separate online rooms to rehearse – assign a section leader. Use excerpts from your repertoire, have note texts for evaluation and grading. Use parts tracks (available with Kerry Marsh, Jeremy Fox and others. Also see Kerry’s class “Online Skills for Vocal Jazz Ensemble” at musichabit.com and Kerry’s new project, “SkyTracks” available at his website kerrymarsh.com.)

6. SOLO SINGING / VOCAL IMPROVISATION
This is part of the jazz choir experience, right? And there’s never enough time in rehearsals. But NOW there is. As part of class, spend some time listening to recordings, and practicing vocal solos. (Singers of course need to have accompaniments in their location.) Doesn’t even have to be a full song, you can have newbies learn 16 bars of whatever, to get the experience.  And scatting – why not scat singing warmups as part of class? There are actually a lot of materials available – MusicHabit.com has classes by Rosana Eckert, Aimee Nolte and soon will have MusicHabit Workouts (a series of scatting and other exercises based on different tunes) which will be built for use in the classroom. Also there are others doing online classes of different types.

7. VIRTUAL CHOIR
And last but not least – of course this is also a great option and probably is the best way to simulate a live jazz choir singing experience. Of course there is a ton of info about how to put these together online, easy to find now and you’ve probably already done it. Consider though doing the virtual choir thing not only as an end of semester single song. If possible, consider doing some SHORT excerpts first, early on as a regular part of your activities during the semester. Should make the final ‘concert’ song or songs stronger.
Hope this was helpful!

Michele Weir