Music 105/205 Vocal Jazz Recording Ensemble (Celebration!)
Room E129, 12:30 - 1:30 M-F
Instructor: Ken Wilson Office: E102b
Phone: 564-2694 Ofc Hours: Daily 2:30-3:30pm
Celebration! is BCC's top vocal touring ensemble and professional training program. This ensemble provides the highest level of opportunities for young musicians to grow and explore their future in music. These opportunities include: ensemble and solo singing, working in the recording studio, writing and arranging, plus opportunities for conducting and teaching. Students are provided a wide variety of materials to help prepare them for transferring to four-year schools or to step into the professional world. Along with the traditional rehearsal approach to preparing students, opportunities in small group and solo singing, as well as furthering a student's musical and vocal growth, we have developed a computer lab where students are challenged to continue their musical growth utilizing the tools and technology of tomorrow. This group is already scheduled to perform numerous times throughout the year, and it is expected that all who participate will sustain a high level of involvement and commitment through the entire year.
I have selected only a small portion of the music that I hope we will perform this year, as I am not certain who will be involved in the ensemble. I hope to create many “feature” opportunities for individual singers from within the group as well as provide a broad spectrum of historical and contemporary vocal jazz literature to explore, where the art form has come from, and where it may be going.
If you have any musical ideas or selections you would like to try, please feel free to give me charts or tapes. We have several people who are very interested in writing and arranging for BCC’s Celebration! Let’s bring forward the best of the past and explore new directions in our future.
As you may guess, there are many plans that are in the works at this time. We have received invitations to perform at a variety of high schools, colleges, and even countries. I am excited to help our group work hard enough to attain the performance level where we can be an inspiration for the people with whom we share our music. I am also enthusiastic about bringing outstanding professional artists to our campus to share their insights and music with us as an opportunity for great growth and inspiration.
With all of the planning comes a reality check, in that we, as a group, will be responsible for creating and living within a budget. Everything seems to cost more these days, but we have a pretty good pot of seed money from which we can start. It is, however, up to our creativity, commitment and energy to create the capital that will allow us to take advantage of these opportunities (i.e. producing quarterly high school and collegiate tours, producing a nationally recognized guest artist concert, producing a CD, and producing a possible tour to either New York or places abroad) Once again, your suggestions, hard work and determination will open doors for us.
Finally, I would like to share the following. It is a mission statement developed by past Celebration! ensembles with whom I have worked. I feel it puts forth the philosophy, focus, commitment to growth, and the nature of the giving people who I hope our ensemble will represent. Someone once said that a key to happiness and success is to surround oneself with the kind of people with whom you‘d love to work. I look forward to working with Celebration! 2001! and the great adventure this year holds in store for us.
Celebration’s Mission Statement
With the unique opportunity afforded the members of Celebration!, we commit ourselves to work beyond our present limitations and expectations. We strive to inspire one another to grow daily as musicians and professionals. We aspire to set a high standard, becoming a source of inspiration to our community and a guiding light in the Northwest Collegiate and High School Jazz Community. Sharing our dedication, unity, and love of our art form, we commit ourselves to one another, to the success of each individual, to the enjoyment of our audience, and most importantly, to our group Celebration! 2001.
Ken
Grading Policy
Grades are determined by the following percentages
1/3 Attendance
1/3 Group Performance and Participation
1/3 Individual Participation (Testing, Projects, Sectionals, etc.)
ATTENDANCE AND TARDINESS:
This is a class that consists of highly talented and motivated people, and even though attendance is taken, the motivation behind the group should guarantee that all members will come excited and prepared to participate each day. It is thus a philosophy that we want to live by more than a technical requirement of a class. Attending this class does not only mean that you are present each day, but it also means that you are getting ready at least ten minutes ahead of class warming up and preparing mentally (and physically) for class. It means that you come to class prepared with not only music and a pencil, but goals in mind to be accomplished during class, both as an individual and as a group. It means that you put aside any personal struggles and put the group into your main focus. Please leave everything else outside the door.
**If you are going to be late or absent, you must CALL. Mr. Wilson needs to know who will be here for planning purposes. The office phone number is 425-564-2694.
GROUP PERFORMANCE AND PARTICIPATION POLICIES
The concerts and events performed by Celebration! are MANDITORY and take the place of exams for the class. Our aim is to make each performance the most polished and professional production possible. Each person contributes to the preparedness and presentation of the whole group; thus, for this portion of your grade, the entire group's ability for early and accurate preparation is assessed. Grading for Group Performance will be figured on the following basis:
1) Punctuality and Scheduling
2) Logistics and Activity Preparations
3) Technical Preparedness
4) Expressive Ability
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE AND PARTICIPATION POLICIES
Each individual member of Celebration! is expected become actively involved in practicing to develop their vocal skills and increase their level of musicianship. Along with mastering the performance aspects of the class, students will be evaluated on their growth musically and vocally, plus their role in developing the logistics, promotional, and interactive aspects of the ensemble. The individual participation grade will based on:
1) Individual Testing to demonstrate mastery of the music
3) Sectional Reports (found in the weekly practice reports)
4) Development of Musicianship Skills:
a) Rhythmaticity Level 20
b) Sightreading Proficiency Tests
c) Piano Competency Test and playing parts in rhythm slowly
5) Demonstration of Vocal and Technical Understanding
6) Participation in leadership and planning roles or assistance with logistics and/or set up/take down "roady" side of events. (average one to two hours per week)
CLASS AND SECTIONAL SCHEDULE:
Getting involved in an active performing ensemble requires students to take on added responsibilities. The following will help you with such matters.
Please note the extra times indicated for sectional or individual work sessions. I am working to keep these time slots open to work with members of Celebration! only. I cannot imagine that we will be able to accomplish all that is possible this year without each section holding at least one hard-working and concentrated sectional with Ken and one sectional on your own per week. Also, as the ensemble is designated as a performance class, students will be responsible to arrange their schedules to meet all required performances, recording sessions, project facilitation meetings, staging set ups and strikes, plus any extra rehearsals.
All dates are required as part of the class; other performance opportunities (i.e. gigs at community holiday banquets and parties which are used as one of our fund raisers) will be discussed in class and voted on by members for approval. Other events to be discussed include: TBA Dates, Recording Studio Time, and a Performance at "Tulas" or local jazz club.
SUPPLIES:
- Music Notebook
- 2-#2 PENCILS for marking daily rehearsal notes
. 2 90 minute clearly labeled cassette tapes for testing and rehearsal tapes
- 50 sheets of college ruled paper
- 10 sheets of music paper
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
As part of the commitment of being in Celebration!, the members of this group will be required to make co-pays for school sponsored travel to various events and festivals. Students may also incur some expenses related to the purchase of concert outfits; however, most decisions which might affect students adversely will be discussed in class, and efforts will be made to assist students who are having trouble. However, since the members of the group will be active in the decision making process, each person will be held responsible for cost to the college that might be incurred due to his/her dropping of the class, absences from events and or class, and/or expulsion from the group.
The following were developed by past Celebration! members and are meant to assist you in understanding some of the other responsibilities that have come along with becoming a member of this ensemble.
EXPECTATION FOR LEARNING MUSIC:
At Home: Learn your parts (notes, rhythms and playing parts on piano)
Work on Vowels
Work on cut offs and rhythmic precision
Work on tone and placement of head voice/chest Voice
Work on Intonation
Practice mastering dynamics, stylizing techniques
In Sectionals: Work on parts that are problem spots
Work on cut offs and rhythmic precision
Work on blending vowels, unison sectional sound, balance between similar gender section and tone
Work on phrasing, dynamics
In Class: Balancing and blending chords
Work on unifying stylization
Work on expression and listening to the group as an ensemble
Work on message of the song, entertainment
HOW TO PREPARE FOR CLASS
- 10 minutes before class is to start, set up and warm up your voice or instrument.
- Look over music or any other notes you may have taken at the last meeting and refresh your memory.
- Prepare to leave your social life and any other personal things in front of the door to the rehearsal room
- Set goals for what you would like to accomplish during the rehearsal and share them with the people in your sectional or within the group and see if everyone can set ways to accomplish those goals during rehearsal.
- Meet with your section members and work on getting the blend started before class.
- Go to the restroom or grab a quick snack (it is best not to leave the area during mic check)
DURING CLASS TIME:
- Have your pencil out at all times to take notes on phrasing, dynamics, note changes, theory notes, etc
- - Be focused on what we (as a group) would like to accomplish during class
- - Keep talking and side conversations to an absolute minimum. To be frank, if it can wait until later, let it.
AFTER CLASS TIME:
- Jot down what we accomplished during the rehearsal and what we would like to accomplish during the next reh.
- Write down what you had problems with and what you would like to work on both at home and in your next sect.
SECTIONALS
It is common practice that at least one “out of class sectional” will be held weekly to work on problem areas, i.e. pitch, rhythm, vowel and stylistic unification. Section leaders will be appointed to direct sectionals both in and out of class. They will be able to help the members of their section with learning parts and with other technical problems. Participation in a sectional includes your attendance, your attitude and level of responsibility, and your application of the processes learned.
PREPARATIONS FOR CONCERTS AND EVENTS
As this is our choir, it is expected that we all pitch to make our productions work. We will need help in publicity, concert sets and costume design, etc., plus set up and take down at all events. Look for things to do to help or just say "WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?" Then be willing to work until the job is fully completed.
DEVELOPING MUSICIANSHIP:
There are several ways that one can improve his/her musicianship. Those ways range from private voice lessons to just plain listening to jazz musicians. The college has made a strong commitment to making sure that students in music grow while they are attending B.C.C.
There are several classes that students can enroll in to improve their sight reading and music theory skills. Those classes are: Concert Choir Music 100/200, Fundamentals of Music, Music 107, Music Theory 110, 111, 112, Piano Music 130, Private Instruction, Music 143. If you intend on completing your Theory at BCC you must start the sequence fall quarter with Music 110. You may enroll for Piano, Private Voice, and Concert Choir at any time. **NOTE: CHECK WITH DALE GLEASON FOR AN INSTRUCTOR FOR PRIVATE INSTRUCTION. The instructor must be an accredited instructor that is affiliated with the college.
There are also some computer games that will help with sight-reading rhythms (Rhythmaticity) and ear training “Music Lab”. These programs are available for use during school hours.
A great and enjoyable way to improve your musicianship is by listening to jazz musicians, both vocalists, and instrumentalists (they have the best ideas for improvising). The school has invested in several CDs and has formed a CD library where they are available for the students to check out for a short period of time. There are also some radio stations that one can listen to: KBCC 93.1 FM or KPLU 88.5 FM for instance.
On a smaller scale, during class time is when a person can grow a lot. Whenever in rehearsal one should listen for vowels, tone, placement, blend, and style in accordance to what Mr. Wilson has requested and in accordance to what others are doing.
Use the Computer Lab. The computer lab helps to develop your personal skills and performance capabilities. A quarterly level of proficiency in the computer lab will be the foundation of the choir's musicianship. The basic level will be easy for some and hard for others, but there is plenty of opportunity for quarterly progression in your skills. The methods for using the lab and recording your level of attainment will be discussed in class.
SCHEDULING RESPONSIBILITIES:
*Class scheduling for the quarter.
*Day of event, keep it open. Don't schedule any other activities.
*Keep an updated list of gigs so that you may make your teachers and employers aware of the days you will be absent .
*Keep a day planner or calendar handy at all times so that we may plan around everyone's schedule.
WORK:
*Make employer aware of the dates that you will need off for performances at least two weeks in advance (both spoken and in writing)
*Keep an updated list of gigs in your choir notebook and be aware of any changes that may take place.
Ask For Help If You Are Having Problems My door is always open and there are a ton of caring and giving people in our choir. Together I'm sure we can find the answers to almost any challenge that may arise. Please don't be embarrassed to ask. Remember it is our choir, and together we can achieve anything that we believe.