Vocal instructors bring new skills to recital
Tonight's performance displays all that jazz and "classy, not classic" tunes
Maria Burfiend
Issue date: 1/29/09 Section: Arts
While students transition back to assignments and tests, the voice department's faculty will take on a test of their own. Eden Simmons, Melissa Osmond and Karl Schmidt perform their own recital tonight at 8 p.m. in Markel Auditorium.
A couple summers ago they visited Shenandoah University to take part in Contemporary Commercial Music, a vocal seminar, in order to learn how to teach commercial music like Broadway and jazz. The voice faculty, mostly trained in the classical style, wanted to give students an opportunity to learn to sing a different kind of music.
"Students wanted to learn how to belt," Osmond said. "The seminar helped us learn how to teach students, make us better teachers, and expand our own knowledge."
Once the faculty gleaned instruction on teaching these styles, they awanted to perform it themselves. Each has had formal recitals in the past, but they all wanted to try something entirely new.
In between balancing teaching, solo recitals and their own personal lives, tonight's project took about a year and a half to prepare.
"We would find time between classes and student practices to practice for an hour or two," Schmidt said. "When we first started compiling songs to perform, we had enough for at least two recitals, but some of those will have to wait for the next show."
They will perform a variety of songs.
"We wanted a variety, we have songs that are comedic, jazz, and serious," Schmidt said. The progression of the songs goes in chronological order, starting with Vaudeville and ending with present-day Broadway songs.
"There is a variety of different kinds of music, but nothing high brow," Osmond said. Most numbers will be accompanied by Wyse on piano and a band comprised of drums and cello.
They hope the performance will be enjoyed by all.
"For the performance we not only want to entertain we want to educate the students on this type of music," Schmidt said. "Part of what we do here is teach by example".
"There's nothing like a recital to make you practice what you preach, like, why aren't you memorized? Or, why are you singing in your chest?" said Simmons.
"It's a lot of fun - comedy with a number of surprises," Schmidt said.
"We wanted to perform it in markel because of the sound quality and also to create an environment like a musical theater," said Simmons.
A couple summers ago they visited Shenandoah University to take part in Contemporary Commercial Music, a vocal seminar, in order to learn how to teach commercial music like Broadway and jazz. The voice faculty, mostly trained in the classical style, wanted to give students an opportunity to learn to sing a different kind of music.
"Students wanted to learn how to belt," Osmond said. "The seminar helped us learn how to teach students, make us better teachers, and expand our own knowledge."
Once the faculty gleaned instruction on teaching these styles, they awanted to perform it themselves. Each has had formal recitals in the past, but they all wanted to try something entirely new.
In between balancing teaching, solo recitals and their own personal lives, tonight's project took about a year and a half to prepare.
"We would find time between classes and student practices to practice for an hour or two," Schmidt said. "When we first started compiling songs to perform, we had enough for at least two recitals, but some of those will have to wait for the next show."
They will perform a variety of songs.
"We wanted a variety, we have songs that are comedic, jazz, and serious," Schmidt said. The progression of the songs goes in chronological order, starting with Vaudeville and ending with present-day Broadway songs.
"There is a variety of different kinds of music, but nothing high brow," Osmond said. Most numbers will be accompanied by Wyse on piano and a band comprised of drums and cello.
They hope the performance will be enjoyed by all.
"For the performance we not only want to entertain we want to educate the students on this type of music," Schmidt said. "Part of what we do here is teach by example".
"There's nothing like a recital to make you practice what you preach, like, why aren't you memorized? Or, why are you singing in your chest?" said Simmons.
"It's a lot of fun - comedy with a number of surprises," Schmidt said.
"We wanted to perform it in markel because of the sound quality and also to create an environment like a musical theater," said Simmons.
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