woman in green jacket holding a microphone

Genre Differences, Individual Style, Pedagogy, Rhythm and Groove

Jess Baldwin

There’s no shame in not having major instrumental skills, and it definitely doesn’t have to hold you back in helping your student (or yourself!) reimagine a cover song in a style that feels more authentic. Here are a few tools you can use. Ballad-ize It If you want to ballad-ize something, Look on YouTube/iTunes for stripped down versions of a song. Search terms like “piano … Continue reading Changing the Feel of a Cover Song with Limited Instrumental Skills // Jess Baldwin

Jess BaldwinMay 31, 2022May 31, 2022Leave a comment

Cultural Influences, Expression, Genre Differences, Popular Music Education, Rhythm and Groove, Theory and Aural Skills

The Importance of Rhythm in Singing Modern Black American Music Styles // Alison Crockett

As voice teachers, we commonly work on how the voice sounds, feels and how to produce the sound necessary to create a beautiful tone that can be reproduced consistently without difficulty and strain. We as a community are starting to embrace teaching techniques that allow for health, well being and good sound production within modern music styles and singing practices. We are no longer afraid … Continue reading The Importance of Rhythm in Singing Modern Black American Music Styles // Alison Crockett

Alison CrockettJune 21, 2021June 7, 20212 Comments

Rhythm and Groove, Vocal Health

Four Essential Aspects for Styling a Contemporary Popular Song: Rhythm, Tone, Dynamics, and Vibrato (Part 1) // Jeannie Gagné

There are many aspects to teaching Contemporary Popular (Commercial) Music (CCM) singing styles. Besides healthy production—a huge topic to be sure, and not that different from traditional Western training—contemporary popular styles vary from traditional training in placement, registers, and tonal qualities. We also focus on stylistic aspects of the many popular genres including jazz, rock, pop, R&B, gospel, blues, country, and latin styles, to name … Continue reading Four Essential Aspects for Styling a Contemporary Popular Song: Rhythm, Tone, Dynamics, and Vibrato (Part 1) // Jeannie Gagné