This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending, and
teaching at, the first every National A cappella Convention (NACC), hosted by
the A cappella Educator’s Association (AEA).
This festival, among its many other strengths, was a welcome
change from the typical format of other a cappella festivals, for many reasons;
the main reason is that the festival was modeled after the American Choral
Director’s Association, the largest organization for choral ensembles and
choral music. (Incidentally, the ACDA was one of the sponsors of the event.)
If you were unable to attend this year’s event, then I have
good news and bad news. The bad news is, you missed an incredible experience
with out-of-the-box workshops only found here. The good news…tickets are
already available for next year.
Here is what I learned from attending the festival:
1) Building the Grid
In Brody McDonald and Ben Spalding’s rehearsal technique
class, the instructors were eager to emphasize the necessity for technical
mastery. Each instructor gave the audience several new rehearsal techniques
they use with Eleventh Hour and Forte, respectively, that was intended to structure
each piece of music dynamically and emotionally.
It is important to understand that neither of these
ensembles rehearse notes. Rehearsals are not for “note plunking.” Note plunking
is done outside of rehearsal. Rehearsals are for vocal techniques, mapping out
the song, rehearsing as a group, etc.
Did you know that Brody makes a grid, mapping out each
section of the music like a chart, so that each section of the song has its own
dynamic markings, mood, percussion beat, etc.? It is this attention to detail
that makes both these directors successful.
2) The Recording Roundtable
One of my favorite aspects of the NACC was the roundtable
discussions. It is important to understand the difference between panels,
roundtables, and lectures. A lecture is one or two instructors, instructing the
class and teaching them tools they can use. A panel is several experts, who
typically sit at the front of the space, and answer questions about topics. A
roundtable is something much different.
One of the key differences you notice, walking into a
roundtable, is the obvious shape of the room. The tables are placed in a
circle, so that no one leads, everyone is equal and bring something to the
table. Another key difference is the level of expertise. Roundtables are not for
amateurs- no one is going to teach you the basics in a roundtable discussion.
Roundtable discussions are for pros to debate topics that shape the industry.
If you are an amateur, like I was in the recording roundtable discussion, your
role is to listen and absorb, and then ask questions that are specific in
nature.
For example, I wanted to know if the professional a cappella
engineers had a “formula” for every mix they start. Is there a set of
parameters that engineers use on every mix, and what are the effects they add
to each voice?
The formula for mixing an a cappella song is to focus on the
big three: Percussion, Bass, and Lead. If you get those right, the harmonies
and background vocals will then be measured against what you have done to the
big three.
I also asked about the trend I had noticed, where a cappella
businesses are moving over to Venmo, over Paypal. I did not know that Paypal
actually owns Venmo, but Venmo is a combination social site and money transfer
site. It allows people to talk to each other, post comments, and also transfer
money without cost.
3) The Director Roundtable
The other roundtable I found very engaging was led by Dr.
Erin Hackel, director of MIX and Lark,
from University of Colorado-Denver. In this workshop, we debated the need for
group identity, and how all male groups, once the most dominant force in a
cappella, have taken a backseat to the mixed groups. Dr. Hackel suggested that
for male groups to survive in the new a cappella format, male groups need to
find an identity above the “silly, goofy, sexual” persona that so many male
groups take.
I attended the roundtable because I wanted to ask specific
questions about her group, MIX. I had started thinking about forming a version
of MIX at my school, with a small number of singers and with a more theatrical
element. This round table gave me a chance to ask those detailed questions, in
a small setting, with plenty of face time. Do yourself a favor and attend
roundtables in the future.
4) Reading Sessions
Free music? An hour of singing with no breaks? “Impossible!”
you say. Nope. It was the reading session. Every attendee got a free packet of
music, and they just sat there and read through it. ACDA has several of these
at every festival, but I had never seen an all pop a cappella version until
now.
For more information about next year’s festival, go to
acappellaeducators.com
Marc Silverberg
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