The Care and Feeding of Contemporary A Cappella Ensembles, with Dr. J.D. Frizzell

This is the complete toolkit. So you just need to do two things. 1.) Listen to this episode. 2.) Start your own contemporary a cappella ensemble (vocal band). J. D. Frizzell outlines every why, how, and what you need to know to bring this insanely popular vocal experience to your school. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “Everybody in the area of a cappella education is very open and helpful, so please reach out to us” - J.D. Frizzell Show Notes: Contemporary a cappella = a vocal band. It performs popular music, singing the instrumental and percussion lines in addition to the lyrics. Contemporary a cappella is a valuable tool for smaller schools to engage students in choir. It is excellent for recruiting students, but also for engaging your audience. This style of singing helps drill essential singing skills: pitch, rhythm, tone, diction, etc. You have several options for music: buy published charts, arrange it yourself, or get others to arrange for you. Vocal percussion: look for a student who can be consistent with their sounds, consistently producing quality sounds, and then...practice. Student needs a solid sense of tempo. Mics, sound systems are great, but not mandatory when starting out. There are lots of good options, and no single right answer to the question, “What should I buy?”. Bio: J.D. Frizzell is the Director of Fine Arts at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, TN. He graduated in May 2017 with a doctorate in choral conducting from The University of Kentucky. J.D. has had best selling compositions around the world, with music published by Santa Barbara, Lorenz, Heritage, Colla Voce, Alfred, and others. A leader in the contemporary a cappella movement, he's the co-founder and President of The A Cappella Education Association. His group OneVoice has been on America's Got Talent, performed at ACDA, collaborated with The Swingles and New York Voices, won the Macy's All-School A Cappella Challenge judged by Pentatonix, and recorded with SONY. Resources/links Mentioned: A Cappella How Better A Cappella Deke Sharon at Total Vocal Robert Dietz Ben Bram A Cappella Psyche Random Notes The Vocal Company Camp A Cappella A Cappella Warm Ups for Pop Choirs, by J. D. Frizzell One Voice Jdfrizzell.com A Cappella Education Association The National A Cappella convention Choir Nation group on Facebook Email Patreon - Support the podcast! Sponsored by: Sight Reading Factory (Use promo code “NINJA” at checkout for 10 free student accounts!) My Music Folders (Use promo code “NINJA” at checkout for “last column” or best pricing - usually reserved for bulk purchases only!)