vocal techniques

Tag: vocal techniques

Roomful of Teeth returns to Lawrence with its distinctive vocal creations

If your recipe for a beautiful vocal concert includes a dash of yodeling, a pinch of Inuit throat singing, some Broadway belting and a large serving of new music punctuated with clicks, clucks and sighs, then Roomful of Teeth is for you.

The eight-voice, Grammy Award-winning a cappella ensemble brings its distinctive vocals to Lawrence University’s Memorial Chapel Friday, April 7 at 8 p.m. in the final concert of the university’s 2016-17 Artist Series.A group photo of the vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth

Tickets, at $25-30 for adults, $20-25 for seniors, $18-20 for students, are available online through the Lawrence Box Office or by calling 920-832-6749.

Since its founding in 2009 at Williams College in Massachusetts, Roomful of Teeth has embarked on a mission to fully mine the expressive potential of the human voice, creating instrumental music with their voices. Officially the group includes two sopranos, two altos, a tenor, a baritone, a bass-baritone and a bass. Unofficially, it includes yodelers, classical singers and throat singers.

Their concert program will include “Partita for 8 Voice,” written by former member Caroline Shaw, for which she was awarded the 2013 Pulitzer Prize (2013) for music, becoming the youngest-ever recipient of the Pulitzer for music.

The product of singing traditions, non-traditions and techniques from around the world, Roomful of Teeth has created a unique sound unlike any other vocal ensemble. By incorporating an ongoing commissioning, the ensemble produces a steady stream of new repertoire.

The group’s 2012 eponymic debut disc “A Roomful of Teeth” earned three Grammy Award nominations and won for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance.

Beyond their concert tour performances, Roomful of Teeth has collaborated with artists as diverse as Kanye West and the Seattle Symphony. They also provided the soundtrack to the documentary film “The Colorado.”

This is the ensemble’s second visit to Lawrence, having previously performed in February, 2014 as part of the university’s New Music Series that year.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

 

Voice teacher Ken Bozeman releases second book on vocal pedagogy

In a follow-up to his 2013 book “Practical Vocal Acoustics,” Lawrence University Voice Professor Kenneth Bozeman has written a second book designed to help voice instructors better teach their craft.

A photo of the cover of the book "Kinesthetic Voice Pedagogy" by Lawrence University Voice Professor Kenneth W. BozemanFeaturing more studio applications of the principles he outlined in his first book, Bozeman’s just-published “Kinesthetic Voice Pedagogy: Motivating Acoustic Efficiency” explores the science behind harmonics, vowel perception and formant tuning while providing insights on how best to teach those concepts by using kinestetic, visual and physiological approaches.

Topics examined in the book include remapping the open throat, sensation migration across range and comparisons of treble and non-treble voice training.

In July (16-21), Bozeman will co-lead a seminar on topics covered in both books  with Ian Howell of the New England Conservatory at Bjorklunden, Lawrence’s northern campus in Door County.

The seminar is designed for voice teachers of high school, college or adult students; college voice majors and voice students who are graduate performance or vocal pedagogy majors; choral conductors who incorporate vocal training in their rehearsals and voice therapists specializing in the rehabilitation of singers.

A Head shot of Lawrence University Voice Professor Kenneth W. Bozeman.
Kenneth Bozeman

The Frank C. Shattuck Professor of Music at Lawrence, Bozeman is the chair of the voice department, where he teaches voice and voice science and pedagogy. He is a frequent presenter on voice acoustics at national conferences and association meetings and currently serves as chair of the editorial board of the Journal of Singing, the national publication of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).

Bozeman joined the Lawrence conservatory faculty in 1977. A tenor, he has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and the Louisville Bach Society, among others.

He earned performance degrees from Baylor University and the University of Arizona. He also studied at the State Conservatory of Music in Munich, Germany on a fellowship from Rotary International.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.