What some people do with their time... . Awesome!

Jacob Collier

Mega congratulations UVJazz!

Thank you—audience members in person and via the internet, support crew (Sondra, Will, Kirk), and most of all singers and instrumentalists!—for a lovely, fun filled evening of excellent music!

Congratulations on a fine performance!
W.

2013 November Showcase Prelim-pics

Autumn Showcase • Nov. 24th Sunday 8pm

The annual Autumn Showcase approaches!

"Fall Back"

8pm

Sunday

Nov. 24th

PTY Recital Hall

UVic School of Music

Admission by donation.

Doors open at 7:45pm - limited seating, so arrive early!

Live stream audio: http://finearts.uvic.ca/music/events/live/

Click on images to enlarge.

VJ2 • Meaghan, Micha, Tyler & Taylor

In the upcoming "Fall Back" Autumn Showcase on November 24th at the School of Music, newcomers Meaghan and Micha team up with veterans Tyler and Taylor for a dynamic presentation of the Darmon Meader and Peter Eldridge arrangement of For All We Know by Sam M. Lewis (lyrics) and J. Fred Coots (music).

Monday October 28th Rehearsal Pics

Fall Retreat 2013 • Shawnigan Lake

The weekend witnessed loads of music and fun, rain and sun.

Thank you to everyone for a lively, inspiring and entirely productive experience.

A few of the pics.

Sectional 1

Sectional 2

Sectional 3

Sectional 4

Sectional 5

Jam Session 1

Lakeside Chat

Shoe Story

Walk On Water

Sept. 20th Vocal Jazz Retreat • Camp Pringle, Shawnigan Lake

Update

• A draft itinerary has been sent to the Ensemble Manager.
• We are awaiting responses to the car/driving requests. If you have a car and can drive, we require transport for another 10 people. The Director will have room in his van for six additional passengers.
• Dietary considerations will be accommodated.
• Check your emails: a final itinerary will be published thursday evening.

Travel Overview

• 3:45pm Friday, Sept. 20: meet in School of Music, common area, basement.
• 4pm Friday, Sept. 20: Depart UVic for Camp Pringle.
• 5pm Friday, Sept. 20: Check-in.
• 2pm Sunday Sept. 22: Check-out.

Reminders:

• it looks like it will be a rainy weekend: dress appropriately for colder (and muddy) mountain conditions.
• bring all your music, large ensemble and combo charts!
• bring a sleeping bag and pillow. If you have an extra sleeping bag, bring it for someone who doesn't have one.
• bring a guitar.

Cost

• $20 food contribution: please bring twenty dollars in cash with you to offset food expenses!
• payable to Monique.

Lodging

• costs are covered! Enjoy the weekend.

First Rehearsal

6pm, Monday, September 16th.
B016

Rehearsal goals and other information will be posted at the right column of the blog and distributed by the Ensemble Manager via email.

Looking forward to some "Fascinatin' Rhythm"!

2013 Audition Results

Apologies for the delay in posting the results.

Hard copies of the following information will be posted, as planned, on the main downstairs bulletin board and the Studio B080 door.

Some excellent singers were not chosen. This is more a reflection on the needs of the Ensemble than on any one individual's skill and artistry.

Thank you to everyone who auditioned!

And... mega kudos to the Audition Committee for the 7 hours you gave to the audition process—thank you for the exceptional care you gave to weighing the contributions of the candidates!

This year's Committee:

Andrea, Monique, Claire, Taylor, Nick, Matt, Danielle and Sarah—thank you!

Review of Round One, Monday: 5pm to 8:30pm

• Audition committee members independently compiled a personal draft list of singers for inclusion in the singer pool.

Review of Round Two, Monday: 9pm

• Draft lists were compared and singers common to all lists were entered into the singer pool.
• Preference was given to: candidates committed to two full semesters of weekly participation; candidates who possess stronger reading skills.
• Discussion and revisions to the singer pool were made based on further input from the Director.

Review of Round Three: Midnight

• Consensus.

Round Four: Tuesday

• Final revisions.

6pm

Wednesday, September 11th.

First Meeting of New Ensemble

Hand out scores
Hand out organizational information

Location: TBA School of Music

2013-2014 UVic Vocal Jazz Ensemble

Voice assignments are provisional.

S1—Andrea PADDOCK (SL)

S1—Meaghan MILLER

S2—Sophie Cullen

S2—Brittney JETTE

Swing—Margaret LINGAS

A1—Micha FORTIN

A1—Natasha PENFIELD

A2—Monique DU PLESSIS (EM)

A2—Sarah TRADEWELL

T—Tyler LANIGAN

T—Cody FROESE

Swing—Nick ALLEN (SL)

B—Taylor CASWELL

B—Matt FOSTER

UVJAZZ RHYTHM SECTION

Guitar—Jordan ASCH

Piano—Gabe LAGOS

Bass—Blake PALM

Drums—Sky KIM

2013 September Meet & Greet and Auditions

Everyone is invited to participate in our fun and welcoming annual Meet & Greet!

Meet & Greet

Wednesday, September 4th

6pm to 7pm

Room B016

Basement of the School of Music

MacLauren "B" Wing

Audition Material will be handed out and briefly rehearsed.

See also: the Audition Page on the Tab Bar above.

Singer Information Sheets will be available for completion prior to audition.

See also: the Course Outline Page on the Tab Bar above.

A Sign up sheet for Auditions will be posted on the B080 studio door after the Meet & Greet.

Auditions occur on the following Monday evening, September 9th: 5pm to 9pm.

First rehearsal will be Wednesday, September 11th at 6pm for a brief introduction and reading session.

Rehearsals are on Monday evenings from 6pm to 8:30pm.

Year Ender

Dear Teammates,

Thank you, one and all, for a year of fun music making! The group reached new heights. The level of artistry was outstanding.

Thank you for two exciting concerts and a very fun morning of music with the Arbutus Global Middle School vocal jazz ensemble under the able direction of Jen Smith.

By the looks of things, a few people will be moving on to new pastures, and many will be returning. We held preliminary auditions and we were graced with excellent voices ready to participate in the group once we complete auditions in September. I am in the process of compiling a short list that will be compared to the auditions in September that will be conducted by our excellent team of peer panelists.

To those leaving—best wishes for your success and happiness! Keep in touch!

To those returning—I look forward to a new year of fun-filled music. I'll be sending out an email to all returning singers in mid August to confirm positions in the group, just so we know how many positions to fill.

Huge thanks are due to our rhythm section—Rob (dr), Brendan (bass), Sky (dr) and Jordan (gtr), and especially Gabe and Stephanie, our rehearsal pianists!—your support and indispensable participation is so very much appreciated.

To our technicians under the able guidance of Kirk McNally—thank you for all that you do! We cannot do what we do without you.

To the composers of the music we perform—cheers! We couldn't do what we do without the great charts given to us by the composers.

Thank you to the UVic Print Services for the excellent work on posters and handbills!

A very special thanks to Olivia and Claire for contributions above and beyond the call of duty—website development, organization, scheduling, Singing Valentine's fundraiser. Olivia was the Ensemble Manager this year. We are grateful for her thoughtful contributions and excellent ability to prompt everyone to excellence.

Lastly, thank you to our audiences—friends, relatives, colleagues, strangers from far and near—we do it for you because no performance is complete without the audience.

Yours,

Wendell.

P.S.—If anyone has pics from the Spring Showcase, please forward to me at your earliest convenience. WC.

Camerata Lacunensis • "O Pato"

A fun chart presented by Camerata Lacunensis.

Another presentation by the same group in a more intimate setting:

Check out the Diego Jasca Trio:

2013 SPRING AUDITIONS

MEET & GREET

MONDAY APRIL 15TH

6pm to 6:30

Room B016

UVic School of Music

Audition material

will be made available.

There will be a brief rehearsal

of the audition excerpts.

Click on the Audition Page on the Tab Bar
for Audition material and directions.

AUDITIONS

WEDNESDAY APRIL 17TH

5:30 to 6:30

and 7pm to 8pm

If you cannot make the audition times posted above, meet with the Director at the Meet & Greet to determine whether or not an alternate audition time can be arranged.

LISTEN LIVE! - "MOODS OF MARCH" VOCAL JAZZ SHOWCASE

Listen live - click HERE: UVIC LIVE STREAM

The showcase starts at 8pm PDT (GMT-7).

Click on image to zoom.

Vocal Jazz Spring Showcase 2013

Post-Valentines Day 2013

Wow! A great day.

Thank you to our Singing Valentines coordinators - Olivia and Claire (website,  organization and promotion) and Renn and team (cards) - for a job well done!

Thank you to those strolling minstrels who, on their own initiative, wandered around the campus to bring our services to the attention of their peers. Their activity resulted in a number of Valentines being delivered on campus.

And to all singers who gave time and talent to the project by working around midterms, classes, rehearsals and such - thank you for your vital contributions!

Thank you to the drivers who provided necessary transportation for the teams.

I've heard reports of video being posted and emails of appreciation from clients. We'll archive those messages and add the stories to those from previous years.

The hard work and talent of singers of yesteryear and today is bearing much fruit. Artistry and enthusiasm have made UVic Vocal Jazz a thriving component of the University of Victoria School of Music, the UVic community and the local music scene.

Cheers!

W. Clanton

UViC Vocal Jazz at Arbutus Middle School

The UVic Vocal Jazz Ensemble joins the Arbutus Middle School Vocal Jazz Ensemble for a morning of music on February 4th.

The exciting music program at Arbutus Global Middle School is led by two UVic grads, Mike Mazza and Jennifer Hill (nee Smith), and features a wide variety of musical experiences for budding musicians.

For a relatively small city, Victoria has the lion's share of excellent music programs, many in the hands of UVic grads who have assumed prominent roles in music education in the province of British Columbia.

2013 UVSMEA Retreat

Click on image to enlarge.

On January 13th at Camp Pringle at Shawnigan Lake, members of the UVic Student Music Educators Association participated in an exploration of composition processes intended to supplement their studies in music education.

The workshop, entitled I Re-write The Songs That Make The Whole World Cringe, consisted of a series of practical exercises that examined and synthesized complementary and contrasting approaches to teaching music composition to high school students.

UVic students were first directed to write down their responses to various questions asked by the workshop leader, Wendell Clanton, director of the UVic Vocal Jazz Ensemble. Each participant was then directed to exchange their theme cards with an adjacent student. Another series of questions were asked and responses were again recorded by each participant. The theme cards were then exchanged again.

Students were then given a guide in the form of a leadsheet of a jazz standard, asked to sing the lyrics together in the large group, and then invited to form small groups in which they re-wrote the lyrics according to set guidelines intended to facilitate or complicate the revision process. Each participant was given a leadsheet without lyrics so they could record their new lyrics and make revisions.

Each team or small group was given a limited time to reconstruct the lyrics using the theme cards possessed by each participant in a team. Students were encouraged to name their composition teams, use appropriate humour in their new lyrics and employ whatever instruments in their possession to enhance the performance of the new lyrics.

Upon the completion of the first stage of the team workshops, teams were then brought together in the large group to receive additional direction. A brief presentation included an examination of the compositional process and potential advantages and roadblocks to success. Various aspects of the BC Provincial curriculum were brought to the students' attention by nuancing the compositional processes in which they were engaged.

The teams were then invited to return to small group work for a brief period in order to refine and rehearse their presentations. Prior to the performance of the new lyrics by each team, a member was selected from each group to form a committee charged with evaluating each performance and selecting a winning submission. The adjudicators were tasked with providing specific feedback intended to facilitate self evaluation and an evaluation of the workshop.

The presentations were a mixture of hilarious and intricate associations, awkward juxtapositions of themes and exceptional wit and wordplay, all in service of acquainting the students with the Provincial (BC) curriculum prescribed learning outcomes (PLOs).

All in all, the workshop was very successful and managed to engage every participant in a refinement of literacy in aid of teaching and learning.

Rehearsal January 14th

Looking forward to a full rehearsal this coming Monday - 6:15 start time.

1. He Beeped (confident solos)
2. A Child Is Born
3. Clear Day (mm 89-150)
4. Baby Driver (beg to m. 65) (confident solos)

Remember to keep the following charts from last semester "fresh":

1. Do Nothin' (review on Monday)
2. Sunshine
3. Nica's Dream

Nick will be presenting his lift on Monday!