For Directors
The Winning Set; How To Choose The Right Songs For Your Group
Tom Paster
9:00 AM, Library
Whether for competition or concert, choosing the right songs to highlight your group’s
abilities is no easy task. This class will focus on the many factors that go into the decision
making process such as soloists, VP, bass, genre, form, era, and more. Should the songs
be selected by the group members or the director? Will the set be a collection of unrelated
songs or will it have an overarching theme? To mash-up or not to mash-up? Should you
use one arranger for the whole program or a different arranger for each song? These
questions and all of your questions will be discussed during this informative workshop.
Rehearsal Techniques
Ben Spalding and Brody McDonald
10:00 AM, Library
Two of the most successful a cappella directors in the country will share their most
successful techniques and approaches to common rehearsal issues.
Sheet Music Reading Session
John DeFerraro, Moderator
11:00 AM, Library
Read through some of the best new arrangements from top publishers and arrangers in
the business. All session attendees get a FREE packet of music.
HS Teacher Roundtable
Ben Spalding, Moderator
1:00 PM, Library
Discuss problems, issues, concerns, frustrations, successes, and more with fellow high
school a cappella directors from around the country.
Aca-Jedi Mind Tricks
Matt Caruso
2:00 PM, Library
Get the most out of your group by using Aca-Jedi mind tricks! This very interactive
workshop includes warm-ups and other exercises from the psychological point of view of
sensation and perception. Intrigued? Come check it out. It’ll change the way you and your
group sing forever!
Open Masterclass
Deke Sharon
3:00 PM, Choir Room
Join Deke Sharon, the godfather of contemporary a cappella, as he leads a workshop and
masterclass with convention host and SONY Recording Artist Briarcrest OneVoice.
Sound Systems for A Cappella
Mister Tim
4:00 PM, Band Room
Learn How To Pick Out, Purchase, Set Up, and Run a sound system for your a cappella
group. Get hands on experience with the various pieces of equipment needed.
For Performers
Essential Listening
Ben Stevens
9:00 AM, Choir Room
What is there to listen to, how might we listen to it, and why? In this interactive workshop,
we develop our critical listening skills so as to deepen our creative practices and recapture
our basic capacity to be moved by the music we love.
Choreography 101
Katherine Mena
11:00 AM, Choir Room
Using the Highlands Voices as an example group, Katherine will lead a hands-on seminar
on how to use simple choreography and dance steps to make a large group of people look
great on stage! She will incorporate using different people’s ideas for what they think looks
the best up on stage, then she will incorporate all those ideas into our step by step
choreography process.
Recording A Cappella
Angela Ugolini
1:00 PM, Choir Room
You know how to ‘leave it all on the stage’ in live performance: now learn how to apply those on-‐stage performance techniques in the studio, resulting in tracking that is truly face-‐melting. We will examine how recording technology has changed vocal arranging throughout the years resulting in sometimes sterile and sometimes exemplary art. How To Sing In All Styles
Erin Hackel
4:00 PM, Choir Room
Think there is a single "correct" technique for singing? Think again. This course will teach
you the fundamental techniques of how to become a marketable singer across styles, from
classical to jazz to R&B to pop. Special attention will be paid to how to belt as high as you
want, and never crack again.
For Industry Members (A Cappella Professionals)
Pro Producers Roundtable
Amanda Cornaglia, Dave Sperandio, David Longo, Danny Ozment, and Matt Caruso,
Moderators
11:00- 11:50 AM, Room 125
A venue through which producers can discuss the current state of the industry, common
themes and struggles, new paths of innovation, trends, and more.
Pro Arrangers Roundtable
Robert Dietz, Moderator
1:00- 1:50 PM, Room 125
A venue through which arrangers can discuss the current state of the industry, common
themes and struggles, new paths of innovation, trends, and more.
AEA State Representative Roundtable
J.D. Frizzell, Moderator
4:00-4:50 PM, Room 125
Yearly meeting of AEA State Representatives to discuss goals, programs, and the future
of the A Cappella Education Association.
Songwriting and Arranging
Songwriting 101
Austin Willacy
9:00- 9:50 AM, Room 123
Have you started tons of songs but never finished any? Learn some strategies for writing
lyrics, melodies, chords and how to fit them together to write more, and better, songs.
Harmony and Texture for Arrangers
Tom Anderson
10:00- 10:50 AM, Room 123
Supercharge your arranging chops as one of the industry's most acclaimed a cappella
arrangers takes you under the hood on two vital technical concepts. Vroom vroom.
Why Lyrics Matter
Amy Malkoff
11:00- 11:50 AM, Room 123
What are those sounds that you make when you're not singing jens and bahs and dohs?
Yay, lyrics! They make you feel the feels and they're how you connect to your audience.
So, choosing songs (or writing songs) with well-crafted lyrics is as important as the chord
progressions you agonize over. From the sublime to the sublimely simple, we'll talk about
the words that best tell our story in song.
Spontaneous Composition and Circle Singing
Francisco Ruiz
1:00- 1:50 PM, Room 123
The voice can be used as a paintbrush to create visual textures that elicit a visual and
emotional experience for the listener. This class is designed to help each participant
explore the art of composed and improvised vocal expression, including instrumental
singing and vocal improvisation. Students will learn how to use their entire body as a
performance instrument; explore the art of vocal and body percussion (Latin-American
instruments like cowbell, conga, bongo, timbales, guiro, etc); and discover a renewed
sense of freedom to discover his or her own style of vocal expression and improvisation
Arranging 101
Jon Smith
2:00- 2:50 PM, Room 123
Creative Vocal Lab
Marc Silverberg + Evan Feist
3:00-3:50 PM, Room 123
Using group improvisation techniques created by Bobby McFerrin, Rhiannon, Roger
Treece, and others, participants will learn how to organically arrange a cappella and
improvise as a group.
Advanced Arranging
Jon Smith
4:00- 4:50 PM, Room 123
Interest Sessions
Suddenly It's Everywhere: The Spectacular History of A Cappella
Joshua S. Duchan
9:00- 9:50 AM, Theatre/Dance Studio
This workshop familiarizes participants with the history behind a cappella, with particular
emphasis on collegiate a cappella. Were the Yale Whiffenpoofs really the first college
singing group? Did "Glee" really start the trend of choreography in a cappella
performances? What about "The Sing Off" and "Pitch Perfect"? Learn the answers to
these questions and more in this fascinating look at where our music comes from. We'll
begin by looking at the "prehistory" of a cappella, on America's oldest college campuses,
and then proceed through the Whiffenpoofs and the influence of barbershop at the turn of
the twentieth century. Finally, we'll explore the "a cappella explosion" of the 1980s and
90s, discussing the preconditions and results of this seemingly sudden surge of a cappella
activity. America's oldest college campuses, and then proceed through the Whiffenpoofs
and the influence of barbershop at the turn of the twentieth century. Finally, we'll explore
the "a cappella explosion" of the 1980s and 90s, discussing the preconditions and results
of this seemingly sudden surge of a cappella activity.
Crowdfunding and Internet Patronage
Danny Ozment
10:00-10:50 AM Theatre/Dance Studio
The landscape of online fundraising is vast with new options appearing all the time. Learn
to navigate this popular form of fundraising and do it effectively.
College Music Director Roundtable
Erin Hackel, Moderator
1:00- 1:50 PM, Theatre/Dance Studio
Discuss current trends, problems, questions and experiences with other collegiate a
cappella music directors.
Selling Out With Kevin & Andrea: Get Booked and Get Heard
Kevin Taylor + Andrea Macy
3:00- 3:50 PM, Theatre/Dance Studio
Come to this session to prove a point; everything’s better when you have an
audience. With current technology it is easier than ever to record top level content and
reach the masses via the Internet. But no amount of ‘likes’ or ‘page views’ can equal the
singular thrill of a standing ovation from an enthusiastic crowd. Our genre is unequaled in
its ability to create a true connection between audience and performer; when groups tap
into this energy, they are inspired to reach new heights of vocal performance. Not to
mention, that successful live performance helps to forge a tight bond between group
members, creates powerful and lasting memories, increases your fundraising capacity and
helps groups prepare for competitions. In this session, we will help you not only get on
the stage with creative ideas on bookings, but help to optimize your performance
opportunities with a how-to on filling the seats!
The Art of the Cover
Philipp Walzer + Katya Dreyer Oren
4:00- 4:50 PM, Room 121
Covering pop tunes is common practice in the contemporary a cappella world, but what
makes one cover stand above the rest? Join this arranging workshop & discussion on how
to create a great cover. We\'ll break down some example arrangements and discuss what
elements are used to make them unique, memorable, and effective. Basic elements of
Jazz theory will be incorporated into the discussion, and we'll explore how these elements
can be used to reinvent popular songs.
Basic Impact: Choreo for the non-dancer
TeKay
4:00 PM, Theatre/Dance Studio
Let’s talk about staging! TeKay guides you through what to do on stage and why using
basic movement and pictures to engage your audience. Using the 4S theory, he offers
topics and tricks for performance coordinators and group members who don't want to
become show choirs or are taking the next step from the stand and sing model.
Vocal Percussion
Groove Harder
Tracy L J Robertson
9:00- 9:50 AM, Room 119
How can we as vocal percussionists better fulfill our role in the ensemble? How deep is
our pocket? What can we add that the arranger missed? How much control do we really
have? In this interactive discussion we will investigate the qualities of a good drummer.
How To Practice Vocal Percussion
Matt Murphy
11:00- 11:50 AM, Room 119
Beatboxing is such an odd skill that it can be seen as a gift. Something one is born with.
Either you can do it, or it seems like a foreign language. Conversely, those of us that have
experience beatboxing sometimes feel like they fall into the same grooves for most songs.
Here's my best groove, they might think, adjust it to the right tempo and copy, paste, copy,
paste, etc. Both of these negative feelings are simply not true! With the right direction and
discipline, beginners can start to develop their rhythmic vocabulary and listening skills from
the exercises and practice habits shared in this class. Also, advanced students will find the
fragments and techniques that Matt has developed over the years as a drumset player,
teacher, and VP clinician helpful for improving discipline, taste, feel, and endurance.
Women In A Cappella
Women In A Cappella Roundtable
Amy Malkoff, Moderator
9:00- 9:50 AM, Room 121
Discuss experiences, problems, trends, and other specific issues relating to all-female a
cappella groups with some of the top leaders today.
Healthy Female Belting Technique
Randy Buescher
11:00- 11:50 AM, Room 121
Based on research done by Randy Buescher and Dr. Steven Sims, Mr. Buescher will
present their findings and demonstrate and work with students to achieve the "high brassy
belt" it creates. The findings have been published in the NATS Journal of Singing and
have been presented at numerous, high profile voice conferences
Essential Listening for Female A Cappella
Ben Stevens
1:00- 1:50 PM, Room 121
What is there to listen to, how might we listen to it, and why? In this interactive workshop,
we develop our critical listening skills so as to deepen our creative practices and recapture
our basic capacity to be moved by the music we love. This special edition of “EssList” is
focused on all-female a cappella.