Purpose of Exercise
To help vocalists develop versatility and adaptability in commercial music. By exploring different genres, students enhance their listening skills, identify unique vocal stylistic elements, & expand their artistic identity. The goal is to enable vocalists to navigate multiple genres while staying true to their authentic voice.
Overview of Exercise
The Vocal Chameleon Exercise Series consists of three steps:
1. Mimicking Exercise: Students listen to and mimic artists, focusing on phrasing, tonal colors, and stylistic elements.
2. Genre Adaptation Exercise: Students sing familiar songs (e.g., nursery rhymes) in various musical genres or imitate different artists, allowing them to explore integrating new stylistic elements into their unique sound.
3. Genre Flip Challenge: Students choose a song and perform it in a different genre, using recordings or live performances to showcase their creativity and understanding of genre-specific elements.
Exercise
Step 1: Mimicking Exercise
• Instructions:
1. Assign a song that is stylistically related to the student's favorite genre (e.g., R&B students might sing a country song by Chris Stapleton).
2. Have the student listen analytically to the song, mapping out phrasing, speech patterns, tonal colors, and stylistic elements.
3. Sing through the song, focusing first on phrasing, then tonal colors and other elements separately.
4. Gradually combine these components and aim to closely mimic the original artist's style.
5. Encourage recording the process to facilitate active listening and self-assessment.
6. Reflect on whether any new stylistic elements can be integrated into the student’s own vocal style.
Step 2: Genre Adaptation Exercise
• Instructions:
1. Have the student randomly pick a genre from a list or hat and sing a well-known children's song (e.g., "Mary Had a Little Lamb") in the chosen style.
2. Alternatively, assign a favorite artist and challenge the student to sing in their style (e.g., singing the alphabet song like Tori Kelly).
3. Experiment with including elements like register flips or vocal runs, integrating these stylistic features into the student's authentic sound.
Step 3: Genre Flip Challenge
• Instructions:
1. Begin by listening to and analyzing various cover versions of a popular song (e.g., "Yesterday" by The Beatles) to understand different genre adaptations.
2. Analyze how artists modify instrumentation, tempo, and stylistic elements while staying true to their genre.
3. Have the student choose a song and re-arrange it to fit another genre, with an option to record or perform it live.
4. Reflect on the creative choices made and evaluate the authenticity and effectiveness of the genre flip.