Breakout Session
Musicianship for the Commercial Vocalist
Sunday, July 10 • 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Kathryn Paradise
Introduced by: Richard Weidlich
Location: Chicago Ballroom ABC - 5th Floor
To function successfully and professionally in the commercial music world, vocalists need a specific set of musicianship skills. As voice teachers preparing our students to be employable and marketable in commercial music settings, it is our responsibility to make our students aware of and ideally teach them these skills. This workshop will give an overview of the skills we need to instill in our commercial voice students as well as practical strategies for teaching commercial musicianship within the context of a voice lesson. The topics that will be covered in this workshop include (but are not limited to): communication with the band/rhythm section, basic chart writing, count-offs, gig and rehearsal etiquette, improvisation and interaction with the band and avoiding common “chick-singer” pitfalls. Commercial styles addressed will include jazz, rock, pop, R&B, country and more! Handouts will be provided.
About Kathryn Paradise
Kathryn Paradise joined Belmont University in the fall of 2007 as a full time Instructor of Commercial Voice. Paradise earned both the Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Studio Music and Jazz Vocal Performance from the University of Miami, working as a teaching assistant under Professor Larry Lapin. While in Florida, she received DownBeat Magazine’s student award for Outstanding Solo Jazz Vocal Performance as well as numerous student DownBeat awards for her work in Jazz Vocal I. After leaving the University of Miami, Ms. Paradise resided in Burlington, Vermont where she taught voice at St. Michael’s College, Johnson State College and the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. Since her teaching appointment at Belmont University, Paradise has received certification in Somatic Voicework™ The Lovetri Method from the Institute of Contemporary Commercial Music in Voice Pedagogy. She has also completed training in Vocology with Dr. Ingo Titze at the National Center for Voice and Speech. Paradise has directed Belmont’s jazz vocal ensemble, Jazzmin, since 2008 and during that time the ensemble has won five student DownBeat awards, appeared on National Public Television and performed at the Jazz Education Network’s Conference in Dallas, TX. In addition to directing Jazzmin, Paradise also teaches undergraduate and graduate level Applied Commercial Voice, classes in jazz vocal styles and graduate vocal improvisation. While continuing to teach full-time at Belmont University, she is completing the Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has also continued to have a successful career as a performing artist, including appearances with Kurt Elling, Kevin Mahogany, Elaine Elias, Carmen Lundy, Claudia Acuna, John Pizzarelli and Will Lee and inclusion on Putumayo’s International release, Women of Jazz.
