The main stage illuminated, breaking the darkness of the Black Box Theater. The audience stirred. Then, 13 students, each in a different color of the same Las Positas Music Department shirt, walked out together. Side by side. Each with a microphone in hand.
The audience quieted down. First, a couple of piano keys played, starting the hum of the fast, upbeat melody. Then the bass strung. Finally, the drums began to beat. All 13 students started singing in harmony at 5 p.m., and the concert officially began.
Roughly 120 people — students, educators, community members — gathered in the Barbara Mertes Center to lift their voices collectively. They sang loudly. They sang in sync. They swayed to the rhythm of the piano, drums and bass. They did it together. They did it for vocal jazz.
The event on Aug. 29 marked the third straight year since Andreas Preponis, the music department coordinator at LPC, began hosting the annual Vocal Jazz Academy. His plan to introduce the virtues of jazz and choir to the community has worked better than he ever imagined.
VOCAL JAZZ bridges the genres of jazz and choral music in what LPC music program Andreas Preponis describes as distinctly American. The third annual event was held on campus Aug. 29 to introduce LPC students to this art form. (Photo by Maggie Vander Ende // The Express)
Some attendees were new and fresh to this corner of the music world. Some were seasoned vets who’d taken classes and graced stages. Others came just for the Academy, drawn back by the camaraderie and opportunity to grow their voices. All of them smiled, sang, and harmonized. They strengthened their skills through mass choir rehearsals, specialized workshops and performances led by experienced clinicians such as Ian Brekke, Michelle Hawkins and Gaw Vang Williams.
Vocal jazz, an American art form that bridges the genres of jazz and choral music, demands and inspires a particular energy. The syncopated rhythm of jazz. The crunchy harmony of choral. Preponis knows it’s a beautiful art form that should be heard. He’s using the Academy to spread that.
And, it’s working. The academy is growing every year.
“It kickstarts the year by letting students dive into two pieces of music,” Preponis said. “To learn from expert clinicians on everything from solo singing and vocal technique to sound systems and beatboxing.”
Vocal Jazz Academy has camps spread out nationwide, including cities such as Long Beach, Chicago, Seattle and Phoenix.
Ian Brekke, one of the academy’s founding members and clinicians at this year’s event, had previously hosted the academy at the college before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. Preponis later brought the event back to campus after getting hired four years ago.
“So the school already had a history because of Ian,” Preponis said. “I wanted to get my students to experience other vocal jazz educators because it’s one of those great learning experiences where they go to a festival and they get feedback from somebody other than me.”
The piano, bass and drum set hummed along to the students’ voices as they sang together. They practiced different songs and stacked harmonies on top of each other, creating sounds that surrounded every corner of the theatre.
Students traveled as far as Fresno to attend the academy. To lock harmonies with Las Positas students and residents of the Tri-Valley.
BayBop was an already-established team that came together during the spring semester. Other students were new, getting their first exposure to vocal jazz.
“We have such great facilities here, and we have so many high schools not only in the district but in the Bay Area as well,” Preponis said. “We have schools from the Sacramento area and one school from down in Fresno. They drove four hours to be here. So I offered our location, and I also offered to bring all of our choral students. Which means even if we had fewer signups, we’d still have 40 students to attend.”
IAN BREKKE breaks down the logistics of beatboxing during one of the workshops. Said workshops lasted an hour and were held between choir rehearsals. (Photo by Maggie Vander Ende // The Express)
The intensive workshops included “Solo jazz styling,” “How to nail your audition,” “Getting your boots and cats on,” and “Building your voice.”
Solo jazz styling gave students the opportunity to showcase their voice and get feedback from experienced clinicians. They would sing a couple of notes and stop. Then redo it until it was perfect.
The workshop titled “How to nail your audition” broke down key parts to remember in order to be more likely to succeed, such as extra time to prepare, what type of music to carry and how to dress.
“Getting your boots and cats on” was a vocal percussion class where students learned to beatbox correctly and when to properly breathe while doing it. They learned about vocal percussion sentences to help warm them up. One example included “Bouncing clouds,” which students repeated over and over.
Other sessions throughout the day focused on topics such as vocal technique that attendees could use as they develop into performers. The variety of sessions allowed students to explore the different aspects of jazz rather than fixate on one aspect of the art form.
The workshops were placed between hour-long choir rehearsals, where students gathered on stage in the main theatre to sing songs. During these rehearsals, groups of students auditioned for solo parts during each song.
The rehearsals also emphasized collaboration in vocal jazz. Students who may not have known each other in the beginning spent the day learning and performing together as one large ensemble.
For Preponis, one of the academy’s most important goals is introducing younger students to an art form he describes as distinctly American and rooted in both jazz and choral traditions.
The academy’s goal is not only to teach students how to perform vocal jazz, but also to encourage them to continue exploring the genre beyond the one-day event. Preponis hopes students will seek out influential vocal jazz groups and recordings and develop a lasting interest in the style.
The academy also aims to build a sense of community among people who share an interest in singing. By bringing students, educators, clinicians and community members together, the event creates an environment where participants can learn from one another while experiencing vocal jazz as both an individual and group art form.
“The vision for this academy is to bring this very original American art form that is also very niche in its own way,” Preponis said. “To bring it to students and the next generation, and to expose them to it, and possibly ignite a love and a passion for it.”
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TOP PHOTO: Vocal Jazz Academy has camps spread out nationwide, including cities such as Long Beach, Chicago, Seattle and Phoenix. But LPC music department coordinator Andreas Preponis brought it to campus for the third straight year to promote the qualities of his program. (Photo by Maggie Vander Ende // The Express)
Maggie Vander Ende is the Editor-in-Chief for The Express. Follow her on Instagram @maggie.vanderende
