Last weekend, The Quarry Theatre was transformed into a hub of jazz, funk and groove for budding singers and instrumentalists aged 14 to 18 with an interest in the music genres. The weekend event, offered free of charge, was hosted by the supremely musically gifted husband-and-wife team of jazz composer, pianist and educator Nikki Iles and Pete Churchill, Professor of Jazz Composition at the Royal Academy of Music and an internationally acclaimed jazz performer – a singer, pianist and conductor. Our boys were joined by pupils from other schools as well as some music teachers.
The focus of the weekend was to teach participants the most useful skills for jazz musicians that are not instrument-specific and covered a wide variety of musical styles such as soul, gospel, R&B and folk. Some of the music studied was composed by Pete Churchill himself, who led the sessions.
Over the course of the Saturday, the group learned a host of new music as part of a large vocal ensemble. Directed by Pete, the group learned a four-part harmony completely by ear, accompanied by Nikki on piano and the rest of the rhythm section. In fact, the rhythm section accompanied the singers for the entire weekend, so that the group of singers were always accompanied by a band, which made it an even more incredible experience for them.
Sunday’s sessions focussed on the skills of the solo singer, using musical theatre and American songbook repertoire, and how to work with a rhythm section. The session also covered how to teach by ear, how to choose appropriate repertoire, and how to create a stylistically authentic performance through the right rhythmic approach. Learning to stylistically sing jazz in this way will in turn have a major influence on how instrumentalists can play the style on their instruments.
Throughout the weekend, Pete Churchill demonstrated incredible knowledge of the genres covered, as well as innate musicality in everything he did. All of those taking part thoroughly immersed themselves in the experience, worked hard and clearly enjoyed it immensely. They learned the new songs really quickly, covering far more material in the time allowed than had been expected. The weekend culminated in a presentation to parents, showcasing the impressive skills that had been learned.
Mr Adrian Finch, Director of IB, who attended the sessions, told us, “Led by the incredibly talented and knowledgeable Pete Churchill, it was a remarkable workshop that gave participants a taste of the marvellous world of choral jazz singing. Even with 40 years choral experience, I gained lots of insights into text, rhythm and tuning. Importantly, the event was hugely enjoyable; everyone left smiling and inspired.”
Perhaps the icing on the cake for those taking part though was the fact that they got to not only attend free of charge, but also perform in, the Nikki Iles & Pete Churchill Trio jazz gig which was held in The Quarry Theatre on the Saturday evening. The group performed, to the packed theatre, a song from the musical The Journey, written by Pete Churchill all about the history of immigration. The concert was a rare chance for Bedfordians to hear some of the very finest jazz musicians in the world perform in an intimate and relaxed setting. One highlight of the concert was hearing Immy Churchill (Nikki and Pete’s daughter) sing. With a voice reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald, she was truly outstanding. One audience member told us, “How wonderful to enjoy performances from these world-class musicians in such an informal and intimate atmosphere. Pete shared stories behind the music each time they played which really added to it all. And the session with the choir from the workshops was heart-warming! An absolutely outstanding evening with performances (like the audience!) from old and young alike. We loved it!”
You can watch some excerpts from the weekend masterclass on the Bedford School Music Facebook page.