Calendar

HS Competitors arrive and get settled, warmed-up and ready to show the judges what they’ve got!

Note that all competing HS groups should attend the orientation. You will need the information we give you there.

Soundcheck will follow. Note that soundcheck are generally open for other (quiet) competitors to view. It’s a great learning experience!

Once a group has completed their own sound-check, their members may stay or are free to attend classes, Spotlight Showcases, their group’s coaching and more.

Have fun!

All high school competitors start off right here to soundcheck.

If you are a HS Competitor, your schedule may look like this.

West Side 5′s own Dylan Pramuk will teach you to scat! Dylan has pioneered a system to help you hear the changes so you can improvise a part that actually sounds right. It’s not so scary when you know how it works!

Dylan Pramuk, Bass for West Side 5 is a versatile baritone, improviser, arranger and educator, Dylan has performed at many of NYC’s finest jazz venues, including The Jazz Standard, The Blue Note, and Birdland. The New York Times has hailed his “killer scat singing.” With vocalists Amy London, Holli Ross and Pete McGuinness, Dylan is one fourth of the Royal Bopsters, the jazz vocal quartet whose debut album, The Royal Bopsters Project was released to international acclaim on Motema in 2015, featuring jazz vocal heroes Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, Bob Dorough, Sheila Jordan and the late, great Mark Murphy. In addition to private instruction, Dylan has developed an ongoing course in vocal improvisation entitled Hearing & Singing the Changes and, since January 2014, has been co-director with Amy London of the Jazz House Kids Vocal Academy in Montclair, New Jersey.

Star of Lifetime’s TV show, “PitchSlapped,” Diana Preisler is known as “The ACA-COACH.”

Diana says this: “They see you louder than they hear you.”

The Broadway performer, film actress (Oscar Nominated “Chico and Rita”), singer and manager of Blue Jupiter will show you how to make that message work for you. Groups will hop on stage and have their performance crafted to perfection.

This seminar is one of our most popular! Have your group come ready to perform!

Dopplers’s founder and director just happens to hold her Ph.d. in Concert Design. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into your own designs!

In a combined lecture and workshop the participants will be introduced to the concept of Concert Design, which Astrid has developed through her PhD research project. Concert Design begins from reflection on the concert situation as an event, where sensory communication is key. The concept contains a creative approach to working on stage performance, which will be illustrated through a brief theoretical explanation accompanied by exemplary exercises involving the workshop participants. Focus is on collaborative interpretation, physical awareness and coherent expression.

Members of the vocal ensemble Dopplers (www.dopplers.dk) will be present to showcase specific points, staging strategies and tools.

TBA

Anyone with a ClassPass, VIP Pass, Full Weekend Pass or Discount Weekend Pass may attend for FREE!

Pro, Semi-Pro, Collegiate and sometimes even HS groups of all types strut their stuff in a casual, non-competitive showcase.

HS groups performing in the Sat 2PM Show have a backstage call for the HS Competition at this time.

You will be led to your assigned green room/backstage area.

2:00 HS Finals begins! Break a leg!

Hello Judges for the Saturday 2PM HS Competition!

2:00 HS Finals begins!

Judge wisely!

The best High School groups get only 8 minutes of stage time to impress a team of respected a cappella experts as they compete for trophies. The Single Singers, an open a cappella group that you can join, perform while the judges deliberate.

Women of the World are the only group to have won both the ACA-OPEN and the Harmony Sweepstakes Nationals. They’ve spread their message of peace and inclusion at venues like Carnegie Hall and The Blue Note and worked with the UN. Come join this empowering class taught by Women of the World.

West Side 5′s founder and award-winning arranger, Eric Hughes shares his arranging approach, including some tips on how hot, jazz-based chord choices can enhance any arrangement in any style.

You know how to make the sounds. You know how to keep the beat. But what do you do when it’s your turn to  solo? When it’s just you and the crowd?

Johnny Buffalo, beatboxer for BackTrack, walks you through the ins and outs of planning and executing a killer beatbox solo.

Whether it’s 4 bars, 16 bars, or longer, the class will look at elements that can help create a structured solo out of thin air. From using buildups, to different rhythmic patterns, to planning the dramatic impact of more advanced sounds, this class will have you rocking and wowing audiences in no time.