Gary Powell, Composer/Producer

by Gary Powell

A simple report can hardly explain the whole of the workshop at “The Buffalo Summer Institute in Media Writing and Production” in Buffalo, New York this last week. I really like to interpret my experiences beyond just what happened, otherwise we’ll all just be punching time clocks and this was definitely not punching time clocks.

Let me first say that I really miss these singers already. Missing someone implies an emotional attachment which became apparent to me when I saw how hard these singers were willing to not only work, but work outside of their normal comfort zones.
As a vocal clinician, it was my job to identify the vocal talent present, and as diverse as that talent was, find the common thread of what would most benefit the most people. For this group, that turned out to be deepening the relationship of the ear and the voice……and in this, case learning to LEAD WITH THE EAR. It’s a paradigm shift for singers to suddenly switch off what they think has always worked for them. Many singers are flat-out resistent to this kind of vocal “therapy”. Well, not in Buffalo!
These singers have all had successes, been trained, sung in front of large audiences, been on TV, made commercials and had record deals. Maybe it’s the hot buffalo wings up there, but whatever it was, the egos were dropped almost immediately.

This was inspiring and encouraged me to come up with more exercises and music that would be right for them. I wrote, with the help of everyone, one little funky tune entitled, “I’m Going to Eat My Way to the Top”, inspired by food made famous in Buffalo. Each celebrity food got a verse…food like “Buffalo Wings”, “Beef on Weck”, “Might Taco” and “Bison’s Dip”. We performed this live with a piano at the closing banquet for other students, faculty, parents and friends. (Thanks to Patrick James for giving us your lick for the powerful “beef on weck” lyric.)

Another comment about Buffalo families and supporters: I met so many wonderful parents who were very present while keeping a very respectable distance. Not to take this too globally, but that’s not how all parents act in Texas. (See any news story about the latest cheerleading incidents.) Now that I’ve angered my entire state, let me just say how great it was to see and meet so many parents and just make note of so many gracious fathers. There was no doubt about sacrifices made in support of these young adults.

While I took the musical responsibility, Ted Kryczko, Vice President of Product Development for Walt Disney Records, took the lead in counseling individuals around the topic of music business. Ted interviewed each singer, learning about their experiences and aspirations while lending his sage wisdom from having been at the center of Walt Disney Records for over twenty years. Thank you, Ted, for inviting me to your home town of Buffalo. I guess this makes me a Bills fan, not to mention a “Beef on Weck” fan.

My thanks to Jennifer Koch-Gibson, the director of the institute, for her accommodating support of everything Ted and I needed. I’m so glad we had the piano for the banquet! Also, thanks to Mike and Robbie at Audio Magic, the recording studio where we worked all week. Thanks to Debbie Bello for your open mind, the support of your students and my morning coffee!

Most of all I want to give three big “woops” to these singers and to their friends and families for a wonderful and memorable week in Buffalo, New York. I am impressed by your spirit, talent and discipline and am honored that you gave me your trust. Come to Austin and we’ll write a song about enchiladas verde, suizas and mole with a side of guacamole!

The Singers of the Buffalo Summer Institute
Jennifer Waris, Patrick James, Jay Dref, Samantha Will, Jillian Ambrose, Barbara Levy Daniels, Danielle Calato
Colton Rudloff, Ashley Kate Alaimo, Kelly Warner, Collin Ranney, Samantha Taglienti, Katie Ralyea, Amanda Nagurney,
Eva Burger, Caitlin Koch, Auria Fuentes, Chelsey Zimmerman, Rita Bella, Toni Silveri, Sarah Russell

Filed by Gary Powell at 9:44 pm under Music Clinic & Lecture Notes
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by Gary Powell

Top Row
Jennifer Waris, Patrick James, Jay Dref, Samantha Will, Jillian Ambrose, Barbara Levy Daniels, Danielle Calato
Middle Row
Colton Rudloff, Ashley Kate Alaimo, Kelly Warner, Collin Ranney, Samantha Taglienti, Katie Ralyea, Amanda Nagurney,
Bottom Row
Eva Burger, Caitlin Koch, Auria Fuentes, Chelsey Zimmerman, Rita Bella, Toni Silveri, Sarah Russell

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Ted Kryczko, Vice President of Product Development for Walt Disney Records, invited me to co-teach a class for singers at The Buffalo Summer Institute in Media Writing and Production in Buffalo, NY. The twenty-one singers pictured above showed up probably not knowing exactly what to expect from us. We, also, had no expectations about the level of talent that might show up.

The singers represent all age groups and presented songs from broadway, jazz, pop, coutnry and R&B. First of all, these people can sing. There is hardly anything more fun for me than to work with singers in groups, especially after we all get over ourselves. Finding our illusive “voice” in an event competitively styled to promise a real opportunity in the music business is a challenge for everyone. I suspect at the bottom of searching for a “break” are people who are sincerely intestested in learning to make better music and learning to be better communicators with their instruments.

All these people are going to sing throughout their lives….that’s clear or maybe just my fantasy. But, they are all that good and my wish for all of them is that they contiunue to learn and grow and bring their gifts and discipline to their communities and the world.

Later, I’ll give a more detailed post about this week-long class and what we all learned together.

Filed by Gary Powell at 11:17 pm under Music Clinic & Lecture Notes
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by Gary Powell Click Here to See all the Photos

I spent June 17-19, 2005 as guest faculty at the Oklahoma Arts Institute, a multi-disciplinary program for the development of young artists. There were some 40 singers present, each of whom had won a seat at OAI through audition. The singers’ first week was spent in the very capable hands of Dr. Lynn Gackle from the University of South Florida. I attended her concert with these singers the night I arrived. They were wonderfully rehearsed and created music of real beauty. Dr. Gackle bravely repositioned the singers for each piece, creating a different aural experience for the audience throughout the concert.

As is usually the case, I was invited to bring an experience and overview of what is expected of singers in actual recording sessions. Briefly, this is about creating exercises that deepen the relationship between a singer’s ear and their voice.

In contrast to traditional choral singing, I work to create and define what happens between the notes more than the tone or sonority of the voice. One might think of it as developing a horizontal perspective more than a vertical one. This is greatly oversimplifying, but I’ll write a book on this later.

Also, the singers play a very important role by taking part in creating “vocal gestures” themselves. This singing-with-style thing asks for individuals to step out of the choir, improvise, then allow us to audition, sculpt and choose what we like. The next stop after identifying the style for a given word or phrase is for the rest of the group to quickly assimilate what they’ve just heard into an ensemble sound.

Can this be taught in a few hours of rehearsal? Of course not, but it CAN help a singer learn about their own talent, aptitude and interest in this style of singing. These kind of exercises are best achieved after the trust of the group has been established.

My gratitude to these young singers in allowing me to work in a similar fashion to how I interact with professional singers. I would not have expected to have taken such direct and blunt liberties with high-school singers. Nonetheless, I found these young singers up for the task. I got excited by the sound we created together and I hope some of them did as well. Thank you all for a wonderful experience and to Matthew (our producer).

Special thanks to choral accompanist, Jennifer Carr, for her warmth and support of me and the singers both. Also, thank you to Andrew Stewart (wow, what a voice) and Lauren Stewart, (who I didn’t get to hear sing) for their help in making my life and stay so easy and enjoyable. Also, I would like to thank Nance Diamond and Robin Huston for such a beautifully organized arts event!

THE SINGERS of the OKLAHOMA ARTS INSTITUTE
Patrick Ahern, Charles Barraclough, Jeff Beioncik, Jed Boyd, Jillian Bumpas, Ryan Carr, Erik Collins, Mason Combes, Halen Dahl, Anderson Daniel, Charlotte Daniel, Sarah Duval, Andra Erbar, Kirk Forthman, Alexandra French, Jason Gadberry, Brain Gaylor, Henry Gorton, Brittney Green, Elizabeth Greuel, Eric Hamilton, Brian Hasse, Keaton Hasty, Amanda Hayes, Charla Henderson, Kristen Jackson, Kyle Leapline, Emily Lott, Samantha Mason, Virginia Mather, Chris McAbery, Susanna McDaniel, Alison McMahan, Evan Mustard, Bailey Perkins, Drew Pierce, Nicole Pride, Nicole Pride, Joshua Seals, Matthew Stensrud, Brett Terry, kyle Torbert, Sarah Torneten, Amanda Underwood, Kaylee Vardeman, Kaylee Vardeman, Scott Whisenhunt, Thomas Williams, Ryan Wood

Filed by Gary Powell at 5:52 pm under Music Clinic & Lecture Notes
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by Gary Powell

Session photos from the Parents’ Choice Award Winning Record, “A Bug’s Life Sing Along”.

Robin Huston is the Vice President of Programs at the Oklahoma Arts Institute

I discovered Robin Huston as a freshman at the University of Texas at Austin when she auditioned for the vocal group under my direction there. There are very specific skills needed for recording studio session singers. That vocal group, “Ensemble 109″, was designed to teach singers how to survive and even prosper in that environment. Since our first meeting in 1986, Robin has earned well over 100 credits as a solo performer, half of which have been for Walt Disney Records here in my studio.

Robin invited me to teach a choral seminar for high-school singers at the Quartz Mountain Arts and Conference Center of the Oklahoma Arts Institute on June 18-19, 2005. Hopefully, these young singers will get to hear Robin perform. She is a “first-call” session singer and long-time friend and colleague. She has all the talent and skills that these young choral singers would want to emulate if deciding to start a recording career. Thank you, Robin!!!!

Filed by Gary Powell at 1:12 pm under Music Clinic & Lecture Notes
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