On Friday, October 28th, Solon High School vocal jazz students participated in an extraordinary master class with famed musician Michele Weir. Michele is often featured as guest vocalist at educational jazz festivals and is a former member of the Grammy-nominated vocal group, The PM Singers. Michele's vocal arrangements are performed by The Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices, The Swingle Singers, M-Pact, Beachfront Property, Chanticleer, Voice Trek and her orchestral works played by the Boston Pops, the Buffalo, Cincinnati and Pacific Symphonies, and others.
She was Vocal Producer for the Manhattan Transfer¹s 2009 CD release, Chick Corea Songbook, and her arrangements or compositions have been featured on the Shari Lewis TV show, Disney's 101 Dalmations Sing-along CD, and the Holland America Cruise line.Michele is one of the leading figures in vocal jazz today. She has earned international recognition through a diverse set of talents as arranger, teacher, singer and pianist.
Currently serving on the faculty of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Michele taught previously at USC, CSU Long Beach, and the Phil Mattson School. Highly respected as a teacher and clinician, her work has taken her to more than 22 countries around the globe.
During the master class, students received the opportunity to participate in vocal improvisation, ear training, and scat singing. Several students also sang solos for the class and were critiqued one-on-one with Michele. Two of the vocal jazz ensembles performed one of their selections and were critiqued as well. Michele also provided foundations in jazz history, guided listening, and gave a long lasting, passionate session on life as a musician. In the end, students were treated to a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with one of the leading musicians in jazz today. The Solon program is fortunate to have such experiences and would like to thank Solon Spotlight for making this day possible!
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