The purpose of this study is to explore instructional strategies and participation concerns regarding vocal jazz ensembles according to high school choral directors in Illinois who lead their schools’ vocal jazz programs. High school choir directors without jazz experience often recognize the need to expand their performance and pedagogical abilities in jazz and access to vocal jazz repertory; however, professional development opportunities in Illinois’ music education organization have yet to offer guidance. This leaves choral directors without jazz experience little insight on how to familiarize themselves with jazz styles, pertinent pedagogical ideas, and how to apply available resources towards the formation of vocal jazz ensembles. Literature that generally compares and contrasts choral and vocal jazz ensemble instruction exists; however, research has yet to extrapolate concepts applicable to disparate teaching contexts of high school choral programs in Illinois. This study surveys the perspectives of seventy-one choral and vocal jazz directors in various high school teaching contexts in Illinois to provide high school choral directors without vocal jazz programs insight regarding how to approach vocal jazz instruction in their choral programs, regardless of their jazz backgrounds, districts’ socio-economic context, and schools’ musical traditions. Since diversification of musical experience remains a growing initiative in music education, this study’s findings regarding pedagogy and resource application will provide directors with insight on how to expand their curricular explorations within and beyond typical choral programming. Directors would benefit from this insight, regardless of their extant musical-stylistic backgrounds and teaching contexts.

The skilled choral director creates and applies pedagogical techniques and exercises that support the artistic approach their choir members apply to repertoire. This is seen and heard multiple times with secondary, community college, and university ensemble directors who deal with issues of tone, timbre, style, mechanics of the voice, and aural skills. Choral directors investigate exercises that strengthen the ear and the skill of the musicians within their ensemble based on the repertoire they choose. This is certainly the case within the jazz idiom where singers work within a range of musical styles such as swing, funk, bebop, ballads, big band swing, bossa nova, samba, and other jazz genres-each with their own challenges for the ensemble and the director. Ear training, music literacy, and song style are paramount to the success of choral ensembles and especially within the genre of vocal jazz. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and supply exercises that support the aural acuity and singing style for directors to consider helpful working with their vocal jazz ensemble. This thesis includes exercises to emphasize and encourage ear training and jazz appropriate technique that ultimately leads to expanded literacy and musicianship skills of ensemble participants.

The purpose of this study was to investigate vocal jazz ensemble study in the secondary choral ensemble. In pursuing this purpose, the researcher sought to answer the following questions: 1.) What are common practices for incorporating the elements of improvisation, listening skill, vocal health and balance, and assessment of vocal jazz performance ability into a vocal jazz ensemble unit of study for secondary school choral students? 2.) What are the most applicable assessment practices in a secondary school vocal jazz ensemble? and 3.) What effect does a vocal jazz ensemble unit of study have on secondary choral students’ vocal jazz performance achievement? The researcher designed and taught a secondary vocal jazz ensemble curriculum to fifteen students in her community children’s chorus in grades six through twelve. Best practices for content relating to vocal jazz instruction were informed by the results of interviews of master teachers in the vocal jazz field and a survey of participating secondary school choral teachers that are members of the Virginia Music Educator’s Association (VMEA). Methods of improvisation, development of listening skill, vocal health and balance, and assessment of vocal jazz ensemble performance ability were identified as common elements of vocal jazz ensemble instruction through an examination of the literature. Upon examining the interview transcripts and survey data, an additional element was identified: learning vocal jazz history. The examination of the t-test scores indicated that students did improve their vocal jazz performance ability while participating in a vocal jazz ensemble.