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music that is too difficult for the time and talent avail- students will be more adept than others at improvising
able. A high-quality piece does not have to be difficult, a new melody over a given chord progression. Have
but it does need to contain some complex jazz harmo- the students imitate an instrument such as trumpet,
nies, which by nature may not be easily accomplished sax, trombone, or flute. Train their ears by outlining
by the more traditionally trained choir. The vocal jazz the roots of the chords and then the chord tones, 1-3-
world is getting better about grading the difficulty level 5-b7 of a twelve-bar blues progression. The blues scale
of their charts similar to the instrumental jazz world. [Figure 6 in full article] will expand their options since
Let me suggest grades 1, 2, or 3 for a beginning ensem- it works over all three chords of the progression. Cre-
ble. Several are listed at the conclusion of this article ate short, repeated melodic phrases (riffs) from those
that fit the bill. Anything beyond that requires strong tones and experiment with a one-measure call (you or a
readers who are comfortable with identifying and sing- student) that is repeated by the ensemble in a response.
ing the intervals; “good ears” are not enough to accom- I also like to employ a C major scale over standard
plish the close and extended harmonies required in the “rhythm changes” (IM7, vi7, ii7, V7, IM7) Cmaj7,
more advanced arrangements. Am7, Dm7, G7, Cmaj7. Again, listening and imitating
is essential, so make sure that you and your students
are listening to the great improvisers, both vocal and
Improvisation instrumental, listed at the beginning of this article.
Begin with arrangements that have a well-crafted,
written-out scat solo or augment the written melody
by delaying entrances, stretching the rhythms, and em- Be Fearless
ploying neighbor, chord, or related scale tones. Some In the immortal words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “Do
something that scares you every day.” So many times
we fail to take on something new because we are afraid
of doing it wrong. We fear what our fellow directors
or mentor instructors will think. Trust me, the rewards
Choral Journal Index of starting and maintaining a vocal jazz ensemble are
Updated Through Volume 65 worth the occasional blip. This article merely scratches
the surface of this wonderful and exciting genre, but
listed in the following pages are camps, social media
The Choral Journal index has been groups, and individuals who will be delighted to ex-
updated and is now current through pand upon the topics presented. The vocal jazz com-
Volume 65. The index allows educators, munity is ready and waiting to help you. Just ask!
conductors, and researchers to easily Editor’s Note: Find a list of recommended resources, including
search decades of Choral Journal articles starter arrangements, in the full article, online at acda.org/cho-

by author, title, subject, and keyword. raljournal in the June/July 2015 issue.
Find the trusted resources you need
on repertoire, rehearsal techniques, Roger Emerson is a professional composer and
vocal pedagogy, and more. Special arranger with over 900 choral titles in print. He has

thanks to Scott W. Dorsey for his time experience teaching singers in grades K-12 and
and dedication to making this resource previously taught guitar and vocal jazz programs at
College of the Siskiyous.
possible.

60 CHORAL JOURNAL September 2025 Volume 66 Number 2