hhw vocal program

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L to R:   Roderick Dixon of the “3 Mo’ Tenors”and
​Co-Founder/Instructor, Daniel Henry. 
Preparing the National Anthem “Star Spangled Banner” for the Olympic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at McCormick Place.
HHW uses the Bel Canto method to develop vocal techniques.  Bel Canto is the Italian vocal technique and style of the 18th and early 19th centuries, with its emphasis on beauty, of sound thus the term which literally meant “beautiful singing”, more specifically, it is the method of singing a line of music with great ‘legato’ or smoothness.  This method of singing is a strong vocal technique for all kinds of singing.  Although this method will not make you an opera singer, it does create an excellent foundation for the highest and purest form of vocal preparation.  Our vocal foundation classes are rooted and grounded in the classics, because we believe the classically trained artist will be able to grow and protect their instrument regardless of which genre they choose to perform.  Stylistic studies include vocal timbre, anatomical studies of the vocal mechanism, diction, vowel colors, range, oral and written traditions (notation/improvisation), attention to instrumentation, electronic effects, ornamentation and tuning.  The students are taught history, music appreciation, sight reading, vocal nutrition, health tips, stage presentation and demeanor, plus improvisational techniques as used in the music of jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues.  The following is a list of some of the music genre taught:

  • Opera  - where monologues and scripts are sung to orchestral accompaniment.  Students create operatic vignettes, and are taught solo, duos, and trios.

  • Classical - Early European, Duets, Ensemble, Renaissance and Baroque and emphasized

  • Broadway/Pop - Learning Broadway Songs and how to project the voice with very little assistance from electronic devices (microphones).  The history behind Broadway music and Pop, plus the coordination and choreographic movement required to perform Broadway style performances.

  • Jazz - Solos, Ensembles, Duets, Sextets, and Quintets, study of the foundation, i.e. Ragtime to the various offerings from abstract to smooth jazz.

  • Rhythm and Blues (R&B) - As sung from the early 1920’s to the current times – with a special emphasis on the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

  • Gospel & Negro Spirituals - Students learn to sing Christian Contemporary Gospel, and African-American gospel using methods that will preserve their vocal cords far beyond their singing careers.  Spirituals are discussed historically from the continent of Africa to slave lullabies and beyond.

  • Contemporary - Students learn how to interpret even the mildest or mundane song to reach and touch the heart of their audiences, emphasizing the key points of the story being told in the song through dramatic interpretation.

  • Country & Western - Students become aware of the dialect indicative of certain areas portrayed by the song, as in the music from other parts of the world.  They learn to properly respect and appreciate this genre music appropriately.

  • World Music - Students learn music from various parts of the world, i.e. Turkey, Japan, Greece, India, Russia, Israel, Africa, Brazil, Portugal, etc.  Every effort is made to instruct the students in the dialect depicted by the nation/country of the song they sing, plus studying the history and culture of the song(s) origin.

Program registration

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