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Executive Director Vy Higginsen and Gospel for Teens Choir in performance at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Harlem, New York City, 2006. Photo credit: G.N. Miller.
Professional Development The School of Gospel, Jazz and R&B Arts trains talented singers, musicians and arrangers. We help develop singers’ vocal power and stage presence as well as teach a substantial musical repertoire. Participants have the opportunity to develop the habits and attitudes that create success in any endeavor.
I loved it! Ulysses [the instructor] is gifted and a lot of fun. Although I was a little nervous about singing with other people, I felt welcomed and encouraged to express myself. Singing with others is different from singing alone in the shower, but now I’m considering joining my church choir. I consider myself a fairly good singer, but I learned that I had a very bad habit of singing on my throat. I was delighted to hear the difference in my voice after changing my technique. The most valuable lesson I learned involved proper breathing. I always thought I was an alto and was shocked to discover that I could actually sing soprano!
Mama Foundation for the Arts
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Performer from Mama Foundation's production, Let Me Off in Harlem!, 2003. Photo credit: G.N. Miller.
Saturday, June 7 Elevate your jazz vocals by fine-tuning your technique. Emphasis on breathing, diction, voice placement, and interpretation of material you bring to class. A keyboard player and bassist will support your work. In addition to personal attention, you will find the instruction given to others in this small class enlightening and helpful in your own process. Instructor: Ulysses Slaughter is a premier vocal coach and instructor and a regular on the jazz scene. His most recent performance credits include the Carnegie Recital Hall, Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Billie Holiday Theatre, Green Street Cafe and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
Photo credit: Jon Gorr, iStockphoto.
Saturday, June 21 Get into the swing of jazz. Learn the nuances of the jazz form and sing in chorus, and perhaps, if you feel like stepping out, as a solo voice. This class is for beginners, but fun for anyone. Instruction includes a brief survey of jazz singers.
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Photo credit: G.N. Miller.
For Individuals or Groups • Improve vocal range Appointments Call for an appointment: 212-280-1045 You will be matched with the vocal coach who most suits your needs. Payment for private lessons is by cash only, due at the beginning of each lesson.
Ulysses Slaughter lives and performs music as the universal language. He expresses his musical talents for churches, jazz clubs, the theater and the concert hall with equal dignity and ease. His performance credits include the Carnegie Recital Hall, Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Billie Holiday Theatre, Green Street Cafe and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. In Europe, he has performed in Paris at the Plaza Athenne Hotel, Requin Chagrin, and Au Duc Du Lombard.
Gregory Henry Hopkins holds degrees in Music from Temple University and Curtis Institute of Music. Currently, he is the musical director at Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem, New York. Hopkins is the winner of top prizes in the Buseto Verdi Competition and the Mantova International Vocal Competition, both in Italy. Hopkins' recording credits include "Blue Monday" (Gershwin) and "Lost in the Stars" (Kurt Weill), and a recording of spirituals entitled Amazing Grace, which he also conducted.
Knoelle Higginson has toured all over the world with Mama, I Want to Sing, and performed the leading role in Bermuda, Japan, and New York. she has worked consistently in New York theater and is a recent graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) and Manhattan School of Music. She also serves as an instructor and music director for Mama's Gospel for Teens art education program. |
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HOME Copyright © 2005-2008 by The Mama Foundation for the Arts |
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Instructor: Rachiim Ausar-
Sahu, a bassist, is currently the musical director for the Pangea Theater Company and professor of jazz composition and performance at the Instuto de Artes Contemporaneas in Porto, Portugal. 
