Two Powell music teachers and a vocal jazz director from California will be hosting Powell’s first Vocal Jazz Academy starting at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Nelson Performing Arts Building. The academy aims to further educate students about jazz.

The daylong event will feature workshops in jazz solo singing, improvisation and songwriting. Finishing the day at 5 p.m. will be a concert in the Nelson Performing Arts Auditorium of three songs the attendees have practiced throughout the day as well as solo performances and a performance from NWC jazz ensembles Studio Singers and Sixth Street. The concert is free and open to the public. 

Eric Hagmann, the vocal music instructor at Northwest College, who has a background in vocal jazz, learned about Matt Falker and his Vocal Jazz Academy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hagmann met Falker on a vocal jazz educator Facebook group Falker had started that met weekly. 

“I try to be very connected with the vocal jazz community, my background is in vocal jazz,” Hagmann said.

For Hagmann the academy is an opportunity to not only grow the vocal jazz community but restart the NWC Sixth Street ensemble which ceased to exist during the pandemic, but has returned thanks to a large number of students. Hagmann said that he would love to make the event an annual workshop either through Falker’s Vocal Jazz Academy or as a Northwest College workshop.

“This is sort of the thing I love about teaching most at the college,” Haggman said of the Vocal Jazz Academy. 

If Hagmann were to recommend one jazz artist he would have to go with Ella Fitzgerald “because that’s the name you’re going to hear.”

Falker started the Vocal Jazz Academy in 2016 in Long Beach, California. Since then the following academies have continued to grow in size. This fall Falker is taking a break from teaching jazz choir at MiraCosta College. Instead he is traveling around the country to hold 10 Vocal Jazz Academies.

“[We’re] just going wherever we can, wherever people want to do music and learn,” Falker said. 

If Falker had to recommend one vocal jazz artist to students who aren’t familiar with the genre he would choose Lila Bial, a modern Canadian vocalist, pianist and composer.

Rachel Schoessler will be teaching songwriting at the academy and is excited that a workshop will be provided during the school year. 

“It’s definitely student availability, as opposed to in the summer where they have a lot going on,” Schoessler said. “This is really amazing, because Eric was able to apply for a grant, kind of as a scholarship, for students who attend [to attend] for free. I  think when I registered, it was close to $1,000, for myself and my group to be registered for it. But with this grant, it’s nothing.”

Rachel Schoessler, Powell High School’s choir director hopes that the academy will help create an appreciation for jazz music in the attendees. 

“I want to make sure that students at least understand where it came from, and the values of it,” Schoessler said.

If Schoessler had to recommend one artist to the students she would choose Diane Krall. 

At the time of the interview Schoessler had roughly 15 choir students who planned on attending the event as well as attendees from Lovell.

Falker said one attendee who is familiar with he and Hagmann’s music is coming from Canada for the event. 

Registration is open until Wednesday, Sept. 28. People who are interested can register or learn more at: vocaljazzacademy.com/loc/wyoming