Jazz Vocal
Workshop
A Group Course for
Intermediate Students
Next course starts 29 January 2025.
‘I had a great time enjoying my passion for singing in a friendly atmosphere, and discovering new skills step by step with a very patient teacher who brings you as high as possible. An experience I advise for anyone interested in singing.’
– Y. Lotte
‘I was hoping to gain some knowledge of jazz music, chords and song structures and improv. singing. I gained exactly that – while hugely enjoying my time here!’
– J. McMahon
Workshop Description
Always wanted to sing jazz? Waltons New School of Music’s acclaimed Jazz Vocal Workshop provides an extensive introduction to the wide range of skills and techniques required.
Jazz is as much an approach to music as it is a genre of music, and this course concentrates equally on understanding and interpreting jazz from the inside as it does on the techniques of singing it. Topics covered over the course of 10 weeks and 15 hours of tuition include:
- Physical and vocal warm-ups
- Voice technique
- Listening exercises and harmonies
- Choosing keys that suit your vocal range
- Rhythm work
- Jazz-style phrasing and expression
- Singing in various styles, including swing, Latin, bebop, ballads and the blues
- Basic improvisation
- Choosing repertoire and exploring jazz standards, including the songs of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Rogers & Hart, etc.
- Using a microphone
- Developing your own unique style
The workshop will also include preparation with a professional jazz trio (piano, bass and drums), and it will culminate in a final performance with them, showcasing some of the material that participants have worked on. You are encouraged to invite family and friends along!
Although this workshop is an introduction to jazz singing and no previous jazz experience is required, it is not intended for voice beginners. (See Introducing Singing for Adults for information on our beginners course.) Participants in the Jazz Vocal Workshop should have some previous experience singing in choirs or musicals or have taken at least a term of private or group singing lessons; some musicianship (knowledge of scales, chords and rhythms) is helpful but not required.
Jennifer McMahon, the Jazz Vocal Workshop teacher, is available to speak by phone with those interested in participating in this workshop. Please let us know via our Contact Form or phone if you would like her to get in touch.
Enrol in this workshop.
Questions about the workshop?
or call us on (01) 478 1884.
Safety & COVID-19
Although the COVID-19 pandemic is thankfully behind us, the disease remains a threat. So with the health and safety of both students and staff at the New School in mind, we have retained some of the equipment and policies we put in place during the pandemic to make in-school tuition as safe as possible, especially for singers and wind instrument players. See our COVID-19 Safety Policy page for more information.
The Jazz Vocal Workshop is one of the New School’s group courses. We also offer private voice (singing) lessons in a range of genres, including jazz, for students of all ages and skill levels. See Voice (Singing) Tuition for more information.
Jennifer McMahon
Jennifer’s love for music began at an early age, learning music theory via recorder at the age of seven. Her curiosity would bring her to lessons in piano and guitar before committing to voice as her principal instrument in her teens. She went on to receive a BA in Jazz Performance from Newpark Music Centre and an MA in Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) from Berklee College of Music, where she studied alongside such notable jazz musicians as Olga Roman (voice), Perico Sambeat (sax) and Javier Vercher (sax), to name a few. She was recently featured by the college for her work as founder of the non-profit organisation, Irish Women in Jazz. Jennifer currently works as both a vocalist and composer, and she has a keen interest in storytelling through music. She began writing songs in her teens, eventually releasing her first self-produced album in 2019 and her sophomore EP in 2024. Supported by the Improvised Music Company and the European Cultural Fund, Jennifer has recently been working on projects on the theme of nature and narratives around women through time. With a passion for learning, she is currently studying Scoring for Film, TV and Video Games and continues to perform regularly both in her own projects and in various ensembles. Jennifer’s passion for jazz began when she took the New School’s Jazz Vocal Workshop with the renowned vocalists and teachers Lauren Kinsella and Jenna Harris, and she is delighted to be teaching the course that inspired her.
‘Teaching is a mutual experience – an opportunity for me to share my knowledge of music and the voice while also learning about each student. I meet students wherever they are, and together we design the next steps. I feel that that journey of working with the voice and developing it as an expressive instrument is a deeply personal one, and a good teacher will facilitate and nurture students along their chosen paths.’
Reviews • Testimonials
‘Inspiring tutor made every single class interesting, challenging but most of all fun and highly rewarding.’
– S. Maccan
‘Please do yourself a favour and go to this course.’
– K. Nangle
‘Keep doing what you do. It works!’
– C. O’Brien
‘Professionally organised classes that enable you to sing with confidence and have fun doing so!’
– M. O’Laoi
‘Our teacher is very knowledgeable, patient and good-humoured, and I enjoyed exploring a new area of singing with someone who is both an expert in her field and able to teach it. This is my third course at Waltons and all three have been great.’
– M. O’Sullivan
‘Just a great, beneficial course. I’m loving it!’
– O. Pugh
‘Enthusiastic teacher, great song choices, good introduction to the subject of jazz.’
– G. Ryder
‘Our teacher brought me into the world of jazz (one that I didn’t know at all) with great skills, a perfect choice of songs, and a practical approach that made me enjoy the singing and at the same time gave me the desire to learn more about the theory of this music. Highly recommended to any singer or any lover of singing!’
– A. Servant
Have you taken – or are you taking – this workshop? We would appreciate it if you could take a few moments to give us your feedback in a brief online questionnaire about it.
2024-2025 Second Term
Course Schedule & Fee
10 weeks, 29 January – 9 April 2025
(No class on 19 February – Mid-Term Break)
Wednesdays 6.30 – 8 pm
Course Type: In-School
Tuition Fee: €335
Enrolment
Enrolment for this workshop requires a completed Enrolment Form and full payment of the course fee. Places in the workshop are limited to ten and are available on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the date of enrolment. A number of our group courses fill in advance of their start dates, and early enrolment is recommended.
Purchasing this workshop as a gift?
Please complete a Gift Certificate Booking Form.
Questions about the workshop?
or call us on (01) 478 1884.
Jazz Singers on YouTube
‘If I’m going to sing like someone else, then I don’t need to sing at all.’
– Billie Holiday