MEDIA

The House Jacks are a pioneering a cappella rock band featured in the audio clips of NBC’s “The Sing Off” and ESPN’s Monday Night Football, watched by tens of millions of Americans. The band has been interviewed in top media outlets including ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and Fox; they have performed with the likes of Ray Charles, James Brown, LL Cool J, The Neville Brothers, and Cosby, Stills, and Nash, at venues including Carnegie Hall, The House of Blues, Fenway Stadium, The World Expo, and Candlestick Park; and they have performed and/or recorded commercials for celebrities and corporate clients like President Bill Clinton, Aaron Spelling, AT&T, Coca Cola, and Verizon Wireless.

Areas of Expertise:

Arranging Contemporary A Cappella Music
Proper Vocal Technique
How to Make Vocal Instrument Sounds
How to do Vocal Percussion/Beatbox
Healthy Touring Habits for Singers
Songwriting
Writing Pop/Rock Lyrics
Vocal Improvisation
Smart Travel Tips for Touring Musicians
Performance Technique for Singers
Solo Delivery: How to get your point across onstage
How to Sing Harmony and make it work for you
Basic Music Production:  Recording with Instruments
Basic Music Production:  Recording with Voices
Group Dynamics: Healthy Communication in a Band

Interview Topics

Get the 411 on Contemporary A Cappella
A Cappella has changed.  It’s ubiquitous. It’s on Glee, ESPN, and on NBC. Learn where it’s been, where it is and where it’s going. If you play instruments and write songs on instruments find out what you gain by leaving them behind when you hit the stage.

Contemporary A Cappella Arranging
Contemporary a cappella has been around for over a decade, resulting in a dynamic and rhythmic sound and style that differentiates it from barbershop, doo wop, close harmony, and other a cappella styles. Learn how to create top-notch contemporary a cappella arrangements that are fun to sing and that allow the song to translate in the most effective way possible.

Development of Style
What do you do now that you’re consistently good with the standards?  Learn how to take your group’s unique strengths and interests and use them to create a style that’s all your own.

Managing Rehearsals
Gain some insights into the issues that sometimes make you crazy: teaching notes vs. using learning tracks, how many songs per rehearsal, attendance management, sectionals vs. group rehearsal, number of rehearsals (regular and before major gigs), how much warm-up time, what kinds of warm-ups, when do you allow mistakes to happen and when do you stop and fix them, rehearsal discipline (use of other leaders as “enforcers” for rehearsal discipline, and balancing fun and musicality.

Performance Presentation
A performance is about much more than just singing. How do you interact with the audience? What are you wearing? How do you move during songs? How’s your show paced? Learn about the non-singing aspects of performing on stage and increase your and the audience’s enjoyment of a concert.

Composition/Songwriting
Many people write music, but few do it with an understanding of the strengths and challenges of an a cappella group. Learn the fundamentals of songwriting, and learn how to craft a piece of music that will allow you to make the most of your voices.

Music Direction
The role of director is the most important and influential within a group. It combines elements of musician, leader, organizer, consensus builder and conductor. Learn techniques and tips that will help you maximize your rehearsal time and minimize friction between singers.

Group Dynamics
The loudmouth. The quiet one. The organizer. The flake. Using materials and techniques developed for the corporate world, learn how groups interact, and how your ensemble can understand each other, minimize friction, and work together in harmony to create harmony.

A Cappella Business and Management
We all wish we could just sing, have concerts fall in our laps and money show up in our bank account. Streamline your business and focus on your craft, including legal structure of your group, leadership, division of responsibilities, benefits and problems having an agent and/or manager, etc.

Singing Games
Sometimes used as warm-ups, sometimes used to help build focus or musical precision, sometimes used to help build confidence in improvisation, this seminar teaches a number of different singing games that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Starting A Group
There’s no need to learn the hard way! From conceptualization through your first performance, learn the best way to find members, run auditions, structure your group, build a repertoire, and start performing.

Improvisation
Vocal music isn’t all about arrangements and vocal parts. Most world cultures have a tradition of a cappella singing that relies on nothing but your ear and your voice. In this seminar you’ll learn the fundamentals of improvising pop songs, how to sing a “circle song,” and how to improvise a piece of music without any rules or boundaries.

Producing an Album
From pre-production to recording and mixing, mastering and manufacturing, learn how to make a major-label ready a cappella recording.

Singing Instruments
10 years ago, a cappella singing was mostly “bum” and “doo.” Now, people sound like drums, guitars, horns, and myriad other instruments. Learn how to use one or many voices to sound like instruments, and work them into your arrangements.

Beginning Vocal Percussion
One of the most notable elements of contemporary a cappella, vocal percussion has become an essential element in presenting a dynamic, current sound with nothing but voices. Learn the fundamentals of this skill, weaving together bass drum, snare and high hat to provide a compelling groove, and begin to explore some additional sounds like cymbals, shakers, and wood blocks.

Sound Check & Basic Tech
Too often a great a cappella group’s performance is hindered by imperfect amplification. Learn the basics of microphones, monitors, sound boards and EQ, and how to avoid the most common pitfalls and have a productive sound check, resulting in a great amplified performance.

Close Harmony Blend
A cappella singers want the best blend possible. But how? By looking at the 4 elements of sound (pitch, duration, loudness and timbre), discover how you can improve your group’s blend.

Competition Tips
The Sing Off, the International Collegiate A Cappella Competition. The Harmony Sweepstakes. One of the best ways to make a name for yourself in the a cappella community is to compete. Find out how to put on a great performance during a competition.

Interview Questions

How/when did you decide to do what you do?  Why?

What’s so special about a cappella?

How do you learn how to beatbox?  Can you teach anyone?

Do you play instruments?

Why don’t you play instruments onstage?

How is being a vocal rock band different from a traditional rock band?

What sets you apart from other vocal groups?

Who did you most enjoy working with, Ray Charles or James Brown?

How do you keep your voices in shape?

Is it still fun for you after such a long run?  How do you keep it fresh?