One of the most beautiful parts about including tight vocal jazz harmony in your curriculum is watching as students begin making friends with chords.
At first, the complex chords can seem foreign to the eye and shocking to an ear accustomed to triadic harmony. But very quickly, with repetition, students begin to acclimate to this new, richer sonic landscape. Suddenly, a third inversion Gmi7 chord seems positively consonant, despite the second between the tenors and basses. Just as suddenly, a quartal voicing stays fresh but also familiar – a moment to look forward to, rather than dread.
This all happens in a few weeks or months of smart, committed students digging into this music. It opens their eyes and ears to new harmonic expression. And just as importantly, it reinforces their ears so that when they return to triadic harmony, it is with more understanding of nuance, with more in-tune singing and balance.
There are many reasons to include vocal jazz in a varied choral curriculum, but one of the most important is making friends with chords.