Vocal Jazz Auditions

Auditions for KU Jazz Singers and Commercial Voices, Spring 2025

Auditions are required for KU Jazz Singers, meeting MWF 12:00-12:50pm and Commercial Voices, meeting MWF 1:00-1:50pm. Initial auditions will be conducted remotely via self-recorded audio, with possibly callback auditions to be scheduled if necessary.

Download a document with all of the audition instructions and audio guide materials here: 

KU Jazz Singers and Commercial Voices Audition Procedure and Materials - Spring 2025

KU Jazz Singers & Commercial Voices Audition Procedure & Materials - Spring 2025

You can prepare for, complete and submit their audition anytime before a deadline of Monday, December, 16th at noon. With the first week of classes typically very busy for students, my hope is that this audition method will give interested students an opportunity to work ahead and complete their Jazz Singers/Commercial Voices audition well in advance.

 

All of the info for your audition can be found in the pdf document linked above, and you should be sure to download and read it carefully as you prepare to audition. However, here is a condensed overview of the new audition process and the key information about these two ensembles:

  • Both Jazz Singers and Commercial Voices will meet in Murphy 114, with first rehearsals on Wednesday, January 22nd.
  • Jazz Singers will present a Spring concert on Thursday, May 1st and will perform in the KU School of Music Scholarship Concert on Friday, May 2nd, both held at the Lied Center. Commercial Voices’ Spring performance(s) dates still to be announced.
  • Start the audition process by filling out your audition info form at THIS LINK 
  • Most will likely record their audition using a smartphone or laptop. A quick guide to how to do this is included at the end of the full pdf document, in case you need help with that element of the process. 
  • Access to tech devices should not be a barrier to your ability to participate, however. Please email KerryMarsh@ku.edu with any concerns and I will be happy to schedule an in-person full audition with you on campus
  • Your recorded audition can just be audio (video optional) and will consist of the following:
    • Singing any non-classical song you like (or two, if you prefer), with or without accompaniment
    • Following the directions and prompts on an audio file called “Kerry’s Audition Guide” for your voice part
      • You’ll probably need a separate device or computer in order to play back the Audition Guide while you record yourself
      • Part 1 will check your range and technique through your vocal registers
      • Part 2 will quickly teach you a series of excerpts from vocal jazz and pop arrangements like the one’s we’ll perform in the groups
      • If you’re not available for Jazz Singers or happen to only be interested in Commercial Voices, you can just do the first four excerpts
      • Otherwise, there are six excerpts of varying styles and difficulty levels to sing
      • For each excerpt, I’ll play: 1. The full mix, 2. Your vocal part alone 2-3x, 3. The full mix again, 4. The mix MINUS your part (this is the audition part)
      • You’re welcome to listen to and practice with “Kerry’s Audition Guide” as much as you want before recording your audition.
  • When you’re done making your track, upload it to this Dropbox File Request Link, which I’ll also provide in the pdf file. 

These details above are just highlights to get you oriented to the process, but be sure to read through the pdf doc for all the full details. You’ll also find the links to “Kerry’s Audition Guide” for all four voice types (along with info about what to do if you’re not sure of your voice type!), the sheet music for the excerpts/mini-exercises, and a bonus link to check out some recordings of last year’s Down Beat Award-Winning KU Jazz Singers recordings!

 

Please don’t hesitate to email Kerry Marsh at KerryMarsh@ku.edu with any questions. 

Thank you for your interest in auditioning for KU Jazz Singers and/or Commercial Voices (our newest contemporary vocal group)!

My name is Kerry Marsh, and I’ll be directing these two exciting groups this year. I graduated from KU in 2000 with a BME in Music Education and from The University of North Texas with an MM in Jazz Studies in 2003. I’ve directed award-winning vocal jazz ensembles for over 20 years at Sacramento State University, The University of Northern Colorado and more, and I am a vocal jazz arranger and publisher.  I'm immensely proud to say that last year’s KU Jazz Singers group was honored by Down Beat Magazine as one of the top university vocal jazz groups in the USA or Canada! Click here to listen to some of the recordings that helped earn Jazz Singers this prestigious award. 

In case you haven’t had the experience of singing in a vocal jazz ensemble before and aren’t too familiar with this type of group, I’ll give you a brief introduction to the genre. Listening to the Jazz Singers recordings linked above is a great way to become acquainted with the type of music our groups will perform. Another particularly helpful thing to do might be to visit my website at KerryMarsh.com, where my partner (Julia Dollison) and I publish a whole lot of vocal jazz arrangements, all with studio demos sung by myself and Julia. Clicking on a few of these ScoreFlippers on the site will give you a solid sense of the type of music we’ll be performing in our new groups. 

 

Here’s a music video I put together with my group from Sacramento State back in 2012:

My Foolish Heart - Sacramento State Jazz Singers

And, finally, here’s a live recording my combined groups made to audition to be on a Ben Folds album (spoiler alert…we got the gig!):

Some key things to know about vocal jazz ensemble singing as an art form that will help you get into a good mindset for this audition and beyond: 

  • Vocal jazz groups can be made up of anywhere between 4 singers and 24 (or sometimes more!), and my plan for KU Jazz Singers and Commercial Voices is to aim for evenly balanced SATB groups of around 12 singers.
  • Since we perform with microphones in vocal jazz groups, the vocal approach and aesthetic is different from bel canto singing style, because we mostly sing without vibrato in order to help us carefully tune complex harmonies. Theater singing styles are more closely related to what we do, but the best real reference is to listen to jazz, pop and R&B singers for solo style, and vocal jazz groups for the ensemble style (it’s sort of its own thing!). We use bright vowels and very conversational diction, and there’s a lot of focus on getting the most exciting sounds out of the interesting chords we sing together. The number one goal is expression, though, and giving our listeners an experience that emotionally impacts them. 
  • We most often perform with piano, bass and drums accompanying us, with occasional a cappella selections in our set. 
  • We’ll perform swing tunes with classic and modern styles, bossa-novas and sambas (“Latin” styles with straight eighth note grooves), pop music with added complexity, beautiful ballads and sometimes fairly esoteric and modern styles. My personal approach has been to keep vocal jazz groups on the more contemporary side, and I find that my groups have enjoyed being on the cutting edge, stylistically, while also spending some time learning about the history and traditions of the art form. 
  • Vocal improvisation (scat singing) is certainly a part of the experience for Jazz Singers, but not necessarily for everyone in a group, and nobody will be required to improvise, although there will be opportunities to learn about this form of expression. It’s a lot like learning a new language, so the journey involves a learning curve, but it can be really fun and some singer have just the right ear for it and learn it quickly and naturally. 

Enrollment information

Everyone must enroll in the appropriate class for the ensemble or class they are placed in:

  • Students placed in Jazz Singers will register for Jazz Singers - JAZZ 412 #53146 (undergrads) or JAZZ 712 #53147
  • Students placed in Commercial Voices will register for Commercial Voices - JAZZ 412 #55871 (undergrads) or JAZZ 712 #55872

I want to thank you for your interest in vocal jazz! When I found vocal jazz in my freshman year at KU years ago, it completely changed my life for the better, and I hope I can give you and other Jayhawks at least some part of that inspiration that I was lucky enough to get from my early experiences. Looking forward to meeting you and hearing you sing!

-Kerry Marsh