New iPhone Scat app includes sounds of UNT professor, doctoral student

Thursday, December 3, 2015 - 21:12
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DENTON (UNT), Texas -- A new iPhone application that teaches artists how to hone their vocal improvisation skills features University of North Texas College of Music senior lecturer Rosana Eckert and doctoral teaching fellow Justin Binek. They are two of seven artists who recorded modules for the ScatAbility app, which allows singers to virtually interact with professional jazz singers. Users can sing along to the tracks, remove backing vocals, and record their demonstrations for practice and playback.

"Currently, there are more practice resources for instrumentalists than there are specifically for vocalists," Eckert said. "This app allows vocalists to hear a variety of other performers improvise, each with their own style, vocal technique, vocabulary, and approach to scat syllables. It's taking teaching into the future. Now, instead of needing to use several different resources to practice or teach, singers will have etudes, exercises, play-along tracks, recording capabilities, and more, all in the palm of their hand."

Eckert says she was thrilled when ScatAbility developer Michele Weir, currently professor of jazz at University of California, Los Angeles, approached her to be a part of its development.

"Michele was an early mentor of mine," said Eckert. "We met 20 years ago. I was a student at UNT, and she was invited to teach at our vocal jazz summer workshop. It was an honor for her to ask me to contribute to this wonderful project alongside so many of my respected peers."

The first-of-its-kind app offers level specific exercises that are completely customizable. Eckert and Binek are looking forward to using ScatAbility in their UNT classrooms this spring.

"What's great about ScatAbility is that it's not reinventing the wheel in terms of jazz improvisation instruction, but is instead a new way to approach certain ideas," Binek said. "The fact that it's a verbal improvisation tool designed by a singer, with input from other voice professionals, and is created specifically for singers, is something that's new and rather exciting."

The ScatAbility application is available for free in the Apple App Store with additional Scat Packs available for paid download. The application is also iPad compatible.

About the UNT College of Music

The College of Music is one of the largest and most respected comprehensive music schools in the world. Approximately 1,600 music students attend the college each year, participating in nearly 70 widely varied ensembles while engaged in specialized studies in performance, composition, conducting, jazz studies, music education, music history, music theory or ethnomusicology. Music students, alumni and faculty have made appearances on the world's finest stages, have produced numerous recordings with many receiving Grammy awards and nominations, and have written influential texts in a variety of areas in music scholarship. Distinguished University alumni can be found around the globe in top music ensembles, opera companies, universities, and schools.

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