Scat Singing 101: Unlocking the Basics of Vocal Jazz

Brenda Buchanan
Vocal Jazz Chair R & R Chair

Practicing scat singing in the choir classroom can be an exciting and fun way to improve improvisation skills and vocal flexibility. Scat singing involves vocal improvisation using nonsensical syllables or sounds, often in jazz music, and can be a valuable tool for developing rhythm, pitch, and vocal creativity. Here’s how YOU can practice scat singing in a choir classroom:

1. Warm Up
Before jumping into scat singing, make sure to warm up your voice properly. Start with basic vocal exercises to loosen up your vocal cords. Scat singing requires flexibility and control, so it’s important to be vocally prepared.  Here are a few resources: 

• Sing Up: They offer downloadable vocal warm-up sheets with jazz exercises that focus on flexibility, range, and tone control. https://www.singup.org/
• The Real Vocal Book: This book is a greatresource for vocal jazz singers, including sheet music and warm-ups for vocal exercises. Can be purchased at various music stores or online here: www.halleonard.com/
• A Cappella Warm-Ups for Pops and Jazz Choirs (by Deke Sharon and J.D. Frizzell)
• Berklee College of Music Vocal Jazz Warm-ups
• Berklee’s channel has great tutorials, and their vocal jazz exercises often include a focus on flexibility and phrasing that jazz requires.
• Search for: “Berklee vocal jazz warm-ups” on YouTube.

2. Start with Simple Syllables
Choose easy-to-sing syllables like “bop,” “doo,” “ba,” “la,” or “sha.” These are common in scat singing and can help you get comfortable with the improvisational aspect of scat. Practice repeating them rhythmically, exploring different pitches and dynamics.

3. Listen to Scat Singers
Play recordings of famous scat singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, or Cab Calloway. Encourage students to listen and analyze how these artists use rhythm, phrasing, and variation in their scat solos. This is truly the BEST way for your students to start understanding the amazing things that can be done with the voice!

4. Practice with Backing Tracks
Use jazz backing tracks or play chords on the piano to create a harmonic foundation. Have students scat over the chords, starting with simple phrases and then expanding. This helps to integrate scat singing into the context of music. One of THE BEST resources for backing tracks to practice scatting to are done by Jamey Aebersold! His website https://www.jazzbooks.com/ is outstanding OR you can search “Jamey Aebersold” on YouTube!

5. Call and Response
A great way to practice scat singing in a group is through call-and-response exercises. The choir director (or a soloist) scat sings a phrase, and the rest of the choir responds with the same or a variation of the phrase. This encourages active listening and builds improvisation skills. 

6. Encourage Creativity and Playfulness
Scat singing is about freedom and creativity. Encourage students to let go of strict rules and experiment with new sounds and phrasing. This will help foster a playful and open-minded approach to music-making. Always make sure your students know that there are “no wrongs” in scat singing!  

7. Reflect and Discuss
After practicing scat singing, have a reflection time where the choir discusses what they enjoyed or struggled with. This allows them to express their thoughts and helps you, as a teacher, adjust future practice sessions in your classroom.

 

By practicing these methods, you’ll create a fun and educational environment where choir members can develop both their technical skills and their creative abilities in scat singing.