Summer 2021 – Film Music Camp
Portland, OR-97229
Instructor: Devi Krishnamoorthy, Chaitra Hiremath, Clara Baker. Office hours 11-12:00 PM Th or by appointment. Preferred by Email: devi.krishnamoorthy@dkfilmmusicacademy.com Voice Mail: 5035227327, 5039560962.
Prerequisites
Film music is its own style of music derived from the musical culture of its patrons. This style is a lighter version of music which panders to the general audience as supposed to classical music which has a set of rules appreciated by selective audience. The Film music is about this generation and about now as opposed to a bygone era. One could relate the emotions and situations to any film song. As there are several artists and playback singers one can easily find a song that matches their Voice type, quality and range.
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It is important that you have a basic idea of how to sing – though it is optional. It can be anything really. Every human voice can sing however each person can be at a different level but with continuous training and performance one can become a good singer, we are hoping that the student has some experience in singing. The purpose of this class is to introduce you to Indian Film Music.
Audition process
All students enrolling for the summer camp program will have their Audition scheduled as part of Admission where they will have 5 minutes to sing a song they prefer. Depending on the scores they will be placed in the appropriate level of classes in program with similar level students. They will be graded on Accuracy, Range, Rhythm and Shruti.
Class strength and session time:
Each class consists of 7-8 students and a 1-hour long session where all students will have an opportunity to learn individually from the instructor. There will be 10 weeks during the summer camp.
Film Music Skills:
Film music training has been debatable over the years and there aren’t schools established just for film music under a thought that this style of music doesn’t need training. But after years of experience in recording with artists and conducting music I can explain why it is so important to get trained.
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To sing a film song an artist needs a wide variety of skills and techniques.
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Perfect Pitch recognition and staying on Pitch throughout the song.
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Rhythm is very important, and an artist needs to have perfect rhythm
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A wide range
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Pronunciation
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feel
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Breathing techniques
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Facial muscle movement
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Mimicking skills
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Studio training
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Performing ability
We will be covering each of these techniques in every week.
In Class Activities
Week 1: Introduction:
This class will be dedicated for introductions. All students will give a brief introduce of themselves and explain their experience in Music. We will go over the basic warm up practice. As part of introduction, they should be ready to sing a 3-minute song. This class will give the students a good understanding of the basic structure of each class and what is expected out of them. Practice templates will be given, and practice log sheet will be given to each student.
Week 2: Shruti :
Pitch recognition and staying on Pitch. For any artist that would like to sing Film song should have the ability to recognize the Pitch of the song and stay on pitch the whole time. The skill is developed after a few years of Music training. However, we will discuss some very good exercise that can help students attain this skill earlier.
Week 3: Rhythm :
Rhythm is very important, and an artist needs to have perfect rhythm. Certain specific exercises will be discussed, and Students will be trained on these and will be given homework. There are many different rhythms and meters that students will learn during the course.
Week 4: Voice Range :
A common misconception about range is that only certain voice types can sing high range songs and it is a skill that is only reserved for certain types of voices. However, many of my students have improved their range over time after practicing the correct technique. We will learn these techniques in this week.
Week 5: Expression :
Every film song has its own lyrics that mean a specific idea that evoke an emotion. Those emotions ought to be expressed while singing the song because it enhances the artist’s performance. We will work on developing correct expressions for each song.
Week 6: Pronunciation :
Most film song lyrics are written in colloquial languages and certain songs claim a certain specific pronunciation to enhance the emotion of the song. We will go over different types of songs and how to keep our pronunciation neutral, so it appears natural and fits to any emotion. Students that do not have experience in speaking the native language will be given a few techniques to get this skill easily.
Week 7: Song Selection :
This week we will select songs based on voice types allocate them accordingly. Training will be also be given in terms of singing.
Week 8: Lecture Studio :
This week we will go over the studio skills and have everyone will have an opportunity to ask questions.
Week 9: Competition :
This week we will conduct our final audition and we will grade all students a place them in competition and announce the 1st three winners. All winners will get the prizes and certificates. All participants will get a completion certificate.
Week 10: Program 2 Hours :
The program will be conducted on Zoom or in person based on the COVID-19 situation at that time. However, it will be a 2-hour program featuring all the summer camp students. All the parents and families are invited to watch the program. We will distribute prizes on this program. Top three singers will get to perform a solo song and the rest will be in group songs.
Attendance Policy:
DK film music school has had years of experience teaching, and we’ve come to find that missing classes is a no-no. We plan to push you to great lengths for you to achieve your goals in this course. We also understand that you may have some extenuating circumstances that causes you to miss school. Hence, we will allow up to 3 missed classes in the entire course – but not in the same week. We already are short on time and if you were to miss classes in the same week, you might miss the opportunity to learn a major skillset. In order to maintain the pace of the class, we will not offer any make up classes.
Results:
Thank you for participating in our Summer camp competitions this year. We have had over 50 students participate. It was a very hard decision to pick the final winners. We have reviewed all the entries through Zoom, google meets, facetime and Video submissions.
Congratulations to all winners!!
The entries were graded on these criteria and points.:
Pitch Recognition and staying on Pitch- 20
Rhythm:20
Presentability: 20
Expression:20
Voice Range:20
Pop Music Competitions
Leela Daniel- Rooting for you- 94
Anoosheh Azeem- Willow song-93
Rivahh Trivedi- Lover-91
Film music Competitions
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Anika Mallya- Jane do na- 95
Ritikha Ganesna: Deewani Mastani-92
Ishana Daniel: Laali Laali Anuragam: 91
All winners will be emailed separately regarding next steps. Individual feedback will be sent to all students.
Due to Covid we are unable to put together in person celebrations until the end of Fall term where all students will have a chance to showcase their skills.