Education
Erik Fredriksen has taught workshops for SoJam and Boston Sings, two of the primary A Cappella performance and educational festivals on the east coast. Each of these workshops are described below, and all of the resources are available for free perusal and download. These were designed specifically for aspiring collegiate groups, though many of these concepts, both practical and artistic, can be applied to professional A Cappella groups and other vocal ensembles. They were made to help arrangers new to the popular A Cappella medium understand how the notes on the paper translate in practice, and help directors understand how best to teach their music, and come primarily from a pedagogical and educational perspective.
Reading Arrangements on the Fly
This class, debuting at SoJam 2019, is built to help those unfamiliar with reading western sheet music feel comfortable reading their music during rehearsal and for their own practice. There are many reasons for why singers do not have experience with western sheet music; the tools in this class are created to help these singers quickly get used to reading notes quickly and with intentionality.
Resources for “Reading Arrangements on the Fly” can be accessed below:
- Reading Arrangements on the Handout
- Reading Arrangements on the Unfiltered Notes
Resources for “Reading Arrangements on the Fly” can be accessed below:
- Reading Arrangements on the Handout
- Reading Arrangements on the Unfiltered Notes
Conceptual and Collaborative Arranging
At SoJam 2017, I taught a class entitled “Conceptual and Collaborative Arranging”. I use the term “Conceptual Arranging” to refer to a specific methodology that I use to arrange productively. Before putting any notes on the page or touching a piano, I write up a document on how I am structuring the song, and each section gets a description of an emotion that I want to convey. Sometimes I sketch specific vocal lines or harmonies when appropriate, but otherwise I focus on the abstract feeling behind each section. This way, I am not trapped in any musical idea before I have fleshed out the structural and emotional arc of the arrangement. Writing up a document makes it significantly easier for arrangements to be written collaboratively, because arrangers can collaborate on the document itself remotely, and sections can be delegated to reduce the individual workload. By using a careful methodology, arrangers can avoid common musical traps by only focusing on the specifics once a solid foundation has been set. The class was intended for arrangers of all levels, as I presented “Conceptual Arranging” as a general blueprint for a new way to think about arranging.
Resources for “Conceptual and Collaborative Arranging” can be accessed below:
- Conceptual and Collaborative Arranging 2018 Lesson Plan
- FULL CMU Originals Levels arrangement (with notes)
- Conceptual and Collaborative Arranging 2018 Presentation
Resources for “Conceptual and Collaborative Arranging” can be accessed below:
- Conceptual and Collaborative Arranging 2018 Lesson Plan
- FULL CMU Originals Levels arrangement (with notes)
- Conceptual and Collaborative Arranging 2018 Presentation
Pedagogical Arranging
At Boss 2018, I taught a class on “Pedagogical Arranging”. The core idea is that arrangements can directly teach new concepts through the music, similar to the classical “etude”, or a piece of music meant to help musicians learn technique directly through practicing something that truly feels like “music”. The objective is to help singers achieve conscious or unconscious competence in that particular musical situation, regardless of their previous musical background. In an a cappella setting, this can not only help singers become comfortable with new musical or technical situations, but help them make sense of these new ideas in a primarily musical setting. This way, singers can recognize similar musical situations in the future and actively what they have already learned, resulting in a tangible reward for their hard work in rehearsal. In addition, purposefully constrained arranging presents new musical opportunities such that arrangers can teach musical concepts while simultaneously pushing them to their logical extreme in the arrangement itself, creating new musical possibilities.
Though the idea is abstract, my class gives attendees the materials and examples necessary for them to create their own lesson plans. I gave examples how a single arrangement of Can’t Feel My Face by The Weeknd can introduce avenues to work on several music ideas simultaneously (specifically: tuning major 2nds; tuning round vowels; tuning bright vowels; tuning words that begin with an “n” or “m”, supporting held notes; phrasing moving lines over a solid harmonic underpinning; giving constant motion to longer phrases) while using specific warm ups depending on which topic I decided to focus on during that particular rehearsal. By structuring entire rehearsals around learning specific concepts while also working on real arrangements for the purpose of performing, a Music Director can seamlessly weave in a narrative that encourages singers to sing expressively with purpose while simultaneously giving them to power and confidence to reach such a position on their own. A positive rehearsal environment is truly a beautiful thing, and is very much conducive to continuous growth.
Resources for "Pedagogical Arranging" can be accessed below:
- Pedagogical Arranging 2018 Lesson Plan
- Excerpts from CMU Originals Can't Feel My Face arrangement
Though the idea is abstract, my class gives attendees the materials and examples necessary for them to create their own lesson plans. I gave examples how a single arrangement of Can’t Feel My Face by The Weeknd can introduce avenues to work on several music ideas simultaneously (specifically: tuning major 2nds; tuning round vowels; tuning bright vowels; tuning words that begin with an “n” or “m”, supporting held notes; phrasing moving lines over a solid harmonic underpinning; giving constant motion to longer phrases) while using specific warm ups depending on which topic I decided to focus on during that particular rehearsal. By structuring entire rehearsals around learning specific concepts while also working on real arrangements for the purpose of performing, a Music Director can seamlessly weave in a narrative that encourages singers to sing expressively with purpose while simultaneously giving them to power and confidence to reach such a position on their own. A positive rehearsal environment is truly a beautiful thing, and is very much conducive to continuous growth.
Resources for "Pedagogical Arranging" can be accessed below:
- Pedagogical Arranging 2018 Lesson Plan
- Excerpts from CMU Originals Can't Feel My Face arrangement
An Introduction to Color: 20th Century Harmony
First taught at SoJam 2018, this class will discuss how arrangers of all levels can learn to expand their harmony through concrete visual and aural examples. Topics to be covered include: basic harmony; extended chords (7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th chords); building chords with intervals other than 3rds (namely 4ths, 5ths and 2nds); modal mixture; common compositional techniques to be superimposed over familiar melodies; and a short discussion of modal mixture and moving outside the key. Attendees of all arranging skill levels will work on fundamental concepts pertaining to comfortable voice leading and “tension and release” such that their music is not only intriguing to listen to, but also natural and engaging to sing, both from the perspective of the ensemble as a whole and from each individual singer.
Resources for "An Introduction to Color" can be accessed below:
- An Introduction to Color 2018 Lesson Plan
- An Introduction to Color 2018 Handout
- An Introduction to Color 2018 Presentation
Resources for "An Introduction to Color" can be accessed below:
- An Introduction to Color 2018 Lesson Plan
- An Introduction to Color 2018 Handout
- An Introduction to Color 2018 Presentation
Performance
Ember
Erik Fredriksen sang baritone for professional a cappella group Ember from 2017-2018. Erik competed with in the 2018 International Championship of A Cappella Open and won the 2018 Open Northeast Semifinal. This culminated with Ember performing as part of The Open Finals at Carnegie Hall in New York, NY. For this performance, Erik wrote the original a cappella song "Stars of Bethlehem".
The Originals
Erik Fredriksen was a member of The Originals' from Carnegie Mellon University from 2012-2017. From 2016-2017, he has had a hand in arranging at least half of every competition set. He music directed the Originals during the 2015 calendar year. During Erik's membership, the Originals were very active in regional and international competitions, including a 2nd place performance as part of the 2016 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Finals at The Beacon Theater in New York, NY. Below are performances from Erik's time in the Originals. Collaboration is a significant part of Erik's arranging methodology, so many of his arrangements have input from up multiple arrangers.
Seven Devils/Cellophane - Co-arrangement & Solo
ICCA 2016 set - Co-arrangement
I Care - Arrangement
Strawberry Bubblegum - Arrangement & Solo
Can't Feel My Face - Arrangement & Solo
Twenty Year Album
In 2015, Erik produced, recorded, and mastered The Originals' first studio release, the Twenty Year Album, also contributing several arrangements. It is available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube. Below is a 2017 remastering of one of Erik's arrangements.
Cut Off Studios
Erik was an Arranger and Producer for Cut Off Studios, a full service recording studio based in Rochester, NY that specializes in working with a cappella groups. Erik participated in their LENS 2016 event, an educational A Cappella festival, as a clinician and staff, as well as arranging Can't Stop the Feeling for Cut Off Studios to perform.
Contact
Erik Fredriksen is avaliable for arranging, consulting, and further contact at me@erikfredriksen.com. Full arrangements including demo tracks and revisions until confidence are written for a flat fee of $275. Any consulting strictly for the purposes of education is always free.
