Great American Songbook Resonates For Students At Annual Academy

The Great American Songbook Academy is celebrating six years this week in Carmel with its largest group of students yet, including eight from Indiana.  

The Songbook genre represents American pop and jazz standards from the early to mid-20th century. But there’s no book, no list of songs that definitively do or don’t belong.

At a chorale practice earlier this week, 40 student singers rehearsed Paul Simons 'Bridge Over Troubled Water" at the Center For the Performing Arts.  The tune will performed at Saturday night's finals, an ode to the fact that the Great American Songbook is still being written today.

The singers were chosen from nearly 200 applicants around the country.

17 year-old Kathleen Muloma, was one of three girls attending from Carmel and eight from Indiana.  She grew up listening to the Songbook with her Dad but just didn’t know it.

"I listened to Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simon and Frank and Duke Ellington."  recalled Muloma,  "I wasn’t realizing that was all in the same time era, so when the competition came to Carmel I was curious, I literally thought that it was a book of music and the more I researched it I realized that this was already the music I listened to." 

She said she connects to the standards because of the stories they tell.  "The lyrics for some reason transcend time," commented Muloma, "it’s like you can listen to it 40 years later and it doesn’t feel outdated and I think that’s something you don’t hear as much now."

The academy is part of founder Michael Feinstein’s Great American Songbook Foundation, which is based at the Carmel Center for Performing Arts.

Director of Programs Chris Lewis says the event gets at one of Feinstein’s main goals – connecting young people with the tradition of American song. 

"His purpose was just to expose more kids to the music," said Lewis, "his idea was if we just share this with them they’ll fall in love with it and it will last forever.

It seems to be working for Maloma, who had a chance to work one-on-one with Feinstein.

"It’s clear that this is something he naturally has a passion for and that makes you want to have a passion for it and learn more about it.  It’s inspiring." said Muloma.

The program began in 2009 and it’s still evolving into much more than a competition.

"We bring in top vocal experts, they get vocal technique workshops, vocal health, we had Laura Osnes, who’s a Tony nominated Broadway star here who taught them a dance class, song interpretation workshops and phrasing workshops." Lewis said. 

Saturday night, 10 finalists will compete in a final performance at the Palladium. But win or lose, Maloma says the academy has been more about the experience than the competition.

"Music has done so much for me this year, it’s like icing on the cake to be able to perfect my craft and learn with other people." commented Muloma.

She plans to study pre-med when she attends Hope College in the fall and says that great American songs will always have a place in her life.