Maestro inspires perfect harmony

Anyone under the age of 30 who can hold a note is welcome to audition to join the Melody Makers, which has a varied and ever-changing group of about 20 members. When they perform, one or more members takes up the melody, others perform a rhythmic bass line, and others use their mouths to imitate percussion instruments such as bass drums and snares. The rest sing the harmony.

 

“A good a cappella performance is as exciting as watching fireworks. When it gets underway, the audience is wowed. What most surprised me was the ability to use my mouth to make the sound of a drum,” says 20-year-old Justin Cheung.

 

The music student majoring in piano performance joined the Melody Makers two years ago out of curiosity and a passion for music.

 

Justin most enjoys performing as vocal percussionist, using his mouth to mimic different sounds, beat patterns and other special sound effects – known as “beat boxing”.

 

“To learn to do this takes a lot of practice. You can’t be shy and afraid of making mistakes. Like playing video games, to improve your musical skills you must keep trying and gain experience to win,” he said.

 

Through his a cappella training, Justin discovered the wonders and endless possibilities of the human voice and is now considering switching his major to vocal music.

 

Listening key

Dentist Dr Julian Cheung is a founding member of the Hong Kong Melody Makers. To master the technique, he says, the key is to listen, and to give each other constructive criticism.

 

“A cappella practice involves 30% singing and 70% listening. It’s important to tune in to your own voice and other’s voices, to hear whether they are in harmony. When someone uses the wrong pitch or beat, others must speak up and suggest ways they might improve,” he said.

 

Dr Cheung has rich concert experience. Over the past few years, he has performed in the annual Hong Kong International A Cappella Festival, with different local and foreign singers. This year, he and four other Melody Makers members joined local singer-songwriter Justin Lo and female group Robynn & Kendy on stage.

 

During rehearsal, Justin Lo complimented the Melody Makers members on their mastery of pitch and rhythm.

 

“I have arranged some a cappella pieces before, sometimes recording 20 audio tracks using my own voice. However, I seldom sing a cappella in concert, so I enjoyed performing and having a good time with them.”

 

Social worker Natalie Yau shared the stage with Justin Lo that night, also. She has been a Melody Makers member for five years and savours the dynamism performing brings, as the roles constantly change, along with the beat and the other players.

 

“Entering the music world of a cappella is like walking into an arcade, with many choices of games to play, having fun with different types of people,” she said.

 

High note

Artistic director Chiu is himself an accomplished musician who studied at the Chinese University of Hong Kong where he is now a professor. He also studied at the Vienna Conservatory and University of Cincinnati College - Conservatory of Music, and enthusiastically shares his knowledge.

 

For a special project, he recruited 15 secondary students as part of a leadership training scheme. In just two months he trained them to sing and dance to perform two a cappella concerts for an audience of 3,000 people at Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wan Chai.

 

“They can’t become good a cappella singers if they have only musical skills. They must learn interpersonal and communication skills, also. In a team, sometimes you must be a leader, but sometimes you must be a helper. This kind of interaction can help young people to flourish.”

 

He is keen to see more local schools organise a cappella choirs, to enable young artists who achieve high standards to be trained to become professional a cappella performers.

 

The final concert of this year’s Hong Kong International A Cappella Festival will take place at Sha Tin Town Hall Plaza on April 13 at 4pm. Admission is free. For details, see the festival’s website.