Fabian fixes it: an online vocal arrangement
Writing a vocal arrangement, organising a choir, going through scores together – all done online. Fabian Wasterval fixed it in the third year of his Music in Education course at the Academy of Music in Zwolle .
Arranging a piece of music is a regular component of years two and three of the course. It represents the culmination of your training in your main instrument at the end of the third year. Fabian: “For me, that was vocals. You arrange a choir and give a performance.” In a year dominated by the coronavirus, that was not an easy task, but Fabian managed it. His online performance was a success.
It’s not what you sing, but how you do it
"I come from a close-knit family of six. Fix You by Coldplay is a track that reminds me of the bond we share. We’re always there for each other.” In his arrangement, Fabian wanted to convey the feeling that song gives him. Fabian: “It’s not what you sing, but how: that’s where the emotion lies. I made a short video to explain the scores. That was the biggest challenge: not being able to explain it live. So the scores went backwards and forwards quite a few times."
Musical leadership
Fabian himself organised the choir that performed the track with him: “That involved a huge amount of phone calls, e-mails and organisation. It allowed me to really develop my musical leadership. In the arrangement, you primarily hear singers from Vocal Group The Baszment, but at a certain point I also got help from ‘friends of friends’. Some of them I have still never met, but we did pay a musical homage to my family together. That was a very special experience."
