Vocal MasterClass Discussion For American Idol Farewell Season:  The Grand Finale

April 7, 2016 by Masterclass Lady 46 Comments


 American Idol Season 15 Top 2 Finale
Picture Credit: American Idol/Fox

Wasn’t that a spectacular show last night?  I mean – what a great way to end the phenomenon know as American Idol with two magnificent Finalists – La’Porsha Renae and Trent Harmon.  Both have voices that can cross genres with musical ease and artistry so, in my mind, both deserve the crown. Good luck to both. This is just the beginning for both of you and all of us here in the MCL community cannot wait to see what the future holds for you. 

However, before we crown the winner, there will be all sorts of musical goodness on that stage in the form of our former Idols. There is a great read over at MJs Big Blog which pretty much covers everything you need to know – if you wish to know. If you don’t want to be spoiled then keep reading. Ha! 

It is interesting to note that former American Idol producer, Nigel Lythgoe, is on board to produce this mega show. And, original judges, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson will be in the house.  Thank You!  I was wondering….

So, we have reached the end of the road  – or have we?  There is buzz that mini tours featuring Idol alums may evolve and I still believe that Fox will continue producing live televised musicals featuring their Idol Alums. They did so with “The Passion” in March, where Season 5 finalist, Chris Daughtry, played the role of Judas. It was a spectacular production and I cannot see this coming to an end when Fox has proven to be extremely creative in their live spectacles. 

So, here we go. Let’s get this party started in the comments section, shall we? 

American Idol, American Idol Farewell Season, American Idol Season 15, Singing, Television
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About Masterclass Lady

Rosanne (Giallonardo) Simunovic began her musical career in Timmins, Ontario. She studied piano with Anne Pizzale and later, at an advanced level, with Soeur Anita Vaugeois (Sister Cecile of Les Soeurs De L’Assomption in Timmins). Her vocal and accompaniment skills were nurtured by her aunt, the late Dorothea Mascioli. When Rosanne graduated from O’Gorman High School, she moved on to the University of Toronto where she continued her piano and vocal studies while attaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She was hired as a piano accompanist for several musical companies, most notably, the National Ballet Of Canada. She presently holds an A.R.C.T. Teacher’s Diploma in Voice from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Rosanne has studied choral conducting with numerous well known Canadian Conductors, including Wayne Riddell of Montreal, Quebec and the internationally renowned Dr. Elmer Iseler. She has been a founding member of numerous community-based arts organizations: the Timmins Arts Council, later known as Arts & Culture Timmins, the Timmins Symphony Orchestra, and, the Timmins Youth Singers…as well as the TYS Alumnus choir, the Timmins Concert Singers. In 1987, she was also selected to be the conductor of the Timmins Board Of Education Choir, comprised of talented students from Grades 5 to 8. In 1988, she was elected to the Board Of Directors of the Ontario Choral Federation (now known as Choirs Ontario), where she served as Chair of the Festivals Committee for six consecutive seasons. In 1996, in honour of the Ontario Choral Federation’s 25th Anniversary, Rosanne was selected as one of 25 recipients of the OCF’s Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contribution to the choral art. The ceremony was presided by Lieutenant Governor, Hal Jackman. In November 1997, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Rotary Club Of Timmins to receive the prestigious Paul Harris Award for her years of dedication to the artistic development of young musical talent in Timmins. In August of 2002, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Board Of Directors of Choirs Ontario to serve as Conductor of both the Provincial Junior and Teen Choir Camps, now renamed in honour of the Camp Benefactors, Don and Lillian Wright. In November 2002, Rosanne was the one of the recipients of the Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, honouring her work in the development of the arts in Timmins. Under Rosanne Simunovic’s direction, the Timmins Youth Singers and the Timmins Concert Singers have been featured in numerous choral festivals and performing opportunities outside of Timmins. In 1985, they were selected to partici
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46 Responses to “Vocal MasterClass Discussion For American Idol Farewell Season:  The Grand Finale”

  1. Louise April 7, 2016 at 8:03 pm

    I googled Clark Beckham today and discovered he is touring with Taylor Hicks!!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Masterclass Lady April 7, 2016 at 8:05 pm

    Clark and Taylor. Trent going Country? Ya and then he will crossover to Pop like Taylor Swift.

    Loved the opening. I am crying.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. rereader April 7, 2016 at 8:21 pm

    This former Idol medley is a hot mess, though….

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Masterclass Lady April 7, 2016 at 8:33 pm

    Yes it sure was RR. Haha. Just like old times.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. rereader April 7, 2016 at 8:42 pm

    AHA! That explains it, then… 😀

    Liked by 1 person

  6. rereader April 7, 2016 at 8:42 pm

    Kelly was amazing–and I’m really loving this Keith/Carrie duet!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Laura April 7, 2016 at 9:15 pm

    Jessica Sanchez sounded FANTASTIC. This really reminds me a high school reunion with a lot of really talented people. It’s fun to see who looks the same and who’s changed the most.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Masterclass Lady April 7, 2016 at 9:16 pm

    Wow. That J-Lo number really was something else. Very, VERY GOOD.

    Like

  9. Louise April 7, 2016 at 9:32 pm

    WOW!!! Loved seeing Melinda Doolittle, Taylor Hicks, Jennifer Hudson, George Huff, etc. What fun!!!

    Liked by 2 people

  10. rereader April 7, 2016 at 10:09 pm

    You know, it was cool seeing so many old contestants, but it was horribly unfair to this year’s crop. Usually the top 10 at least have trios or duets with some big stars–this year’s kids got nothing at all, just tiny bits in huge group numbers. If they wanted so many alumni, they should have gone three hours and given this year’s contestant their few minutes in the spotlight. 😦

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Masterclass Lady April 7, 2016 at 10:14 pm

    Yes RR. I thoroughly agree. But, in truth, this whole season was designed to be a Farewell Season, focusing on former Idols. Those poor Season 15 Finalists never had a chance. I would have loved to have seen Tristan again for sure and many of the others. And, under normal circumstances, Dalton would have been given a special solo.

    I don’t know what they never had this kind of Alumnae Showcase sooner than this? I am sure many of the former Idols would have loved the opportunity to perform again before this season bade farewell.

    And what’s with Ryan saying: Good Bye (BIG PAUSE) for now. Huh? That is quite the teaser haha

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Idol Girl April 7, 2016 at 10:16 pm

    Enjoyed seeing all the many amazing performances by the former contestants. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Don B April 7, 2016 at 10:20 pm

    I thought the show lost a little bit of production magic when Lythgoe left. People are divided on him but I always thought he brought a bit of British theatre to the endeavor and the performances were the better for it. I thought about that as the production values of tonight’s show shined through. I was entranced by the the Jessica Sanchez number with the 1930’s carousel platforms and the number with the five male guitar winners. Plus tonight, tonight everyone was dressed up, regal in many ways. Thanks, Nigel!

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Masterclass Lady April 7, 2016 at 10:23 pm

    Yes Don the show had sparkle and pizzazz. And they all dressed up – thank Heavens. So classy. The show started tentatively but picked up steam about 45 minutes in, I thought.

    Like

  15. Rocker Chick April 7, 2016 at 10:24 pm

    The producers have mentioned about hoping that maybe they can bring the show back sometime in the future, in some form.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Vonnie April 7, 2016 at 10:48 pm

    Wow! What a show! 😃

    Congratulations to Trent! What a confetti bath he got!!! 🎉

    MCL…Thank you for all the years you gave us a platform and a place to call home, to chat about this crazy show, and a place to make wonderful friends. You are the best!

    Thank you to everyone on this thread; you’ve made idol fun! To those who no longer post, I hope you check in from time to time, I sure have missed you all…Mindy, brother Carl, Skid, Sue, James, hunter, to name a few!

    Gene, thank you my friend, you have been a blast..!!!

    I hope everyone hangs around, but if not, it’s been a pleasure! 💕🎉

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Masterclass Lady April 7, 2016 at 11:05 pm

    Aw Vonnie. It has been a pleasure. It’s readers like you who keep me motivated to keep this blog alive. And I will continue to do so. I plan on adding more articles about Idols to keep,the show alive and the memories vivid. I do not feel that this is the end. Rather, it is the start of a new and exciting format down the road.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. hunter April 7, 2016 at 11:40 pm

    wow, i loved it. i loved that william hung did ‘she bangs’. i loved seeing bucky who hasn’t changed. and casey james, wow, i didn’t know it was him until i saw his name. and, holy cow, bo bice who always had long hair, had his hair SHORT. a totally new person. i would have NEVER recognized him. what a shock. he looked great. tamyra gray has aged a million years, wow, again, what a shock. maybe it was the fake red hair.

    and, one of my favorite performances was clay aiken. not because of clay but because of the oboe-playing accompaniment. 🙂 i played the oboe for four years in high school, and it was so exciting to see it in this format…so there were memories from the past, not only of idol, but of high school. 🙂

    i loved how it went from group to group, no announcement, but seeing the names written so we knew who it was. i felt so immersed in it. until the original three judges were there, fumbling around, ‘like old’. that sort of brought it back to reality, haha.

    having dunkleman there was cute.

    i found it interesting that i remembered some of the older people better than some from the newest seasons.

    i do agree..one of my favorite parts of the finales have always been the famous person singing with the idol. that really would have been fun. but i do like how this was done.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. louise April 8, 2016 at 12:20 am

    I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the former Idols. I’ve often thought it would be great if they put former Idols on tour sometimes.

    And, yes, thank you MCL. I have so much appreciated your weekly evaluations of each performer. It must have taken a lot of time to do that, and I am so glad I found your blog.

    Was very happy for Trent tonight, and sad for La’Porsha at the same time. I really loved both of them equally this year and that’s the first time that has ever happened.

    I hope the Idol regulars will pop in here and comment about The Voice. Love that show.

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Idol Girl April 8, 2016 at 6:44 am

    Both have been signed to record deals. http://www.mjsbigblog.com/american-idol-2016-final-2-both-signed-to-label-deals-285357.htm

    Liked by 2 people

  21. Rocker Chick April 8, 2016 at 9:34 am

    A Forbes article says the show may be revived on social media platforms. http://www.forbes.com/sites/nelsongranados/2016/04/08/american-idol-will-return-and-may-go-live-in-a-digital-platform/#512bb5071640

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Masterclass Lady April 8, 2016 at 9:57 am

    Rocker Chick – now that is exciting. American Digital Idol. I like it.

    Like

  23. Ivy April 8, 2016 at 2:31 pm

    I think they should let AI rest in peace. It was old, tired and on it’s very last legs.

    Like

  24. Idol Girl April 8, 2016 at 3:31 pm

    It sounds to me like they are hoping Hulu, Netflix or Amazon will pick it up.

    Like

  25. Billy Bob April 8, 2016 at 3:41 pm

    Simon Fuller is the brain behind “DreamHouse”, and lately he seems to be looking into Virtual Reality shows, so I would be cautious about what form he would like to see for Idol Redux … Meanwhile, there are plenty of alums to check out, for me.

    Liked by 1 person

  26. Susie April 8, 2016 at 4:06 pm

    I think American Idol started losing its momentum once The Voice came on the scene. It is a much more polished show and better concept in that contestants are judged on their voice and not appearance plus the team concept made it more interesting each week.

    Liked by 1 person

  27. Alan April 8, 2016 at 4:08 pm

    Simon Fuller needs to let it go. AI had a phenomenal run, but there comes a point when you actually turn people off trying to force something that is just not there anymore. I get that some people will be disappointed, but its plummeting ratings over the last few seasons proves that most people have moved on.

    Like

  28. Masterclass Lady April 8, 2016 at 4:08 pm

    Actually, as much as I like The Voice, I felt that American Idol, especially in its early years, was much more interesting to watch. Stars emerged before our eyes from week to week. On The Voice, the singers more established – generally – and the refinement is pretty much there.

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Sally Ann April 8, 2016 at 6:07 pm

    I asked at work if anyone was watching the last Idol season and my answer was a resounding no. Sad because it used to be the only thing people talked about the next day.

    Like

  30. Anita April 9, 2016 at 5:07 pm

    I guess AI forgot that the show didn’t end with Season 14, but Season 15. Way to make those Season 15 finalists seem so unimportant Idol! Each of them is part of it’s history, and deserved better! I would have been game for a 3 hour show. You would think that at least the Top 4 could have their superstar duets, or even sing with other Idol alums, but no. Frankly, I’m so much more disappointed about this than David Archuleta not getting more stage time with a solo. It was so tactless.

    I’m so very excited for Trent! My goodness, that young man can do anything with that stunning voice of his! Laporsha is also so exquisite, sounds like a superstar, and always looked like one too! I was hoping for her to win, but am such a fan of both, and I believe Trent deserved to win just as much as Laporsha, so all is good. I haven’t felt this was about an AI Top 2 since David and David in Season 7. In my opinion, the Laporsha/Trent Finale is the second best final of all time, with David /David being the best of all seasons. So that’s saying alot!

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Richard April 9, 2016 at 5:57 pm

    What a wonderful night for all of the idol performers from season one till the end. They all sang great. My perfect ending was when the iconic idol Carrie Underwood came out and sang Something In The Water, what a great song to sing given the platform she was on. Amazing pipes. A true blessing. Her vocals take my breath away..

    Thank you American Idol for giving us the memorable years of these talented Idols.

    Liked by 1 person

  32. Masterclass Lady April 9, 2016 at 6:09 pm

    Richard – Carrie was incredible, INCREDIBLE. I am away from my desk all weekend and have not had a chance to add videos or thoughts about American Idol Finale.

    However, congratulations TRENT. I knew you would win since the first time I heard you in the Top 12.

    And, La’Porsha – you were a worthy competitor. A star!

    Both have amazing, God-given voices and wish only the best for them.

    Like

  33. Louise April 9, 2016 at 7:25 pm

    I have been searching for articles about Trent and La’Porsha since the finale and have found very little. I also haven’t heard anything about them on morning TV. There was a time when the winner of Idol was big news. When Taylor won, he was the cover story on People magazine. And the contestants used to appear on other shows, etc. The season 15 contestants were definitely robbed without even a summer tour.

    Liked by 1 person

  34. Richard April 10, 2016 at 12:28 pm

    Would like to hear you thoughts on the finale.

    Liked by 1 person

  35. rereader April 10, 2016 at 2:46 pm

    Louise, I heard that Dalton is going to be on Live with Kelly and Michael this coming Wednesday, and he was on Hollywood Today Live on Friday (I think it was Friday): https://youtu.be/8G-Aglx3G1E

    I haven’t heard of any TV interviews with either of the final two, but I haven’t really been looking.

    Liked by 1 person

  36. rereader April 10, 2016 at 2:52 pm

    I looked it up, and it seems true that Dalton’s going to be on that show on Wed.: http://livekellyandmichael.dadt.com/guide/april-13-2016/

    Liked by 1 person

  37. Louise April 11, 2016 at 9:59 am

    Trent appeared on Kelly and Michael this morning and sounded great. La’Porsha will appear on the same show on Tuesday morning.

    Liked by 2 people

  38. Ivy April 11, 2016 at 9:45 pm

    Susie – Part of the reason why the ratings went down for Idol is because The Voice attracts a younger demographic. The reason why is because the coaches on The Voice are more well-known to younger people and the song choices include current chart hits that younger audiences are more familiar with.

    http://www.popmatters.com/article/157384-the-voice-is-cutting-in-on-american-idols-young-viewers/

    Liked by 1 person

  39. Sally Ann April 11, 2016 at 10:29 pm

    New York Times had a chart, I think it was last year, of the decline of Idol. Season 5 was the peak. Big decline started after Simon and Paula left. Season 12 is what killed the show. Mariah and Nicki caused viewers to leave in droves.

    Like

  40. Idol Girl April 11, 2016 at 10:30 pm

    Fatigue is a factor. Show felt rather stale to me after a number of years.

    Like

  41. Rocker Chick April 11, 2016 at 10:36 pm

    If Chris Daughtry had won season 5 instead of Taylor Hicks, that might have helped to continue to legitimize the show.

    Like

  42. Alan April 11, 2016 at 10:37 pm

    It can be argued that idol began its downfall after season 9, but thats not the case. The real decline began when the same male contestants started winning every season and not producing album sales. In return radio ignored idol winners and this ultimately killed the younger demographics. Then it was like dominos, ratings suffered, idol lost major sponsors.

    The key too keeping the show the way it was to leave the formula alone. The show was played with too much. Idol did fine with having the winners it did the first 7 seasons. Some here will argue that it’s not true, but it is cause some may be biased for these contestants, but them winning idol had no benefit for the show. The only winners that sold were the first 7 and Phillip Phillips but that was because he had a radio friendly single and was heavily featured on one of the most popular Olympics seasons ever.

    Liked by 1 person

  43. Idol Girl April 11, 2016 at 10:40 pm

    Definitely a combination of all mentioned above.

    Liked by 1 person

  44. Idol Girl April 11, 2016 at 10:45 pm

    Another thing I would add is this: The music industry lost interest in recruiting talent from talent shows like these because the rise of Web sites like YouTube slowly reduced Idol to irrelevance.

    Liked by 1 person

  45. Masterclass Lady April 11, 2016 at 11:00 pm

    Bang on, Alan. My tonight’s exactly. They tinkered and tinkered with the show until we didn’t recognize it anymore. To this day, I still love the original formula and when they added the Top 24 Semi – Finalists, they got it just right.

    Like

  46. Louise April 13, 2016 at 12:02 pm

    Dalton was really wonderful on Kelly and Michael this morning.

    Liked by 1 person