h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Great ideas about the instruments. this will be a concert to raise the dead!

(I read all your chapters but h2g2 doesn't always let me post.)

I like the lyrics!

Thanks for explaining Britney Spears. I don't get the current pop music scene - the songs are all so generic that I'm reminding of the 1920s. Maybe this happens every 100 years.

My wife and I started attending a masterclass in vocals a month ago. We are currently browsing through several musical genres to see how these use different vocal techniques for singing. Weekly homework involves performing a song in the current style. So far we did heartthrob / tearjerker songs, Jazz and vocal rock effects (grunting, distortion, death scream)
The lyrics in the story were inspired by 'Summertime' which was already in my head for the Jazz homework.

Practice sessons must be a scream. Literally.

The trick with a lot of those effects is that they only work when using a microphone up close and personal. Without it, it sounds rather unimpressive. When performed correctly, the effects shouldn't damage your vocal chords, but you can get a sore throat elsewhere, so it is best to use them just as effects, not as your default mode.

I know what you mean - we have a heavily mic-ed-up platform at church, with enthusiastic singers who learn the new songs from the radio.

We did that a lot yesterday to train retraction of the false vocal chords

Sounds like you're having fun.