Counterpoint with Deke and Dietz

Deke and Dietz sit down for a round table discussion at the Barbershop Harmony Society's 2026 midwinter convention in Pasadena, CA! Stay tuned until the end for a very special live performance. Our panel includes: Erin Wipperman - Education Activities Coordinator for the Barbershop Harmony Society Amy Moyer - BHS & NAfME Music Educator of the Year Tyler Wiggington - BHS Philanthropy Officer, and m...

Yee haw! Deke and Dietz head down to Texas to catch up with the staff of AcaTex - an annual a cappella festival in Dallas, TX. Our round table discussion for this episode includes: Mel Daneke Wes Davis Shannon Phypers Leia Browning Spencer Camacho Patrick Vu Colin Adams https://www.instagram.com/acatexfestival  

This week we're joined by an incredible panel of music educators, including: Cindy Ellis - Miami Arts Studio (BellArmonia) Dr. J.D. Frizzell - Briarcrest Christian School (OneVoice) Kelsey Burkett - Hilliard Memorial Middle School (Blue Notes, Shades of Blue)

This week's discussion is all about touring! We're joined by an amazing panel of road warriors, including:   Claude McKnight of Take 6 Freedom Young of Straight No Chaser, The Exchange, and Freedom's Boombox Trist Curless of The Manhattan Transfer and m-pact

Deke and Dietz are back with a brand new panel discussion format! This week's topic: How to build a career in a cappella. Featuring: Angela Ugolini - Producer/Engineer of Aurum Productions and Singer with Musae Chrissy Aloisio - NYC-based Voice Teacher and Singer/Choreographer of Backtrack Vocals  Layne Stein - Arranger, Writer, Creator, and Performer. Founding Member of VoicePlay and PattyCake Pr...

Deke and Dietz are joined by the branding experts behind DCappella as well as Tik Tok superstar, Paige Zilba to talk about all things social media! PLUS: VJ Rosales of the Filharmonic shares his top tips for Instagram! 

Deke and Dietz answer your burning a cappella questions in part two of our listener Q&A session!

Deke and Dietz answer your burning a cappella questions on the first edition of Q&A!

Deke and Dietz sit down with choral legend, Eric Whitacre to share some of the conversation that was too big to fit in our season 2 premiere! Topics include live performance, composition, and how to get the most out of your singers as a conductor!

How many ways can you effect the human voice? The possibilities are endless. Join Deke and Dietz as they talk to Blake Lewis (American Idol) Mel Daneke (Musae/Six Appeal) and Chris Harrison (Arora) about live looping, pedals, studio effects and more! PLUS Bill Hare and Ed Boyer share some behind the scenes on songs they've mixed!

How lowwwww can you go? Deke and Dietz talk to some of the best bass singers in the biz about what it means to hold down the low end. Featuring Barry Carl (Rockapella), Kaedi Dalley (Citizen Queen), and Tim Foust (Home Free)! PLUS, Geoff Castellucci (VoicePlay) talks subharmonic singing and Elliott Robinson talk groove.

On the season two premiere of Counterpoint, Deke and Dietz explore what it means to make music long distance. Evan Sanders and James Rose of Accent discuss how to collaborate with others from all over the world, Eric Whitacre delves into what it means to be creative during a global pandemic, and Women of the World talk to us about what it's like to use cultural differences to create beautiful art....

Deke and Dietz sit down to discuss the incredible a cappella legacy of Persuasions founder and lead vocalist, Jerry Lawson. Rest in peace, Jerry! The Persuasions performing "Buffalo Soldier" in 1971 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGlZQQFqmcc

On the final episode of Season One, Mario Jose joins us to talk about making a career in Los Angeles, singing with Pitch Slapped on The Sing-Off and how friendship and hard work landed him gigs singing with Pentatonix, John Legend, Meghan Trainor, and more!   Segments - Tales From the Road with Christopher Diaz of The Exchange, and Sound Tutorial with Selame Scarlett of Traces.   Counterpoint - Sh...

Danielle Withers of Afro Blue joins Deke and Dietz to talk about her path from The Sing-Off to performing with some of the biggest artists in the world, including The Killers, Demi Lovato, and Ariana Grande. Segments: Muted trumpet sound tutorial with Deke, and arranger's corner with Ben Bram on his arrangement of Pentatonix's "Can't Help Falling In Love."  Counterpoint: Should you move to a major...

A cappella veteran, and Grammy winning producer Bill Hare joins Deke and Dietz to talk about how he got his start recording a cappella, his years of collaboration with The House Jacks, and how messing around in the studio led to recorded a cappella as we know it today. Segments: Sound Tutorial with Jo Vinson of Musae. Counterpoint: Can long-distance groups be successful? Original Song: "Isn't It G...

Home Free baritone, and former Streetcorner Symphony bass, Adam Chance joins Deke and Dietz to share his perspective as a former aca-outsider who has gone on to sing with two of the most popular groups of all time! As with most things, it all started in choir... Segments: Arranger's corner with Clare Wheeler of The Swingle Singers, and Tales from the Road with VJ Rosales. Counterpoint: Awards in a...

This week's guest is the original vocal percussionist for the House Jacks, and live looper extraordinaire, Kid Beyond! Kid joins Deke and Dietz to talk about the process of developing vocal percussion as we know it today, what it was like evolving into a solo act, and what the evolution of modern a cappella has looked like to someone who was there at the beginning! Segments: In honor of ICCA/ICHSA...

Acclaimed dancer and choreographer Kristin Denehy joins Deke and Dietz to discuss her choreography work on The Sing-Off, how to pull off great looking choreo regardless of your group's skill level, and the trends of movement and dance in current pop music.  Additional segments include: Tales from the Road with Mario Jose, and Sound Tutorial with Kevin Olusola. Counterpoint: The pros and cons of co...

VJ Rosales of the Filharmonic joins Deke and Dietz to talk about his experiences on The Sing-Off, backing up stars like Anna Kendrick and Usher for riff-offs with James Corden, and his plan to take over the world with original music. Segments: Arranger's Corner - Hot Seat Edition, and Inside the Studio with Ellie Brigida of Clear Harmonies ( https://www.clearharmonies.com ). Counterpoint: Should g...

This week's guest is videographer Ryan Parma who dishes about how he got his start in the industry, his early work with Pentatonix, and the making of some of his viral videos featuring award-winning groups like Pentatonix, Forte, the Tufts Beelzebubs, and more.  Segments: History Minute with Deke Sharon re: the Icy Hot Scandal, & Tales from the Road featuring Danielle Withers of Traces of Blue. Or...

Renowned arranger, director, and activist Lisa Forkish sits down with Deke and Dietz to talk about inclusion in the a cappella community. Lisa draws upon her experiences in Divisi (the group that inspired Pitch Perfect), her annual festival WeSing, and her passion for music to help explore the question: why aren't there more women in a cappella? Additional segments: Arranger's Corner with Kevin Ol...

80Fitz joins Deke and Dietz to talk all things beatboxing. He shares his thoughts and criticisms of the beatboxing world, discusses finding success in the era of Internet video, and explores his journey from Andrew Fitzpatrick to the persona of 80Fitz, and what it would mean for his career to retire that persona.  Segments: Inside the Studio with Alex Green of Plaid Productions ( http://plaidacapp...

In this week's episode, hosts Deke Sharon and Rob Dietz sit down with two of the current members of The Kinsey Sicks, "America's Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet." The hilarious and musically-talented Jeff Manabat and Nathan Marken, AKA the current Trixie and Winnie, talk through the group's humble and socially-minded beginnings in 1993, and how the members of the group have remained faithfu...

In this special edition of Counterpoint, Deke and Dietz take a giant step back to the dawn of a cappella music, answering questions about how the industry got its start, how it's evolved over the years, why groups look and sound the way they do, and so much more! If you're a newbie just getting your start in the world of vocal music, or a seasoned oldie looking to brush up on the basics, tune into...