Description of Performance Workshops & Classes

This big band is designed for students in grades 6-12, gathering for 3 hours on Saturdays for 10 weeks before performing publicly on stage, such as the world class stage just steps away from the rehearsal studio, seating up to 2000 audience members.  Long term involvement encouraged to bolster college applications! A pre-requisite to registration is being able to play your major scales and read music charts at an intermediate level.

This combo performance workshop is designed for adults and students who want to play in a smaller group setting. The group will rehearse 2.5 hours on Thursday evenings for 10 weeks before performing publicly on stage, such as the world class stage just steps away from the rehearsal studio, seating up to 2000 audience members.  A pre-requisite to registration is being able to play your major scales and read music charts at an intermediate level. 

Learning the circle of 5th and 4th is critical to a musician's growth in playing and improvising jazz.  Memorizing the sharps and flats enable you to navigate with greater ease in reading and improvising.

This evening big band is designed for adults and college students who cannot play during the day.  The group will rehearse 2.5 hours on Tuesday evenings for 10 weeks before performing publicly on stage, such as the world class stage just steps away from the rehearsal studio, seating up to 2000 audience members.  A pre-requisite to registration is being able to play your major scales and read music charts at an intermediate level. 

This class will cover the basics of active listening in any kind of music.  We will be listening to the most important jazz recordings carefully with the intent to understand the vocabulary and how it can be used in your improvisation.

Everything you need to know about your saxophone and how to practice it without making it a stumbling block to the music.  The upper and lower registers as well as altissimo can be tricky, so we will cover practice methods that enable you to overcome physical and mental obstacles.

This combo performance workshop is designed for adults and students who want to play in a smaller group setting. The group will rehearse 2.5 hours on Monday evenings for 10 weeks before performing publicly on stage, such as the world class stage just steps away from the rehearsal studio, seating up to 2000 audience members.  A pre-requisite to registration is being able to play your major scales and read music charts at an intermediate level. 

This multi-part class will cover jazz history from its very beginnings in multiple places like New Orleans and Charleston.  Time frame begins in the early 1920s and advances to the 1970s.

Regardless of what instrument you play, 3 most important things underscore a most effective plan of practice.  We will be tackling practice methods for 2 hours, discussing the different between routine and methods as well as using proper discernment in rotating practice materials.