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FOR JAZZ EDUCATORS www.jeiowa.org
A Word From The President
JEI President’s Message A quick look out the window tells me that it’s jazz festival season. Big bands and hazardous travel seem to go together in Iowa. While we can’t help with the weather, we have put together a batch of articles designed to help you in preparing your students for competitive and non-competitive festivals. In particular, I would like to extend a welcome to our new Vocal Jazz Affairs representative, Joel Foreman. Joel’s commitment to advocating for real jazz instruction and performance in the schools is an inspiration. Welcome aboard, Joel!
In January I returned from the Jazz Education Network conference in Atlanta feeling energized about working with my students as well as pursuing my own writing and performance opportunities. The level of jazz teaching and playing around the country is truly remarkable. Most remarkable of all, to me, is the quality of performance among the jazz educators! These individuals use their skills in performance, arranging and composition to inspire their students to succeed. There is no substitute for good modeling, particularly here in Iowa where access to live performances by professional jazz musicians is limited.
There is more going on out there than you think! For example, Synergy Jazz in Des Moines is bringing in a number of great performers this winter and spring. Many of the competitive festivals around the state also feature performances and clinics by top professionals, frequently supported by highly skilled University ensembles comprised of former Iowa High School jazz musicians! This in itself can inspire your students as they realize that these college performers are just a few years removed from their own experience, and that this level of performance is within their grasp. To that end, I am reprinting an e-mail sent to Peter Erskine following
his performance at the 2004 Tallcorn Jazz Festival:
“Dear Mr. Erskine, My name is Abby Hall and I am a senior in high school. Yesterday, my jazz band participated in the festival at UNI. We did not place the way we would have liked to; this was incredibly disappointing for myself and the other band members. We were the last band of the day to play and after hearing the score results, most of us just wanted to go home. Thankfully, our director decided that we should stay for the concert anyway. We walked into the performance just as Jazz (Band) II was finishing. We all felt tired, disappointed, and grumpy, and none of us were in the mood to sit and listen to what, we thought, we had attempted to make and failed miserably. As Jazz I began to play, all of my frustration and disappointment melted away. I have heard this band many, many times before, but I was simply blown away last night. I thought that I would detest seeing such talented people play so effortlessly, since we had played so “poorly,” but I was wrong. When you came on stage and began to play, I felt like smiling from the inside out. Not only did all of my anger concerning our placement disappear, but the concert helped me remember why I like to play jazz in the first place. It isn’t about first or second. It isn’t about impressing judges (not that I don’t enjoy those things, of course). It’s only about making music. It’s about using your ears and eyes and interacting with those around you. It’s about doing the best that I possibly can and to enjoy doing it. It’s about taking advantage of every opportunity I have to play and listen to my peers play. Mr. Erskine, I’m incredibly thankful for your performance last night. I was impressed and inspired. You and Jazz I helped me to remember what music is really about. Thank you.”
-Abby Hall, North Polk Jr./Sr. High School
Thank you, Abby, for the reminder!
JEI BOARD
PRESIDENTCHRIS MERZ
PRESIDENT-ELECTKYLE ENGELHARDT
PAST PRESIDENTRODNEY PIERSON
VICE-PRESIDENTSTEVE SHANLEY
SECRETARYJEFF SCHAFER
TREASURERMYRON PETERSON
JEI NEWSLETTER NO. 8 FEBRUARY 2013
PROVIDING JAZZ RESOURCESFOR IOWA’S EDUCATORS
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News from the Past President
Submitted by Rodney [email protected]
”Words that offer encouragement
and guidance”
I have, over the years seen a number of quotes and been exposed to a number of resources that not only inspire me to explore concepts but equal in importance, reaffirm things I know.
It is a fact that we currently experience access to more Jazz study and teaching information through the internet via Jen, Downbeat, Jazz Times, YouTube, iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Google searches and the like.
As a bit of a departure from the standard newsletter submission, I wanted to share two things that represent what we need to be focusing on with our students every day. It is my position that to instill a lasting appreciation and fascination with Jazz, we must “invite” the students into this culture through historical and functional means. I had long wondered how the “Greats” thought about music and being part of a group so I offer Thelonius Monks comments – recorded by Steve Lacy (Band member). If any of these observations are foreign to you, JEI can help fill in the blanks. Incorporate concepts that speak to the deeper and so often times basic elements of collaborating as musicians with your students. They will reciprocate with stronger commitment if you can successfully create an atmosphere that recognizes the possibility for Jazz to have meaning in their lives.
I also have included an image for Jamey Aebersold’s FREE handout that is available on his website. I cannot think of any one individual who has made available, to the world, more authentic and time tested concepts and Jazz “truisms” than Jamey Aebersold. We thank him for making this Resource “Primer” available to anyone who desires to improve as a musician and as a person…www.jazzbooks.com
Please make a point of sharing this information with every student in your program. It’s never too early to spawn questions and never too late to engage your students with all the great things that Jazz Music represents. In order for this information to impact your program it will require individual time on both your and your students’ part…offering the kind of experience that they will receive in sadly too few scholastic pursuits.
Thanks for all you do to open the world of Jazz to your’ students!
Rod
JEI NEWSLETTER NO. 8 FEBRUARY 2013
FOR JAZZ EDUCATORS www.jeiowa.org
Educational Resources
Food For Thought
Submitted by Mike McMannmcmann_mike@north-
scott.k12.ia.us
When drafting these articles for the JEI Journal, I fear the onset of a “sounding like a broken record” complex. Since so many of the concepts seem to be centered around a few key components, and given the time of year, I will offer some things to think about in terms of reaching students, how to approach festival “season”, and what to do after that season ends. Again, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, but needing to reiterate just how important and useful these concepts can be.
Perhaps the biggest issue students face when learning the ropes of jazz is the absence of a good SOUND concept. In other words, they are trying to read a chart, interpret it, and improvise over it by using the printed page alone. Just like any language, trying to speak it without ever having heard it is setting the individual up for failure. A number of years ago, it may have been hard for students to get to a record store to really check out some quality jazz music. That was, in our minds, what was holding the students back the most- the lack of resources due to location, finances, and availability. Now- and this is both good and bad- students have the entire world of jazz at their fingertips.
Online resources like Spotify (FREE), YouTube (FREE), iTunes (CHEAP), and many mobile apps (Blue Note, etc.) remove absolutely any excuse a student can give for not listening to jazz. And the reason this is both good and bad? Good for obvious reasons; bad
because we all still have a lot of students who don’t take the time to check it out even though it is right there. However, as jazz educators it is our job to keep pushing the listening. That could mean assigning a tune regularly for students to check out on Spotify and having them play a riff they learned from it in the next rehearsal, or something as simple as assigning it and just having a quick discussion about it. Maybe have them research one of the players and pass the info on to the rest of the band. The bottom line is to get as many of them engaged in using the resources as possible to give life to the notes on the page.
On a related topic, it can be very easy to slip into “festival mode” and focus so much on a handful of tunes that we lose track of the educational nature of our position. Don’t stop educating. Don’t limit the amount of listening you do in rehearsals to just recordings of the 3 or 4 tunes you are working on for festivals. That is very common among jazz students- when I work with bands, either individually or at festivals, I will usually ask them who is currently on their “jazz playlist”. My first hope is that they ARE listening. The second is that they are listening to more than just the demo recordings or originals of the charts in their folders. If that is the only listening they are doing, then it isn’t truly developing a concept of sound. It is developing an idea of how to play a particular song. Again, push the listening and resources so they aren’t starting fresh with each new piece you put in front of them. Rather, they are applying sound concepts that are centered on studying the greats and learning the language.
This is about as much as I will discuss festivals, but I figure it is appropriate for this time of year. As an
educator, I feel there are a couple of elements that should surround the festival “season”. The first is that there is some educational value. Ideally, there would be some kind of clinic offered where your band would get to work with a jazz educator and receive another perspective and things to think about/work on. There are a number of great festivals out there with that component in place. There is also the opportunity to hear other bands, which is always great for the students. My advice would be this: encourage your students to check out bands in different classes- not just the ones they are competing against. So many of them get so wrapped up in the trophy chase that they miss out on some great performances because they are only checking out their “competition”. This of course weakens the educational component of jazz festivals and shifts the focus and priorities.
Lastly, I know this can be dictated by scheduling, etc., but this is something I notice year after year. Many bands go to these great festivals and receive some great feedback (overuse of the word “great” noted), and start showing progress- maybe even by the end of a particular clinic. But then what happens after the festivals are over? Jazz band stops. Done for the year. I realize that, by that time, directors are tired of the extra rehearsals before/after school and they are ready for a break. It is just too bad when students hear all of these words of wisdom and possibly get inspired at a clinic and then can’t capitalize on it because the “season” is over immediately following. Why not meet a few more times after that to keep the ball rolling and launch them into the summer with some momentum? This will also be a good test for your program. If the students are still fired up about
JEI NEWSLETTER NO. 8 FEBRUARY 2013
“Part of learning from jazz contests is listening to other groups.”
FOR JAZZ EDUCATORS www.jeiowa.org
playing, reading some new music, maybe having one more concert, etc., after the festivals are over, then they have truly become consumers of jazz and enjoy it for the music’s sake.
Discussions about competitions and festivals can by nature become pretty heated and “soapbox-ish”, but the bottom line HAS to be the education of our students. In other words, use all of the positives that festivals have to offer and at the same time provide a well-rounded jazz education to your students that fosters interest beyond those festivals.
What Have You Created Lately?
Submitted by Joel [email protected]
As a choral director, have you ever felt the tremendous pressure of performing concert selections exactly as they were written? Whether it was for Solo/Ensemble Contest or State Large Group Contest, the burden of being fearful of missing a little articulation or dynamic marking is ever-present and stressful. You might want to change things or be more expressive than what the score suggests but you are a bit scared of what the judges might say. Maybe you feel a little like Moses when you receive a new score…
“The Lord gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God. On them were all the commandments the Lord proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.” Deuteronomy 9:10
But friends, I have good news. Therein lies the beauty of jazz. Yes, we need to preserve the form of our chart and for the most part preserve the changes too. But within that structure is great freedom! That freedom is what allows our artistry, personality and creativity to develop and show. It is where we can personalize the music and make it our own. Clear as mud? Listen to Kevin Mahogany perform “Take the A-Train” on his album “Songs and Moments”. Then listen to Kristin Korb
sing it on her album “Introducing Kristin Korb and the Ray Brown Trio”. Same song, same form, same changes, and wildly different interpretations!
As directors of vocal jazz, we need to look at this as a great release. Singing a jazz tune beginning to end as written, in this writer’s opinion, is merely a “jazz sing-a-long”. The goal is to create, not recreate. We have the opportunity to add everything from kicks to full rhythm section shots, to our own dynamics and especially scat sections! Improvisation is the defining concept of jazz and should be given great attention and a high level of importance. In some states, the state-sanctioned ballot allots half of the total points to solos and improvisation. Wow! So I ask, what would our groups and our soloists create if half of our rehearsal time was spent working on improvisation?
So you may be asking, how do we get there? We start by knowing the form of our song. Most jazz charts will follow something close to a 32-bar AABA form or a 12 or 16-bar blues form. Knowing what form your song follows allows you to identify where the form begins and ends. So, if a repeat is not already built-in for solos/improvisation, we can simply put one in ourselves, and sing/play additional numbers of the same form. There are very few jazz tunes I have ever directed (with the exception of some a cappella ballads) that I have not had to build in my own repeats for solos. But, I do it because I believe it’s important, I would even say essential to teaching our students the art of singing jazz.
The bottom line is, if something you want is not already in the score for you, create it yourself ! It’s allowed and even encouraged. Teach your students that creativity is what it’s all about. Some of my best “moves” interpreting charts have come from student-initiated ideas. Don’t be afraid to try something different and new in rehearsals. That’s the safe place where discovery can begin.
In this season of festivals and contests, my hope and sincere wish for you as vocal jazz directors is to not let any
performance be the same. Yes, we must continue to reaffirm our tone production, balance and blend, but look for the opportunities to create. Build in your own ideas and change things up! Introduce a repeat on a form and open it up to improvised solos. Allowing our students to be creative and explore is what education is all about. Our job is to guide our students into performances that strive to be fresh, creative and unique.
Jazz Festivals At The Junior High Level
Submitted by Colleen [email protected]
1. Is your jazz band ready for a festival? Only you as a director can answer this question. Think about your goals for going to contest. Do you want to participate in festivals that are not competitive or do you want to compete in festivals that place each band? Other to things to consider are the maturity level of your students and how confident they are musically.
2. Know the rules of the contest: what are the music requirements; what are the time limits; what equipment does the festival provide; look at the ballot and share it with your students so they know what they will be judged on. If you have any special requests check with the festival director ahead of time to prevent a problem the day of contest.
3. BEFORE contest, practice everything - how to set up, how to sit, what to do (and what not to do) when you walk in the performance area. Make sure your rhythm section knows how you want them to set up. Every band does it a little different. The rhythm section should be able to make eye contact with each other for communication. Explain what your expectations are in the warm-up room. It is a good idea to have a warm up that you always use such as a blues scale progression. Tuning is a very important part of your time in the warm up room! Also, prepare your students for the venue you will be performing in. If it is a big room, encourage your students to turn their volume levels up a notch; if it is a small room, do the opposite.
JEI NEWSLETTER NO. 8 FEBRUARY 2013
FOR JAZZ EDUCATORS www.jeiowa.org
4. Will the judges clinic with your group afterwards? If so, prepare your students for this. They may ask questions or ask your students to play a part of your set. Your students should try their best to do as the judges asks. When you get back home, you can decide if you want to make the changes the judges suggest or not.
5. After the contest, listen to the judge’s comments; write down everything they say; share it with your students. Read the judge’s comments on the ballots to your students and explain what they mean if need be. You may not agree with everything the judges say, and that is OK. Many times they have great suggestions that you will want to try!
6. Instrumentation - If you double a lot of parts or if you use non-standard jazz instrumentation in your group, consider how to handle this for a contest. It is not a good idea to perform with unbalanced instrumentation (for example: 15 saxophones; 4 trombones; 5 trumpets. In this situation it would be best to alternate saxes on each piece. Use 5 saxes for each song so they each get to perform.) In rehearsals, everyone can learn every piece, but a few weeks before contest, start using the instrumentation you will at contest so students get used to balance, blend, and intonation.
7. Know what you will be judged on - and make sure your students know too! Post a copy of the ballot in your room and refer to it many times. Jazz ballots vary but creativity, improvisation and rhythm section are three areas that you will see on jazz ballots that differ from a concert band ballot. Your students may be surprised to hear the judges talking through their performance so explain this process before contest!
8. Going to contests takes a lot of organization. To make contest a good experience for everyone make sure you have considered all of the details! Is there an entry deadline, do you need a sub for the school day, have you arranged
for transportation, do your students need money for lunch, do students and parents know what time you are leaving and what time you will return, what instruments are they responsible for loading/unloading, how will their music get there (I suggest have section leaders collect it in one folder and put it in a drum box. Always bring extra though in case somehow it doesn’t get there!!)
9. Part of learning from a jazz contest is listening to other groups. Encourage your students to listen to as many other groups as possible! With many contests there are evening concerts presented either by a college jazz ensemble or by a big band made up of the adjudicators. These concerts can only add to their jazz education!
Jazz contests emphasize education and provide students with an opportunity for musical growth! Going to your district jazz festival is a great place to start....good luck!
Colleen Hecht
Elementary JazzInstrumental Activities In Jazz Utilizing SmartMusic
Submitted by Erin [email protected]
In a previous article I listed the jazz publications such as the popular Aebersold series that are accessible through the SmartMusic software program. In this article I would like to describe two activities utilizing SmartMusic to develop the young student’s aural connection between sound and instruments. “Sound before sign” is a concept familiar to general music teachers through the work of Pestalozzi and general music methods and approaches. Helping the student to connect to sounds before signs, symbols, or notations is important for musical development, and essential for understanding jazz. SmartMusic has a section called “Exercises” where you can find the “Play by Ear” exercises. Here the
students will listen to one measure and repeat what they heard in a following measure. Smart Music’s approach introduces one new note at a time and reinforces time concepts while allowing the teacher’s attention to be free to observe students and correct problems.
The first activity develops a non-visual connection with five notes on the recorder; B, A, G, E and D. The second activity expands this range for use on Orff instruments. The only things that you need are SmartMusic on a computer (projection is useful, but optional), recorders, and/or Orff instruments. Your students should know the fingerings for B, A, G, E and D as well as the basic concepts of producing a tone on the recorder and/or barred instruments.
For the recorder, use in order the Group 1, Patterns 1-5. After opening Pattern 1 from the “Play by Ear” exercises, select “Soprano Recorder” from the instrument menu at the top on the left, and change the key from Bb to G under the key menu on the upper right. As with all SmartMusic exercises you also have the option of hearing metronome clicks and tempo. Begin with the click options on, then as students develop their skill you can challenge them with the clicks turned off. Begin with a slow tempo and increase the tempo and the students develop skill. The “Range” should be set to “Basic”. The exercises in Pattern 1 start with G. Since the program is playing what the students are to imitate, you are free to observe, assess, and assist students. All you have to do is start the program by selecting “Start Take”. With a wireless clicker or mouse this can be done from anywhere in the room. Note that you must change the key from Bb to G every time you go to a new Pattern. Patterns 1-5 will include notes G, A and B. Repeat each Pattern until success is achieved before going on to the next one. After completing all 5 exercises, return to Pattern 1 and 2 changing the key from Bb to D. Now Pattern 1 and 2 will work D and E.
JEI NEWSLETTER NO. 8 FEBRUARY 2013
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Orff barred instruments can use the same transpositions used above. You might choose to remove the C and F bars for younger groups. I suggest continuing to use “Soprano Recorder” as the selected instrument. You can also adjust the octaves to favor “High” or “Low” if needed under the “Range” heading. Then try the same exercises transposing to C. You will find that with the transposition tool you can create these exercises in any key that you are currently working in.
When your students are used to these exercises, you can have the students take turns playing the responses alone in small groups (have students in circles of 4 or 5 facing each other). Here they will begin to have a sense of playing alone, but there will be others playing at the same time in other groups for support. Then, when in these groups taking turns, you can encourage students to begin responding with their own “improvisations” with the guidelines of fitting into the response time of one measure. In our next issue we will take this activity a step further into improvising in a jazz style.
Backstage Pass
Submitted by Dennis [email protected]
Iowa City Jazz Fest stage crew member Jack Green lugs a speaker offstage at the 2012 festival.
We all know that finding new and interesting ways to expose students and ourselves to jazz is key to staying engaged and growing in the music.
One great way to do this is to get involved in the jazz festivals in your committee. Many Iowa towns have summer festivals. I’m sure that you attend, if you’re not traveling or in grad school. And I’m sure you encourage your students to do the same.
But festivals need more than your attendance. They need your hands as well. Most festivals are non-profit, run by a core of dedicated volunteers who put in hundreds of hours. They can always use extra help. This can range from assisting in the planning and organizing of the festival to helping with artist hospitality, stage crew and pretty much everything in between. What do you think the drummer in your jazz band can pick up watching Brian Blade tune up his kit prior to a set? Ever wanted to be a fly on the wall while your favorite band is off duty? Volunteer to be a driver and pick up artists at the airport or drive them to the gig.
Not every volunteer job at a music festival brings a guarantee of artist access, of course. Those also serve who cook in the brat tent.
“Volunteers are the truly heart of our organization, and are one of the most important resources we have in planning and running a festival,” says Shane Schimmel, associate executive director for Iowa City’s Summer of the Arts. Her organization stages five large festivals every year, including the Iowa City Jazz Festival. “With a small staff of 3, and hundreds of volunteer slots to fill over the course of a festival weekend, it is critical to have the support of our community volunteers to help make everything happen. Ideally, volunteers find the donation of their time and energy a meaningful experience for themselves as well as for the organization- a true win/win situation.”
Most festivals will accept volunteers of all ages, steering workers into age-
appropriate duties. At some festivals, signing up might be as simple as responding by email or calling the organizer. Larger, more established festivals may have a more rigorous and formal process that includes a vetting procedure and background checks.
And summer festivals encompass much more than just jazz, of course. Volunteering at an event featuring rock, alternative or hip-hop music will also provide a fun and educational experience.
Volunteering does not give you carte blanche to chat up artists who are getting ready to perform, of course. But most artists are happy to give a few minutes to an interested fan, particularly young ones, after their show or if they return to the backstage area to watch another performer.
Volunteering would be a positive experience for any music student, and might be fun for you as well. There are dozens of music events, big and small, all over Iowa. If you live in or near any of these communities, here is a small list to get you started:
Iowa City Jazz Festival: http://www.summerofthearts.org/festival-menu/jazz-festival/about.aspx
Cedar Basin Jazz Fest, Cedar Falls: http://www.cedarbasinjazz.org/
Jazz In July, Des Moines: http://www.jazzinjuly.org/
Playing With Fire, Omaha: http://playingwithfireomaha.net/
Dubuque and All That Jazz: http://www.dubuquemainstreet.org/jazz.html
Dennis Green is General Manager of KCCK, Iowa’s Jazz Station. KCCK broadcasts dozens of live jazz events every year, including all twenty hours of mainstage performances at the Iowa City Jazz Festival. Dennis is a past President of Summer of the Arts, the organization that presents the Iowa City Jazz Festival. Over the years, he’s helped onstage, backstage and yes, even cooked in the brat tent.
JEI NEWSLETTER NO. 8 FEBRUARY 2013
FOR JAZZ EDUCATORS www.jeiowa.org
CodaFinal Words From The President
Submitted by Chris [email protected]
The spring is an extremely busy time for all of us in jazz education. Festival preparation and participation consumes every available minute. All-State submissions have been prepared and sent (a big thank you to all students and directors for their hard work here), and summer camp registration is right around the corner. In this flurry of activity, it’s important to take some time to get inspired, to recharge your artistic and pedagogical batteries. As an alternative to bringing in a clinician, consider getting out to a performance or visiting a rehearsal at a nearby high school, college or university (with permission, of course). Take your students along, and talk with them afterward about what they saw that they might like to incorporate into their own experience. We can all learn from each other.
Finally, please remember that this is YOUR organization. If you have ideas for articles you’d like to see, or better yet, write for future newsletters, let me know. Send an e-mail to me; [email protected]. I’ll be seeing you!
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You should never be comfortable, man. Being
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Miles Davis
JEI NEWSLETTER NO. 8 FEBRUARY 2013
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