Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Jazz In Ten Easy Lessons

     Jazz is not an art to be conquered; you are not going to simply learn jazz in 10 easy lessons. Young musicians looking to pursue jazz will be better served approaching jazz studies with a realistic prospective. Ones education in jazz studies is step-by-step, and that knowledge can be built upon.

     For many, a formal introduction into music comes from K-12 education. Elementary school education is crucial in giving students tools meaningful to develop musical skills. Elementary school gives an introduction into music, not jazz, but music. It is through music we develop skills and technique as instrumentalist, and comradeship with others in making music. In other words, our basic technique and general understanding of music is developed in elementary school.

     In middle and high school technique is further developed with traditional music study. Jazz is learned in high school, but students bread and butter comes from learning traditional music. Numerous high school and college jazz programs have replaced the apprenticeship model of learning jazz. Jazz is introduced to greater numbers of citizens, both performers and audiences. If anything is lost to the academic presentation of jazz it is the individuality of jazz. Today you do not recognize the players. However, through jazz education one can hear better technique, and greater facility.

     Once upon a time jazz musicians learned to play in jazz clubs at late hours in jam sessions. Today young jazz artist learn in academic environments, which is a safer environment. However, there is one thing that connects both learning jazz in an era that has gone, and today in the classroom, and that is you got to get out there and play.

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