Overview
High school jazz students experience a comprehensive set of jazz offerings that take their improvisation and performance skills to a new level.
Program Details
This program will include daily master classes or sectionals and combos. Students will be placed into one of the big bands based on a live audition at registration. A jazz forum provides daily discussion with faculty, demonstrations, faculty recitals and student performances in a group setting. Question and answer sessions will give students opportunities to explore other issues related to jazz performance and careers.
Students will also participate in jazz improvisation and theory. During jazz studies class students will take a course in Jazz History or Jazz Composition and Arranging. Faculty will help students choose an appropriate class based on each student's interests and level of experience. Students will perform twice during each three week session. There will be two guest artists who will be on campus for the final week of each session and work closely with the students as well as perform with them on the final concert.
Placement auditions occur at the outset of camp to ensure that each student is placed in ensembles and courses that are appropriate to their skill level and fulfill all of the requirements of the curriculum.
Due to the intensity of the program, jazz students will not participate in elective classes. Ample personalized instruction will be provided to individuals and groups during rehearsals and classes.
To fulfill the ensemble and improvisation components of the jazz curriculum, students are placed in the following sections based on a performance assessment during registration.
Audition Requirements
- Prepare an audition CD or DVD that includes the repertoire detailed below.
- Submit the audition and label the recording and its casing with the applicant's full name, the program notation "H.S. Jazz" and presented repertoire.
Audition Repertoire
All Instruments (except bass and drums):
- A jazz etude, transcription, or selection from a big band chart to demonstrate style, technique, tone, intonation, range, flexibility, musicianship.
- A ballad to demonstrate tone, expressiveness and control. No longer than one chorus.
- Improvisation (optional but recommended). Play the head and solo on a jazz standard and a blues. Recordings may be submitted with either a live group or with a jazz play-a-long.
Saxophones:
- D and F Major scales, two octaves
- D Harmonic minor, two octaves; G Harmonic minor, one octave
- Chromatic scale full range
Trumpets:
- Chromatic scale, low F# to high C
- Bb and A major scales
- B Harmonic minor scale, two octaves; E Harmonic minor scale, one octave
Trombones:
- Chromatic scale from lowest possible note to highest possible note
- Bb and G Major scales, two octaves
- A and E Harmonic minor scales, two octaves
Piano:
- C and Bb Major, 2 hands, 4 octaves up and down
- A and G Minor scales (Dorian or natural minor), 2 hands, 4 octaves
- Chromatic scale, 4 octaves
- Blues scales in F, C or Bb
- Melody and chords to a jazz tune of your choice
Bass, Electric Bass and Guitar:
- Bb and E Major scales, 2 octaves
- G and E harmonic minor scales, 2 octaves
- Chromatic scale, 2 octaves
- (Optional-Bass) A walking bass line on a standard jazz tune or blues
- (Optional-Guitar) Comp the chords to a standard jazz tune
Drums:
- Play time in the following styles: Slow Swing (mm=@100), fast swing (mm=@200), bossa nova, samba, funk or hip/hop
- Closed or buzz roll starting at ppp, making a gradual crescendo to fff by beat 9 and gradual decrescendo back to ppp by beat 16. MM=60
- Steady single stroke roll as fast as possible
- (Optional) A short excerpt of a recording with a big band or combo to demonstrate ensemble playing
