MusicEdMajor.net

Greetings from Washington, D.C.! I am currently at the Mariott Crystal Gateway just outside of the Capital, the location for MENC‘s National Music Education Week. As you may know, I’ve been live-blogging this event, and one of the aspects of this venture I was most excited about was the opportunity to actually live-blog DURING the academy sessions. My excitement, at least for today, was squelched when I opened up my laptop in a Jazz session this afternoon to find no wireless internet (oh no!)!! No worries, however; I am more resourceful than that! I decided that since I couldn’t live-blog the session, I would take short notes as if I were posting a live-blog, and just post them all at the end! So here you have it, my “live” blog from the session entitled “Jazz Ensemble Rehearsal Techniques: How Do I Get Started?” presented by Dr. Willie L. Hill, Jr.

• First priority: build a solid foundation!
• Make the music (all aspects, including technique, style, form, time, etc.) come alive!
• Remember: Hear it, Sing it, Internalize it, PLAY IT!
• Create a jazz toolbox (materials, reference books, CD collection, etc.)
• Part 1: Hear it-guided listening-students need guidance on what to listen to!
• Students must build a CD collection!
• Have each student invest in one album and do listening assignment, then swap albums within sections, and then BETWEEN sections!
• Set realistic and attainable listening goals for you and your students
• Teach the language of jazz through articulation: doo, dit, da, dah, dot
• Be aware of the environment your band is playing in currently, and the environment they will be playing in at the concert! Make adjustments if needed!
• The Metronome: It’s for EVERYONE!
• Listen, Listen, Listen!

Don’t forget, you can follow along with my live-blog of the entire Music Ed Week event and post your own thoughts. Also, please feel free to leave comments on this post if you found something intriguing! Stay tuned for more updates from Washington!

Photo credit: Flickr photo by Old Shoe Woman