We are super excited to announce a new and unique opportunity for students of all ages that know their instruments and can read music, but aren’t quite ready for JazzLab! 

Jazz101 for Beginners (class meets once a month on Saturdays from 1:15PM-2:15PM)

Sign up now for Jazz101  with SD! This fun, foundational, and formative experience will meet once monthly on Saturdays for an hour for a community/ensemble experience.

During that hour, students will learn the fundamentals of jazz music including things like song form, various forms of jazz grooves and feels, everything they need to know to be able to play in a jazz ensemble and be aware, flexible, and able to go with the flow with whatever happens in the moment (and a lot can happen). Thinking on your toes and thinking critically and fast is a life skill that jazz teaches like nothing else.

Students will learn various concepts of improvisation from beginner 101 simple steps that anyone can learn to well beyond in more advanced concepts. As students study those concepts, they will also have an opportunity to put them to work, improvising over chords, time, and eventually even the song form—one of the most fun and exciting components of jazz music.

Finally, students will rehearse and prepare jazz music as an ensemble to be performed at our various community music making events each semester and hopefully more as they develop! Students must either already be in private lessons (ideal) or enroll in them, or pass an audition that demonstrates their ability and potential to be a part of the group. All students MUST commit to consistent and regular practice to be a part of the group.

• These classes are for students that at least know all of the notes on their instruments. Not those still learning how to play basic/foundational notes.
• Piano and guitar students should ideally know at least how to form Maj7, Minor 7, Dominant 7, and -7b5 chords and ideally be able to read music, but at the least, chord symbols.
• Drum students should ideally know how to read music, or, commit to being able to learn song form well (counting phrases such as 8, 12, and 16 bar phrases very well).

In addition to the one-hour monthly class, we will use either the Band APP or a Facebook Group (whichever is best/easiest for the group) to post regular video instruction for students to be able to work on during the weeks we aren’t meeting as a class.

Space is limited to 15 students so enroll today!

Jazz101 is a one of a kind opportunity for music students to learn together once monthly for an hour in a friendly, encouraging, and fun environment as they apply jazz concepts as individual soloists, as a part of a section, and an ensemble.

Tuition is just $45 monthly for students not currently enrolled at TIA, $35 for those that are already TIA or Music 1st students.

Why study jazz music?

So many reasons to study jazz whether you are a young person or an adult:

Adaptibility and Social Awareness

“No two jazz performances are alike; therefore, the performer must be flexible and ready to adapt. For most people, change can be a very difficult part of life, however those that play jazz are constantly dealing with change. A performance may not go as planned and you must prepare to quickly take a different direction. Jazz teaches you to embrace change and even incorporate it into the moment.

Jazz is about the group effort and while playing, performers are listening and responding to each other simultaneously. Social awareness is an important skill learned through the study and performance of jazz. Jazz is not about the individual and sensitivity to others is needed to perform this music. Through the music, we learn how to lead, follow, support, and work together.”

What are the effects of jazz music on the brain?

“In terms of the brains of jazz musicians and creativity, the most remarkable case is that of legendary guitarist Pat Martino. The guitarist literally relearned the instrument back to the prime form he had prior to surgery for an aneurysm in 1980. The procedure removed a large piece of his left temporal lobe, and malformed nerves and veins that had caused him issues since childhood. It was truly astonishing that the guitarist was able to come all the way back after such a debilitating stroke.