REQUIREMENTS/OBJECTIVES FOR THE JAZZ STUDIES PROGRAM AT NORTH ALLEGHENY HIGH SCHOOL
Introduction
What follows is a list of thirty goals (objectives) for the students in the jazz program with a statement about why those goals are important to achieve. This is followed by specific activities that are designed to help reach the stated objectives—and the procedures used to evaluate the degree of success in reaching those goals. Many goals could be considered attitudinal in nature and very subtle to evaluate over just one year. However, when students graduate from the North Allegheny High School jazz studies program after spending four years in the various jazz ensembles, it is desirable that all of the following goals will have been met to some acceptable degree.
Objectives
1. Students wishing to become a member of the North Allegheny Jazz Program must fulfill the following prerequisites:
a. Be a member of the NASH or NAI Wind Ensembles, Symphonic Bands, or Concert Bands
b. Bass players are not required to be a member of the North Allegheny Bands, in that the string bass is not a band instrument. However, students that play bass and a wind/percussion instrument and are members of the above mentioned ensembles or the NAI or NASH Orchestras will be given preference.
c. Piano players are not required to be a member of the North Allegheny Bands, in that the piano is not a band instrument. However, students that play piano and a wind/percussion instrument and are members of the above mentioned ensembles or the NAI or NASH Orchestras and/or Choruses will be given preference.
d. Guitar players are not required to be a member of the North Allegheny Bands, in that the guitar is not a band instrument. However, students that play guitar and a wind/percussion instrument and are members of the above mentioned ensembles or the NAI or NASH Orchestras will be given preference.
e. Drummers and percussionists are required to follow prerequisite a. No exceptions
Young players will learn the basic skills of musicianship and broad repertoire in a large ensemble (band or orchestra). Participating in a jazz ensemble will teach students how to take those basic skills and adapt their articulation and “feel” to a jazz style. Many students at the ninth grade level do not know what they will major in when they later go to college. They may not discover that until as late as their senior year. Students who participate in both a jazz ensemble and a concert band (or orchestra for bass players) will be better prepared for acceptance into reputable music schools after high school. A student who plays in band (or orchestra) and jazz ensemble will be much better prepared to make value judgments about the quality of more types of music for the rest of their life. Since traditional band and orchestra repertoire does not support the full time participation of guitarists or pianists, those students are exempt from this requirement.
Students will be counseled in the “Program of Studies,” and their current middle school music teachers that concurrent enrollment is required.
With the exception of guitarists and pianists, all students enrolled in a jazz ensemble will also be enrolled in a concert band or orchestra.
2. Every student who qualifies through audition to be in a North Allegheny Jazz Ensemble will be placed in an ensemble of musical peers with equal ability and according to the correct big band instrumentation. (2 Alto Sax; 2 Tenor Sax; 1 Bari Sax; 4 or 5 trumpets, 4 or 5 trombones; 1 piano; 1 guitar; 1 bass; 1 drums)
Students who perform with other students of equal ability in a performance group will move at the same pace and eventually achieve a greater level of proficiency.
Three full and viable jazz ensembles with complete instrumentation will be provided and taught by a certified music teacher with expertise in jazz. The Jazz Ensemble III will primarily study and perform music at a “Grade 3” level of difficulty. The Jazz Ensemble II, will study and perform music at “Grades 3, 4, and 5” levels of difficulty. Jazz Ensemble I, will study and perform music at a “Grade 4, 5, and 6” levels of difficulty.
Three jazz ensembles will be provided by the school comprised of students of equal ability.
3. A student will exhibit professional attitude and behavior during rehearsals and performances.
Jazz ensembles that rehearse in an organized and efficient manner will perform in concerts with a high degree of musicianship. An attitude of support and respect for others in the ensemble is important if sectional rehearsals are to be productive, if less experienced improvisers are to experiment with improvisation in a non-threatening environment, and if the atmosphere during ensemble rehearsals is to be positive. These highly regarded attitudes and behaviors are generally associated with and demonstrated by successful professional musicians and are traits which our students should emulate.
Rehearsal discussions about the role of positive and negative attitudes will take place. Guest professional musicians will be brought to the campus to discuss their opinions about attitude and behavior. Examples of both good and bad showmanship will be discussed.
Observers of rehearsals and concerts will observe a sense of purpose, pride, and enthusiasm from the students about the music performed and the organizations performing such music.
4. A student will become an independent thinker and self-motivated worker while becoming a team player through directing and/or taking part in productive sectional rehearsals, and performing, whenever possible, with and without a conductor present.
Any students who leave high school without learning how to think for themselves and work without supervision are at a disadvantage, either in college or in the workplace, regardless of the career path they take. Students also learn that working as a team allows them and the group to achieve higher goals and standards. Good musicians also can see how their individual part fits into the overall musical product. Proficient professional-quality jazz musicians must also be able to perform without a conductor.
Sectional rehearsals will take place outside of the school day and will be conducted by the students themselves working on musical concerns that they identify on their own as well as those suggested by the director.
The productivity of sectionals will be evaluated by the director and the students involved as evidenced by the improvement heard following the sectional. Students will exhibit self-motivation. When a jazz ensemble performs without a conductor on stage, the final musical product will be equal to a performance as if a conductor were employed.
5. A student will become aware of his or her skill level on their instrument in relation to their potential.
Honest self-awareness of one’s abilities and attitude in relation to one’s potential can be a motivating force for improvement.
6. A student will appreciate the efforts of their peers and/or have an opportunity to be appreciated by their peers.
Certain students who excel should be recognized for their success or efforts.
At the end of each school year, awards will be given to outstanding instrumentalists. The recipient of the awards will be selected by the director. These awards include The Woody Herman Award, The Louie Armstrong Award, and Jazz Directors Awards.
Awards will be presented at the end of the year.
7. A student will become aware of the “pros” and “cons” of competitive and noncompetitive performance events.
Students need to have the information, or “pros” and “cons,” of competitive and non-completive festivals. The North Allegheny Jazz Ensembles will participate in both types of performing experiences; however, most of our performances are non-competitive in nature.
Rehearsal discussions will take place in which the structure, philosophy and execution of competitive and non-competitive music events is provided.
8. A student will understand, appreciate and perform a wide variety of jazz ensemble literature.
Jazz is a truly American musical art form with its own unique language of interpretation and expression. A well-educated jazz musician must be able to perform in a wide range of musical styles—or be able to enter into discussions with other musicians about various musical styles, genres, or performance media. By performing a wide range of styles, students can be better consumers of music as they decide what concerts to attend, what recordings to purchase or listen to, or which artistic organizations to support.
Literature to be rehearsed for and performed in every concert will include selections in at least the following styles or forms at various tempi: Swing, Ballad, Latin, Blues (major and minor), Fusion, Be-Bop, Waltz, Mixed or Multi-meter, Rock (slow and fast) Contemporary, and other accepted forms of jazz.
Literature to be rehearsed and performed will include selections from the following jazz eras: Dixieland, Bebop, Swing, Funk, Contemporary, and other acknowledged eras of jazz history.
Concerts will be programmed and successfully performed using the music studied.
9. A student will become aware of past and present jazz performers, ensembles, composers, and compositions.
An understanding of the jazz performance styles that precede today’s music is important in giving authentic performances of older-style music. By hearing or seeing past jazz performers, our students will be exposed to performers that they themselves may want to emulate or to recordings that they want to purchase for study.
Video and audio recordings by jazz artists will be studied in and out of rehearsal time. These recordings will range from historical footage to current recordings.
Historical video and audio tapes will be seen/heard in and out of jazz rehearsals. Discussions in and out-of-rehearsal with individual students and successful performances of older-style music will evaluate their understanding of the music studied.
10. A student will be instructed in basic jazz history.
An understanding of jazz history is important if our students are to converse intelligently with other jazz musicians, and appreciate the unique nature of jazz music as an art form.
Discussions about jazz history will take place on a regular basis, primarily in conjunction with the performance of older-style music. Video tapes on jazz history will be shown whenever possible.
Questions and discussions will be employed.
11. A student will learn how to become a proficient sight-reader of music.
The ability to perform music on sight is generally regarded as one of the best indicators of a student’s ability to process and understand music. In auditions, both at North Allegheny and in a student’s future musical experiences, sight-reading plays an important part in determining in which ensemble they will be placed. Students who learn by “rote” teaching will be at a disadvantage when compared to students who have a thorough understanding of fingerings, note values, articulations, dynamics, and the “road signs” that designate expressive musical flow.
Ensembles will sight-read whenever possible during rehearsals. Sight-reading will be required in all auditions for ensemble or initial chair placement. as well as “challenges” used to determine seat placement.
Students will successfully sight-read in private auditions and with their musical peers in ensembles.
12. A student will learn to take care of the printed musical parts issued to them.
When an individual’s music is lost or destroyed, it creates significant problems during rehearsals and makes home practice impossible. Students who learn to take care of their instrument and music, thus displaying traits associated with being a responsible young adult, is more likely to succeed in their various career paths.
Students will sign a contract making them financially responsible to replace lost or destroyed music.
Less music will be lost, and the music that is lost will be replaced by the students in a timely and previously agreed-upon fashion.
13. A student will learn an amount of music theory related to the proficiency level of improvisation they seek to attain.
An understanding of music theory is the most basic component in understanding the “right” and “wrong” notes to play when improvising. Students who wish to be outstanding improvisers must, in addition to having technical command of their instrument, also possess a command of scale and chord structure: the basic components of music theory.
There will be lectures, demonstrations, and playing activities focusing on the major, minor, whole-tone, blues, bebop, and dominant-seventh scales; major and minor chord structures through the ninth chords. Rehearsal warm-ups will include the performance of scale sheets that focus on the previously mentioned scale and chord forms.
Students will all improvise.
14. A student will perform all twelve major and their relative Dorian minor scales on their instrument, and several “blues” scales.
Knowing how to play scales is one of the building blocks to creating a successful jazz solo. Successfully performing all the major scales and their relative Dorian minor scales demonstrates a technical command of the instrument. While the ability to play and understand the use of all minor scales in solos is important, the Dorian minor scales can be used often by beginning improvisers. The most often used “blues” scales are equally essential.
Scales will be used during the rehearsal warm-up periods of jazz rehearsals. The following “blues” scales will also be used during warm-ups: (concert key) Bb, F, and Eb.
Students will individually demonstrate their ability to play major, Dorian and selected “blues” scales from memory on their instrument.
15. A student will be encouraged to use or purchase “play-a-long” recordings to help develop improvisational ability.
Practicing with play-a-long recordings has long been regarded as an important educational experience. These recordings of jazz standards or practice drills provide rhythm sections of professional quality pianists, bassists, and drummers for the student to play with outside of rehearsal time.
The North Allegheny music library owns several CDs and accompanying books in the Jamey Aebersold’s “Jazz Aids” series, and the complete set of “Jazz Conception” books by Jim Snidero for students to check out for three-day periods. Students will be expected to take advantage of this resource, allowing them to select which CD is best for them to purchase.
Students may be asked to perform one or more selections accompanied by a play-along recording.
16. A student will identify by ear the difference between major, minor, dominant-seventh, augmented, and diminished chords, and perform those chord structures on his or her instrument.
If a student is to be an adequate improviser, then it is equally important to be able to hear and play these basic jazz chord structures besides having the theoretical knowledge of them.
An ensemble pianist or guitarist will play on the instrument major, minor, dominant-seventh, augmented, and diminished chords while others in the ensemble will be asked to identify those structures verbally to the ensemble. Members of the ensemble will be required to arpeggiate the previously mentioned chord structures on their instrument.
Aural exercises will be employed.
17. A student will become aware of career or employment opportunities or college-major options available to them in the field of music.
The field of music has always provided ample opportunities for students to be gainfully employed following high school or college. Students can only enter into a music-related profession with ample information with which to make a well-informed choice.
Discussions will take place on the topics of vocations and avocations in music performance, music education (all levels), arts management, recording technology, church music, military music, music composition, music arranging, music copying, and music critic or editorial writer for newspapers or magazines. Information on becoming a music major will be made available by your ensemble director.
Students may graduate from our jazz studies program and enter vocations or avocations in the field of music.
18. A student will be informed of the various college and university schools of music.
Students should not consider their participation in high school performance groups as their final goal in music. In order to encourage students to consider post-high school music studies on their instrument, materials and recordings will be made available from the various schools for them to study.
A collection of CDs recorded by college jazz ensembles will be maintained in the band office. A collection of music school brochures and catalogues will be maintained in the College Counseling Office and in the band room/office.
Interested students will take advantage of reviewing the written and recorded resources that are provided by college music schools.
19. A student will engage in performance tours or out-of-school concerts whenever possible.
Performance groups that perform away from their school environment, either across town or in other parts of the country grow in maturity, both personally and musically.
Whenever it is deemed appropriate by the director and school administration, jazz groups will travel beyond the North Allegheny School District to perform as ambassadors, both musically and as student representatives of North Allegheny High School.
Tours or off-campus performances will take place whenever appropriate.
20. A student will perform with professional musicians.
Students need to know the skill-level, work ethic, and types of personal traits necessary to become a successful professional musician. Former students have later pursued contacts made with professional musicians while at North Allegheny that have resulted in employment opportunities.
Guest artists will be utilized to perform with and for our jazz students. Whenever possible, discussion sessions will take place between the artists and our students, in addition to performances.
Guest artists will perform with and for our students.
21. A student will either perform a well-crafted improvised solo, or know what constitutes such an improvised solo.
Performing a truly improvised solo displays the highest form of jazz creativity: that of spontaneous composition. Virtually anyone listening to a jazz solo has some opinion about what could be regarded as a “good” or a “bad” solo. Students need to know the components of both good and bad solos and be given the opportunity to experiment with soloing. Student who choose not to solo will at least be equipped with the understanding of what makes a solo “good” and know why they like certain solos rather than others.
Every student in the jazz program will be given an opportunity to perform a solo during rehearsals and concerts.
Improvised solos performed by our students will improve over the course of the school year, or their time at North Allegheny.
22. A student will be given the opportunity to perform in a combo setting.
While playing in a jazz ensemble teaches how to interpret music written in a jazz style, it often does not provide enough opportunity to either solo or interact musically with a rhythm section. Playing in a combo provides this important setting for musical development. It also makes students more responsible as individuals and provides another opportunity to develop skills in teamwork.
Skill-based Music Improvisation Sessions (combos) will be offered to provide additional out-of-school time for students to practice and study the art of soloing in a jazz style. The sessions will be relaxed, with the focus on creativity and “jamming.”
Skill-based Music Improvisation Sessions with appropriate instrumentation will be organized each year. Role will be taken on a regular basis; only those that attend regularly will perform in public.
23. A student will have the opportunity to become aware of the skill-level of other jazz musicians their age and of high school jazz ensembles outside of North Allegheny, and to interact with students from other high schools.
A wise musician knows that there are many others beyond his or her immediate area that have the same or much higher skills. Possessing this knowledge is critical to students who are considering either a career in music or becoming a college music major. Unless opportunities are provided for our jazz students to see and hear the products from jazz programs at other schools, they can easily take for granted the music program provided them at North Allegheny.
North Allegheny Jazz students have the opportunity to hear many concerts during the school year at local high school and college festivals, and at competitive festival events. North Allegheny hosts two jazz events annually, a winter jazz festival and a spring jazz festival. Performances of these kinds usually present high school and junior high school jazz ensembles displaying a wide range of abilities. Students will be required to participate in such activities as the annual Slippery Rock University Jazz Festival and Workshop, the district and state-level activities provided by the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, and activities sponsored by the International Association of Jazz Education. Discussions will take place during rehearsal time about the various summer jazz camp opportunities that exist. By attending these camps while at North Allegheny, our students can meet students from other schools, be exposed to different teaching styles, keep their performance skills active during the summer, perform in environments different than those at North Allegheny, take music theory/ history/improvisation classes, and participate in a host of other educational activities.
Discussions in and out of rehearsal between our students and directors will evaluate the degree to which interaction has taken place and the impact that such interaction has made on our students.
24. A student will be informed of the opportunities for summer music camp experiences.
The summer is a prime time for students to either lose ground on their instrumental abilities or improve in their musical development. Attending a summer music camp is one of the best methods of improving during the summer months.
Discussions will take place in February about the various types of music camps, costs, and other information provided by music camps.
Students who are interested will attend summer music camps.
25. A student will have the opportunity to be exposed to the teaching styles of other music educators.
There are many ways of saying (or teaching) the same thing. As in any school, our music faculty has various strengths and weaknesses. By exposing our students to non-North Allegheny music teachers, they can be exposed to the pedagogical strengths that other teachers can provide them.
At various points in the year, highly successful college or high school jazz educators are brought in to teach our students at rehearsals and at our festivals. Highly qualified students will be encouraged to audition for the all-district and all-state ensembles sponsored by the Pennsylvania Music Education Association.
Students will have access to guest directors.
26. A student will be encouraged to arrange or compose music and will be exposed to new music by guest composers.
Musical expression can take more forms than just the performance of another person’s music. The act of arranging and composing music demonstrates command of the mechanics of music theory, an understanding of instruments and their roles in the total musical product, and an opportunity to demonstrate self-expression and creativity.
Any students who compose or arrange for a jazz ensemble and provide a readable score and set of parts will have their piece rehearsed and, in most cases, given a public performance. Whenever possible, these compositions/arrangements will be recorded. Professional composers will be commissioned to write for the jazz ensembles. These individuals will serve as models for our students to emulate.
Student compositions and arrangements will be rehearsed and, whenever possible, performed in public. Jazz Ensemble I will commission new music for premier performances.
27. A student will become aware of the various jazz-related websites that exist on the Internet.
An understanding of the potential for information available to jazz students on the Internet is helpful for them to become lifelong learners who can stay aware of new trends in jazz performance and education.
Students will have the opportunity to use a computer lab at the school and be given the opportunity to not only explore the North Allegheny Music Department’s webpage, but also explore numerous jazz-related links. They will compile a list of services or information on those various Web pages and be encouraged to locate additional jazz related web sites that can be linked to our North Allegheny web page.
28. A student will have his or her talents recorded on compact discs.
The art of recording is a valuable skill for any musician. Being able to play an instrument well when being recorded builds self-confidence. Having a student’s skills recorded for personal evaluation and posterity is beneficial as well. Having live musicians to record is a tremendous training tool for students who my someday seek a career in the recording industry as engineers.
All concerts will be recorded and at least one compact disc will be produced each year. These CDs will be engineered by students at all stages of production.
CDs will be produced each year featuring all of the curricular
29. A student in the jazz program will be exposed to the procedures of organizing the annual North Allegheny High School Winter and Spring Jazz Festivals.
Many students have seen such events as the North Allegheny Jazz Festival and other local jazz festivals and questioned how such events can be organized. By hearing about many of the behind-the-scenes details, students will have a better appreciation for such events that they might attend in the future—or perhaps develop an interest in careers in Arts Management, where the planning and execution of such events is expected for successful employment.
Through discussions before and after the North Allegheny Jazz Festival, students will be informed of the process involved in organizing such a unique and large community event. This will include discussions of budget, logistics, internal and external communications, and other factors that go into planning the festival.
Extended discussions will take place in the jazz ensembles following the North Allegheny Jazz Festival.
30. A student will be responsible for helping to promote audience attendance at jazz concerts.
Students need to know that audiences do not “just happen” and that it takes work to generate an interest on the part of non-parents to attend concerts. Without an audience a concert is just a “play through” rehearsal.
Adapted from the curriculum for the Jazz Studies Program at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois