Thought I'd share one of my latest projects and maybe get some ideas. This is a bit long so I realize everyone won't make it to the end...but I'm stoked about it. It's not a typical band situation -- it involves kids.
Background
People always say jazz is dying, which is a troublesome thing to hear. So, I started a youth jazz combo when some pieces came together by accident while on holidays in late December, 2018.
It started with a 12 year old kid I didn't know approaching me at church WITH HIS SAXOPHONE asking me if I could help him learn jazz. He'd heard about me as a jazz musician, he said.
When I see passion like that, it's a recipe for personal investment. No one in our church ever brings a saxophone to church seeking help learning jazz. And then a parent, also at church, who is new to bass kept approaching me about my musical pursuits. Very interested in how a band works, where I play, and then he formed a little band with his guitar playing son and a keyboard player for a talent show. They did OK, so I invited them to join me in a learning jazz band with a performance, after I booked community event performance with them in March. (The old Talk Bass principle of having the gig already booked before you form the band).
So, I've been basically sharing what I know as best I can. Involved are 3 youth with parents who are either musicians themselves, or die hard music listeners. These parents are pretty committed and stoked about the idea of their kids (all 12 years old) learning jazz, in a combo situation. I don't have to drive anyone anywhere, pick them up anywhere, or anything -- they come to my rehearsal space. The parents all bought instruments for them, although two are stopping short of lessons beyond what the kids learn in their local music program.
The Group
Instrumentation is as follows:
Pau Ferro (drums, until this next rehearsal when a new kid's dad will take over the drum chair)
Bass (Father of tween 1)
Guitar (Tween 1)
Sax 1 (Tween 2)
Sax 2 (Tween 3)
So far we've had three practices and they can play the structure and melodies of these songs:
All Blues
C Jam Blues
Mr PC
Watermelon Man
Little Sunflower
Comin Home Baby
When we perform, I'll be joining them on piccolo bass, or maybe flute, or maybe not at all, and there will be a piano player who has signed on to help with live performances. This will help round out the solos a bit and elevate the musical quality.
One of the kids needed lessons, so the sax player in one of my groups gives him lessons a couple times a month, focusing on what we're doing in the jazz combo. For now I teach the guitar and the bass player, but would like to see them get self-sufficient with parallel lessons so band rehearsal is focused on group stuff and not individual parts. I'm not a jazz guitarist although I can play chords all over the neck, but not really in a jazz style. The father of the other sax player is die hard musician and show producer so he teaches his son sax.
And then at our third rehearsal, Sax Tween 1 asked if he could bring his sax playing friend. I said yes, and the guy's Dad called me who is a drummer and wants to be involved.
At this point I started to become a believer.
A few things that have helped is Jamey Aebersold for some tunes, as well as a book I wrote on how to learn the modes really fast. The guitar and bass player both learned them fast with the book. They use the modes to either solo (guitarist) or form bass lines to support the band.
We have two performances scheduled. One is with Sax player 1 (the kid who brought his sax to church) only who is more advanced than the others. We've been letting him front the band I formed for non-profit gigs (intermediate level adults on piano and drums and myself) for the songs he knows. This is a low overhead way of getting him gig experience. In the last year he's done 1 restaurant, and 1 non-profit gig with my midrange jazz band.
He has another non-profit gig scheduled with us for Feb. Never have I seen a 12 year old kid think it's so cool to dress up in a tie, a vest (his choice) and dress shoes and pants and play jazz with some geezers. And what's cool is the audience thinks its great to see this young kid, who's actually very charismatic and cool-looking. Conversation stops and they watch and clap furiously whenever he plays -- he's actually more popular with the audience than the adults.
And then we are doing a community event with a sound man and full blown stage in March for the whole group. They are looking forward to it.
My idea is to expand this into something bigger. I can work at things alone all day and get results, but I want something that will self-perpetuate after I'm gone. I have a non-profit 501 (c) 3 in which to do this, attract funds, etcetera, but I'd like to conceive a kind of program -- simple to execute but motivating for combo leaders, who may or may not be formal teachers.
Implicit in the last paragraph is that I need to get 2 or 3 other groups happening that are making as rapid progress as we are, each independently run by someone else. Not me. I'll keep the one I have.
Anyway, any thoughts on how to refine and expand this into something that lasts well beyond I do, without killing me (I do a lot of service work already) is welcome.
Questions running through my mind...
1. Where to recruit band leaders, criteria, and how to train them.
2. Criteria for joining the group for kids and parents.
3. Should there be a standard "program" or book of tunes provided that doesn't break the bank and fits a wide variety of instrument combinations?
4. X concerts per year with all groups present and maybe pro commentary on their performances?
5. Other ideas?
6. Are there existing organizations that already do this that I could just join?
To start, I need low cost ideas to get this to expand properly, after which, with a credible program in place, I am pretty sure I can attract grant money given the world's compassion for youth. I can also hold concerts at restaurants and get the owner to make a donation to the non-profit, particularly if I match up the combo performances with a piano teacher's recital.
And you can bet the groups will be learning a couple of the easier tunes from Today's Jazz Book
www.newjazz.org
Thoughts are welcome during this wet cement phase.
Background
People always say jazz is dying, which is a troublesome thing to hear. So, I started a youth jazz combo when some pieces came together by accident while on holidays in late December, 2018.
It started with a 12 year old kid I didn't know approaching me at church WITH HIS SAXOPHONE asking me if I could help him learn jazz. He'd heard about me as a jazz musician, he said.
When I see passion like that, it's a recipe for personal investment. No one in our church ever brings a saxophone to church seeking help learning jazz. And then a parent, also at church, who is new to bass kept approaching me about my musical pursuits. Very interested in how a band works, where I play, and then he formed a little band with his guitar playing son and a keyboard player for a talent show. They did OK, so I invited them to join me in a learning jazz band with a performance, after I booked community event performance with them in March. (The old Talk Bass principle of having the gig already booked before you form the band).
So, I've been basically sharing what I know as best I can. Involved are 3 youth with parents who are either musicians themselves, or die hard music listeners. These parents are pretty committed and stoked about the idea of their kids (all 12 years old) learning jazz, in a combo situation. I don't have to drive anyone anywhere, pick them up anywhere, or anything -- they come to my rehearsal space. The parents all bought instruments for them, although two are stopping short of lessons beyond what the kids learn in their local music program.
The Group
Instrumentation is as follows:
Pau Ferro (drums, until this next rehearsal when a new kid's dad will take over the drum chair)
Bass (Father of tween 1)
Guitar (Tween 1)
Sax 1 (Tween 2)
Sax 2 (Tween 3)
So far we've had three practices and they can play the structure and melodies of these songs:
All Blues
C Jam Blues
Mr PC
Watermelon Man
Little Sunflower
Comin Home Baby
When we perform, I'll be joining them on piccolo bass, or maybe flute, or maybe not at all, and there will be a piano player who has signed on to help with live performances. This will help round out the solos a bit and elevate the musical quality.
One of the kids needed lessons, so the sax player in one of my groups gives him lessons a couple times a month, focusing on what we're doing in the jazz combo. For now I teach the guitar and the bass player, but would like to see them get self-sufficient with parallel lessons so band rehearsal is focused on group stuff and not individual parts. I'm not a jazz guitarist although I can play chords all over the neck, but not really in a jazz style. The father of the other sax player is die hard musician and show producer so he teaches his son sax.
And then at our third rehearsal, Sax Tween 1 asked if he could bring his sax playing friend. I said yes, and the guy's Dad called me who is a drummer and wants to be involved.
At this point I started to become a believer.
A few things that have helped is Jamey Aebersold for some tunes, as well as a book I wrote on how to learn the modes really fast. The guitar and bass player both learned them fast with the book. They use the modes to either solo (guitarist) or form bass lines to support the band.
We have two performances scheduled. One is with Sax player 1 (the kid who brought his sax to church) only who is more advanced than the others. We've been letting him front the band I formed for non-profit gigs (intermediate level adults on piano and drums and myself) for the songs he knows. This is a low overhead way of getting him gig experience. In the last year he's done 1 restaurant, and 1 non-profit gig with my midrange jazz band.
He has another non-profit gig scheduled with us for Feb. Never have I seen a 12 year old kid think it's so cool to dress up in a tie, a vest (his choice) and dress shoes and pants and play jazz with some geezers. And what's cool is the audience thinks its great to see this young kid, who's actually very charismatic and cool-looking. Conversation stops and they watch and clap furiously whenever he plays -- he's actually more popular with the audience than the adults.
And then we are doing a community event with a sound man and full blown stage in March for the whole group. They are looking forward to it.
My idea is to expand this into something bigger. I can work at things alone all day and get results, but I want something that will self-perpetuate after I'm gone. I have a non-profit 501 (c) 3 in which to do this, attract funds, etcetera, but I'd like to conceive a kind of program -- simple to execute but motivating for combo leaders, who may or may not be formal teachers.
Implicit in the last paragraph is that I need to get 2 or 3 other groups happening that are making as rapid progress as we are, each independently run by someone else. Not me. I'll keep the one I have.
Anyway, any thoughts on how to refine and expand this into something that lasts well beyond I do, without killing me (I do a lot of service work already) is welcome.
Questions running through my mind...
1. Where to recruit band leaders, criteria, and how to train them.
2. Criteria for joining the group for kids and parents.
3. Should there be a standard "program" or book of tunes provided that doesn't break the bank and fits a wide variety of instrument combinations?
4. X concerts per year with all groups present and maybe pro commentary on their performances?
5. Other ideas?
6. Are there existing organizations that already do this that I could just join?
To start, I need low cost ideas to get this to expand properly, after which, with a credible program in place, I am pretty sure I can attract grant money given the world's compassion for youth. I can also hold concerts at restaurants and get the owner to make a donation to the non-profit, particularly if I match up the combo performances with a piano teacher's recital.
And you can bet the groups will be learning a couple of the easier tunes from Today's Jazz Book
www.newjazz.orgThoughts are welcome during this wet cement phase.
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