Jazz Band Syllabus
Introduction
I am so glad that you have chosen to take part in the jazz program at West Valley High School . We have a long tradition of striving for excellence through jazz performance and I am thrilled to be teaching music at West Valley High School . We had fantastic success last year and I am looking forward to another productive year. Most of all I am excited to see our development musically and personally as a group through the study of jazz.
Every member of our band is a valued member. It is my hope that your experience in our West Valley High School Band program is positive and nurturing both personally and musically. My own experience as a musician, teacher, and as a person is closely related to my involvement and experiences in high school band. Our classroom is certainly a place where musical excellence will be taught and expected. This classroom is also a place where you can make lasting friendships, learn the value and joy of teamwork, push yourself in the details of musical performance that will transfer to other areas of your life, take on leadership responsibilities, encourage and support one another, and develop of deep love and appreciation for music. I believe that we have unlimited potential with our West Valley High School music ensembles. I expect you to be open to the possibility that with hard work, dedication, persistence, a ready and willing spirit, that excellence is possible. We have the chance to make our group something special for ourselves and our community.
Registration Requirements
It is a basic requirement that all participating jazz band students at West Valley High school register and complete two trimesters of concert band each academic year. This standard is the policy of WMEA (Washington Music Educators Association) and MENC (Music Education National Coalition). Exceptions to this policy can be allowed for performers on bass, rhythm guitar, and piano. By auditioning for jazz band your classmates and I will expect the following:
1. That you are registered for two trimesters of concert band and that you will complete both trimesters. Exceptions to this policy will only be allowed in extreme cases by permission of the director. Failure to complete your concert band requirement will result in removal from the jazz ensemble.
2. Performers on string or electric bass, rhythm guitar, and piano must participate on their instrument to the same degree that our wind players (saxophone, trumpet, and trombone) and percussionist do. At a minimum, I expect private lessons, a course of study including jazz, and some sort of musical service to the community and West Valley High School in addition to participation in the jazz program. In many cases, it may be easier simply to enroll in concert band.
3. That you will participate in jazz band for the entire school year.
Rehearsal Schedule
Jazz I: Full band rehearsal on M and F; improvisation and theory on W, and sectionals on Th
Jazz II: Full band rehearsal on T, and Th; improvisation and theory on W, and sectionals on F
Sectionals will be held in the choir room and the music office. Details will be given at a later for the structure of sectional rehearsals and for expectations during this time.
Class Expectations
1. Respect the right for others to learn and for the teacher to teach.
2. All students are expected to participate fully each day in class. This includes having your instrument, music, extra materials, and a pencil for each rehearsal. It also includes a willingness to give the best that you have to offer at all times and to try what is asked of you.
3. To develop a regular practicing schedule and to learn to play those passages that give you trouble. Seek help from a classmate, section leader, or Dr. Gerhardstein when necessary.
4. To have a good attitude in class even if you are having a difficult day. Obsessing over our own problems takes away from the efforts of our group and only makes you feel worse.
5. Take care of the equipment in our classroom and keep the room neat and tidy
6. Food, gum, and any beverage other than water is not allowed in the band room.
7. To be responsible for learning your part to the best of your ability.
8. To be persistent. Do not ever give up on yourself or your classmates by thinking or believing that something is too difficult or a waste of time. Persistence is a common quality among anyone who achieves at a high level. Natural talent is not enough. Persistence, dedication, and desire are essential to our success.
9. You must be at rehearsals and performances on time. You need to be at rehearsal by 6:45 and class will begin at 6:55 .
10. Be an ambassador and advocate for the entire band program (jazz, concert, marching, etc). We also expect that you will try your best at all times, take risks musically, and have fun.
Performance Schedule
November 4 Jazz Dinner and Dance
November 7 Evening Concert (HS Commons)
Community Performance(s) TBA
Performances
Attendance at all performances is required. If you have a schedule conflict with a performance you must bring a note from a parent/guardian at least THREE WEEKS before the performance and preferably by the end of the second week of the trimester. I will then determine whether or not the absence will be excused or unexcused. Excused absences from performances must be made up by completing a lengthy make-up assignment. An unexcused absence from a performance will result in a drop of two letter grades from your final grade.
WIBC Honor Band and All-State Honor Band
The West Valley Band program has been fortunate to have had an increasing number of students selected in regional honor bands over the past several years. As always, we have many students who could qualify for participation if they would take the time and effort to learn the audition music and to submit an application. It is a fantastic honor to be selected for an honor group in our region and you can expect that you will have a wonderful time participating in such a group if you are selected. This year there are two opportunities for participation in select honor bands within the Northwest region: WIBC Honor Band (Western International Band Clinic) and the MENC All-Northwest Honor Band. Auditions are held during the first trimester. The audition deadlines are:
WIBC Honor Band September 30, 2006
MENC All-Northwest Honor Band September 30, 2006
You can find out more information for the WIBC Honor Band and the MENC All-Northwest Honor Band by visiting their respective websites. For the WIBC Honor Band visit <http://bandworld.org>. At that site you will find application materials and downloadable audition music. For information on the MENC All-Northwest Honor Band visit the WMEA website at <http://www.wmea.org>. Click on “student activities” on the top banner and scroll down to “MENC All-Northwest” Interested students need to visit Dr. Gerhardstein as soon as possible to express their interest, to obtain (or learn how to find) audition materials, and to schedule an audition time.
Information for auditioning for the MENC All-Northwest Jazz Band is available at http://www.wmea.org
Attendance and Tardy Policy
Your punctuality and attendance is important at all daily rehearsals. In band we will follow the general guidelines for absences and tardies set forth in the West Valley High School Student Handbook. Students will be allowed to make up any missed work from an excused absence. Students are allowed 3 tardies during the trimester. Students who are tardy to band more than three times during the trimester will have their participation grade lowered in addition to being subject to the school’s discipline policy for tardies.
Grading Policy
Your grade in jazz band consists of four categories: daily participation, playing tests, final project, and attendance at required performances. I will use a standard grading scale of 90-100 percent is an (A), etc. Points are awarded in these categories as follows:
Daily Participation and attendance : (30 points)
You must have your instrument, music, and equipment with you at all times. You are also expected to give your best, have a great attitude, and to participate fully at every rehearsal.
Playing Tests (50 points)
Playing tests will occur on Wednesday’s when we meet together to work on improvisation and music theory. You will be given advanced notice in order to prepare for your playing tests. Most of our playing tests during the first trimester of the year will be focused around the twelve major scales. Begin studying and memorizing your scales now. The topics that we will be covering at the beginning of the year include:
12 major scales: spell each scale, key signatures, and performing on your instrument
Dorian, Mixolydian, and minor modes
7 th chords: major, minor, dominant, and diminished
ii-V-I patterns
Dominant 7 th chord patterns
Standard blues progression chord changes in common keys
Rhythm changes
Performances (120 points)
Please enter our performance schedule on your family calendar right away so that schedule conflicts can be avoided.
Music Listening
Listening to jazz is the most important thing that you can do to improve your skills in jazz. You will be told this countless times by clinicians and guest artists who work with our band. All music is an aural art. You will not learn to play jazz with correct style, articulation, and tone quality unless you are listening to jazz. Listening is a great motivator as you learn to recognize and copy what the professionals have done. Listening, in addition, to musical performance is important in helping you to develop a lifelong love of music (my ultimate goal for you as a participant in the West Valley High School Music Program). I encourage you to save your money and visit the local bookstores and purchase jazz CD’s. You can also listen to jazz online at <http://www.nprjazz.org>
Jazz Improvisation
The roots of all jazz, including written big band jazz compositions and arrangements, is improvisation. As students of jazz we must study jazz improvisation. We will be spending time as a group in a classroom / performance setting learning about jazz improvisation together on Wednesdays. It is interesting that we can feel comfortable improvising in lots of situations in our lives (conversation, cooking, assembling something without following the written directions, or driving to someone’s house that we have never visited before) but we feel uncomfortable improvising in music. This is a huge problem in many music programs throughout the country. It is my hope that we all learn to accept where we are as improvisers, learn basic music theory and some essentials about what musical improvisation is and is not, practice, set goals for improving, practice, evaluate our progress, practice, encourage one another, and practice. We will be using the jazz improvisation series titled Chop Monster. Each student needs to have their own copy of Chop Monster which can be purchased from Pepper Music at <http://www.jwpepper.com>. You need to by volume I (with the accompaniment CD) unless you already have it from the junior high school, or you are an advanced improviser in which case you should buy volume II. Do not think that because the junior high school jazz band has used this series that it is too easy and therefore not useful for you. It is a difficult thing to take a complex skill and to make it seem easy. Chop Monster volumes I and II will be of assistance to even our most experienced high school improvisers.
New to our high school jazz program this year are three music software programs: Band in the Box, Smartmusic, and Finale. Some are on the student computers and some are limited to my teacher computer. Band in the box has the capacity to enter chord changes and to make an accompaniment CD to practice along with at home. In addition, I have purchased several Jamey Abersold accompaniment CDs and jazz teaching materials for the rhythm section performers. See Dr. Gerhardstein for more information.
Tardy Policy
Tardiness can be a huge problem for our jazz groups. I realize that our class meets early; it is early for me too. However, it is vital that we are all on time so that class begin with 100% of our members and so that we can get an appropriate amount of work completed for that given day. When you are late (or you skip) all of us suffer. You are expected to be to school by 6:45 and that you are in your seat ready to go by 6:55 . I will take attendance somewhere between 6:55 and 7:00 each morning. The standard school policy for tardies is three free and with the fourth you will receive restitution. In jazz band I will give you two extras or five free and with the sixth you will receive restitution.
Travel
I need to have a current West Valley School District Activities form for each student in the jazz ensemble. These will be given to you on the first day of school and must be returned by Friday, September 2, 2006 . In addition, I want to remind you that all of the students in the West Valley band program grades 9-12 are eligible to travel in April on the New York City trip. Next school year (2007-08) jazz ensemble I will take an additional trip above our normal traveling schedule. You might want to begin fundraising now in anticipation that you will be a member of jazz band I next school year.