Jazz Ensemble
The Jazz Ensemble performs all styles of jazz music from Duke Ellington, through Count Basie and Charles Mingus, to the contemporary jazz ensemble composers of today. With regular rehearsals and frequent concerts, including collaborative performances, Family Day Weekend, the annual Swing Dance and our Jazz 4 Justice concert, students are encouraged to develop the stylistic skills necessary to perform a wide variety of repertoire, and to engage in the creative process through collaboration and improvisation.
The Jazz Ensemble rehearses every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. in the Ferguson Center for the Arts building, room R106. Within the jazz program, every time you play your instrument in rehearsal, you are handing in your “homework” for the day. Each Jazz Ensemble section (saxophones, trumpets, trombones and rhythm) will have one weekly outside sectional, scheduled by the section leader, at a convenient time for all members of the section.
Sectionals will rehearse music as chosen by the section leader, or by the ensemble director as needed. Additionally, each individual musician is expected to practice the assigned material outside of class, for a minimum of one hour / per one hour of ensemble rehearsal.
Membership in the Jazz Ensemble is determined by audition. Auditions are highly competitive, as only a limited number of musicians on specific instruments may enroll in the course.
First day of class, 1 - 5 p.m.
Band Rehearsal Hall, Room R106 (until 3 p.m. then location TBD)
Auditions will consist of a prepared jazz piece of the student’s choosing, sight-reading and optional improvisation. Each audition will be about five minutes long.