Jazz in the Classroom

“Jazz in the Classroom” provides opportunities for students to create improvised music by using a combination of easily learned jazz techniques in the classroom. The material is suitable for mixed ability classes or smaller groups of 10-14 year olds. Each lesson should start with a warm-up using echo clapping and question and answer work. These techniques are learnt in the first few sessions. Further sessions cover melodic improvisation over ostinati, moving from small note groups to pentatonic scales, modes and finally major scales. The pieces in each session can be performed separately for concerts, and can also act as models for the composition of new pieces.