Online Classes: June

Nashville Jazz Workshop is offering a combination of 3-week ($125) and 5-day ($100) online classes. Use the registration link below to sign up for classes and learn more. Staff will answer any questions you may have via the registration form.

REGISTER FOR ONLINE CLASSES HERE!

5-Day Classes

Monday through Friday 11am-12pm

Beginning Arranging with Jamey Simmons
June 8 – 12: An introductory class. Arranging for a small group, this class begins with simple lead sheets and trio arrangements, and then progresses to arrangements for two horns.

Solo Transcription with Roger Spencer
June 15 – 19: Students will look at one song or one artist each day and to familiarize themselves with the artist’s style and the structure of the song. Students will analyze transcribed solos to determine scales, arpeggios, and melodic patterns used by the player. Musicians such as Miles Davis, J.J. Johnson, Hank Mobley, Paul Desmond, Wes Montgomery, and Charlie Parker.

The Classic Jazz Trios with Roger Spencer
June 22 – 26: This class covers the history, styles, and repertoire of some of the most famous jazz trios in history, including the trios of Oscar Peterson, Nat Cole, Ahmad Jamal, and Red Garland.

3-Week Classes

Mondays 6pm-8pm

Ear Training 2 with Lori Mechem
A continuation of Ear Training 1, this class will give students a better understanding of chord extensions and their inversions. It includes minimal melodic dictation. If you want to brush up on your triads, inversions, 4 note chords and dive into hearing the COOL notes of jazz…..this is the class! Students will concentrate on all the upper structures of a chord, including 9’s, b9’s,#9’s,11’s, #11’s and 13’s. C’mon… Ear Training is fun!

Bebop Basics with Jamey Simmons
A class introducing the basic melodic, harmonic and rhythmic techniques used in the style of bebop. These elements will be explored over Bb and F blues, using patterns, transcriptions, listening, and individual assignments. The Bebop scale began to appear in the 1950’s and ’60’s as a way to enhance the flexibility of the major scale/mixolydian scale and create a more melodic and complex sound. Students will learn these scales, along with interesting patterns that will make them sound like pros.

Tuesdays 6pm-8pm

Instrumental Special Topic Chord Substitutions & Arrangements of Standard Repertoire with Roger Spencer
In this class, students use one song each day for comparative listening and analysis. Students will look at a common lead sheet for each tune and then listen to several versions of that tune recorded by a variety of major artists looking for harmonic differences from the lead sheet and between the recorded versions. Also, students will examine arrangement attributes of the performance such as style, tempo, intro, ending, and ensemble choruses.

Beginning Arranging for Vocalists with Jeff Hall
Students will discuss vocal ensemble arranging, and the instructors personal approach. Discussion about the vocal arranging process based on need, concept, voices, tune selection, etc. Students will analyze and deconstruct an arrangement or parts of arrangements, and arrange a section of a tune for group discussion and critique.

Tuesdays 7pm-9pm

Introduction to Jazz Singing with Joe Freel
Have you ever wanted to learn to sing jazz standards? Now’s your chance! Students will learn songs with emphasis on correct melodies, groove, jazz phrasing and lyric interpretation. Students will be provided recorded tracks to sing with in male and female keys.
 

Wednesdays 11am-12pm or 6pm-8pm

Ballads with Lori Mechem
Study and perform famous jazz ballads, including “For All We Know,” “Body And Soul,” “Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most,” “Tenderly,” and “A Time For Love.”

Thursdays 6pm-8pm

Vocal Improvisation 1 with Liz Johnson
Students will learn the basic concepts of improvisation with topics including rhythmic syllables and spoken scat, basic root motion and guide tones, stylistic approach, and use of melody for soloing. Students will also be introduced to basic chord types and their function. They will learn to recognize chord spellings and will begin to improvise over 12-bar Blues progressions.

ii-V-I Progression with Roger Spencer
This class introduces musicians to the most important chord progression in jazz through a blend of patterns, ear training, analysis, and technique. All students must have iReal Pro. In this class, students will discuss the importance of the cycle of 4ths root movement and the ii-V-I chord progression built on that movement.

1. Learn to identify that chord progression and drill the basic scales and arpeggios needed to navigate that progression in 12 keys.
2. Study the resolution of the ii to the V and begin learning patterns to play over those chords.
3. Apply this to standard repertoire

Source: Nashville Jazz Workshop