Jazz Band

Jazz Ensemble 1.0 credit Grades: 7-12 Prerequisite: Limited enrollment. Auditions will take place in early June of the previous academic year. Students enrolled in this class will be expected to commit to the ensemble for a full year. Students provide their own transportation to the high school for rehearsal. This is a zero period class that meets from 7:30-8:20 a.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8:30-9:30 on Mondays. Students must be enrolled for the full year to earn the .5 credit. No credit will be earned at the end of Semester 1. Fee: $25 This course focuses on a variety of jazz styles and may include Swing, Dixieland, Funk, Latin, and Fusion. There is an emphasis on theory as it relates to jazz and improvisation and includes various opportunities for performance, including performance at competitive jazz festivals and optional honor band opportunities. 

Jazz Band Auditions 2020-2021

Auditions for jazz band for the 2020-2021 school year will be held in the first two weeks that we come back to school next fall.  Students should prepare the material over the summer and be ready to audition when we return to school. Because of the likelihood that we will be using some kind of combined remote education and in-person meetings, it will be necessary to record at least part, if not all of these audition items. Please email me (Mrs. Steck) if you have any questions about the audition process after reading the following instructions:

1. Scale series (Audio examples coming soon)

PDF:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-lJYMbXdQjSKnbDCI1SPbELGCyutMjJ2 

Audio Sample:

PDF:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1SdFVvttGKIGP3-Hp0m09X4U23MouVspT 

Audio Sample:

2. Sheet Music

Practice and perform you DESIRED part for your audition. If you want to play lead alto in the jazz band, practice and perform the Alto 1 part. If you would like to play the piano, audition using the piano part materials.  Scroll down until you arrive at the part for that you need for your instrument and print those pages for yourself for practice. If you need assistance in getting parts printed, I will print those items that are needed and mail them out. There are two pieces that you need to work on: Birdland and I'm Beginning to See the Light. Both pieces have recordings available online at JWPepper.com.

Birdland Sheet Music:

Birdland Recording :

Beginning to See the Light Music:

Beginning to See the Light Recording:


Suggested Listening by Instrument Group:

Saxes:

Trumpet:

Trombone:


Guitar/ Bass

Pianists:




Percussion:

How to earn top marks in Jazz Band:

Attendance and Participation- 30%

Classwork/Practice – 30%

Virtual Performances/ Concerts- 40%

This is a performance-based class that performs a total of three concerts. Attendance at these concerts is REQUIRED. Parent-excused absences can be made up through completion of a special project to be determined later in the year. Any student who makes up a concert with a make-up assignment will receive a maximum score of 80%. Unexcused absences from concerts will result in a score of “0” for that grading event, which typically will result in the overall grade being lowered by one mark.

Attire for concerts is black and white formal or semi-formal wear (ex: slacks, button-up shirt, and tie for the young gentlemen, dresses, skirts, dress slacks and blouses for the young ladies). There should be no jeans, sweatpants, or other workout wear. For girls, all dresses or skirts should fall below the knee. If a skirt or dress comes up higher than the knee, dark-colored leggings should be worn as a supplement. All concert attire should otherwise follow all guidelines for school attire.

**The safety and well-being of our students at Woodland is our number one priority, always. Precautions stemming from the current Covid-19 epidemic have led us to suspend public performances for the time being. If circumstances change and we are able to return to a more normal performance medium, we will return to our regular concert performance routine. **

Questions?

Contact: Bryana Steck 

steckb@woodlandschools.org