Overview

High school jazz students experience a comprehensive set of jazz offerings that take their improvisation and performance skills to a new level. Students will choose one course from each of the following categories at the beginning of camp.

• Jazz Colloquium provides workshops, master classes, sectionals, student recitals and topical discussions
• Jazz Ensemble
• Jazz Improvisation and Combo
• Jazz History
• Jazz Theory/Composition
• Private Lesson
• One optional elective

Details

To fulfill the ensemble and improvisation components of the jazz curriculum, students are placed in the following sections based on a performance assessment during registration.

Ensembles

• Big Band I / High School Jazz
• Big Band II / High School Jazz
• Vocal Jazz workshop
• Jazz Guitar Ensemble

Improvisation & Combos

• Beginning Jazz Improvisation Lab
• Intermediate Jazz Improvisation Lab
• Advanced Jazz Improvisation Lab
• Jazz Piano Improvisation

Theory & Composition students will select one of the following theory options during registration:

• Jazz Theory and Piano (for pianists, vocalists and instrumentalists)
• Jazz Styles and Analysis (ear training and transcription study)
• Jazz Composition and Arranging

History students will select one of the following History options during registration:

• Jazz History
• Survey of Instrumental and Vocal Stylists
• History of the Jazz Rhythm Section

Placement auditions and diagnostic examinations are given at the outset of camp to ensure that each student studies at the appropriate skill level within each of the components of the curriculum. In addition to the core curriculum classes, jazz majors take private lessons with applied music faculty. A "Jazz Colloquium" hour is also scheduled into the class day to provide time for workshops, master classes, sectionals, student recitals and topical discussions.

Audition Requirements

• Perform and record the audition repertoire detailed below on a CD or DVD. Standard (type II) audio cassettes will also be accepted.
• Submit and label the recording and its casing with the applicant’s full name, division, the program notation "Jazz," instrument and presented repertoire.

Audition Repertoire

MELODIC INSTRUMENTS

• Choose a selection that demonstrates the performance of written jazz. Select a jazz etude, solo transcription or technical excerpt from a big band arrangement.
• Improvise (as one is able) to selections similar to ones found on either Jamey Aebersold’s Vol. 54 "Maiden Voyage" or Vol. 24 "Major and Minor" (Vol. 24 is recommended for less experienced improvisers).
• Scales for Wind instruments: Chromatic scale from the lowest note possible to the highest note possible and back. Scales for Electric Bass/Double Bass/Guitar: B-flat major, E major and chromatic scales, two octaves up and down.
• Scales for Piano: with both hands in octaves, any two major and relative minor scales played two octaves up and down.

DRUMS

• Play a closed or buzz roll starting at ppp, making a gradual crescendo to fff by beat 9 and gradual decrescendo back to ppp by the end of beat 16. Over 16 beats at mm=60.
• Play a steady single stroke roll as fast as possible.
• Play time in the following styles: slow swing (approx. mm=100), fast swing (approx. mm=200), bossa nova, samba and funk/hip hop.

VOCAL

1. Select and sing one medium or up tempo jazz standard or bossa nova of your choice. Possible selections may include but are not limited to tunes such as:
   • "Autumn Leaves" (Kosma/Mercer)
   • "Satin Doll" (Jerome Kern)
   • "Take the A Train" (Billy Strayhorn)
   • "All of Me" (Simons/Marks)
   • "All the Things You Are" (Jerome Kern)
   • "Corcovado" (Jobim)
   • "Girl From Ipanema" (Jobim)
   • "Wave" (Jobim)
2. Select and sing one ballad. Selections may include but are not limited to such tunes such as:
   • "My Funny Valentine" (Rodgers and Hart)
   • "But Beautiful" (J. Van Heusen)
   • "My Foolish Heart" (V. Young)
   • "Skylark" (H. Carmichael)
   • "Misty" (E. Garner)
3. Demonstrate scat singing abilities by singing 3 choruses of improvised blues. Any 12 bar blues progression may be used. This requirement is optional if the applicant has not had experience with vocal jazz improvisation.