[Dixielandjazz] Jazz Teachers, Music Teachers, Teachers in the Public School System

Steve barbone barbonestreet at earthlink.net
Mon Feb 6 15:22:30 PST 2006


Re Jazz Teachers in the public school system.

Well, who among us learned jazz from a jazz teacher? There was no such thing
as a jazz teacher when I went to school. "Jazz" was a dirty word. We all
learned by going out and listening to jazz in the clubs, sitting in, going
to loft sessions etc., etc.

Can't do that these days, we say? Well then, band leaders, go play where the
kids are so that they can do that these days.

Music Teachers? Not too many of them in the public schools back then either,
except at the grade 9 to 12 in high school. And still No Jazz. I almost got
thrown out of the band in High School for playing 12th Street Rag (by ear)
in one of the individual practice rooms when I should have been playing the
Overture from "Die Fledermaus". The band director was astonished to find Die
Fledermaus lead sheets on the stand and me playing by ear. Also pissed
because in his opinion, jazz musicians were scum and the music degenerate.

But, by the time I was 15, I was playing gigs for money in a kids jazz band
that we formed ourselves and at 16, sitting in all over the place in NYC
with the big boys. 

Teachers? If they are so bad, how come the Asian immigrant kids, et al, get
straight A grades and generally out perform us locals? Simple, IMO, the
parents take a lead role instead of having the schools become baby sitters
for the current "me" generation.

Bottom line. If we want to encourage jazz musicians, well... you know the
rest. If not, Go to Tony Scott's web site  http://www.tonyscott.it/

Once there, click on "The Beginning". Read how he did it and then figure out
how to make it possible for today's kids to do it in similar fashion.

Jazz Teachers? Only way that's going to succeed is by private lessons from a
player and by training the students to LISTEN. . Heck we all spoke English
for 5 years before we learned the complicated rules for it. How did we do
it? By ear. Jazz is just another language, best learned first by ear (IMO)

Cheers,
Steve






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