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nie Wilkins, Frank Foster, Benny Carter, Neil Heſti, Quincy Jones, and my personal favorite, Sammy Nestico. Playing this music will give you the opportunity to focus on the quarter note pulse and the ensemble techniques described earlier. By continually studying the recordings, you will be able to develop a classic big band sound with your group and your students can be proud of themselves for perform- ing the “real thing.” More advanced groups can try Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, and Tad Jones arrangements. If you are still uncertain about what music falls inside the canon, reach out to the jazz instructor at the college or uni- versity near you. Tese people are deeply committed to jazz education in your area and would like nothing more than for the impact of high school jazz to be widely felt.


Encouraging Improvisation One discipline that most directors feel acutely ill equipped to teach is jazz improvisation. Tis is, of course, under- standable. If the director does not improvise, it is difficult to teach the student how to do so. Tis is the wrong way of looking at improvisation. If you frame your band’s devel- opment as a journey through jazz history that you are all taking together, you can learn improvisation right alongside your students. Don’t be scared to mess something up - jazz improv is as much about taking risks and making mistakes as it is playing beautiful melodies; this is perhaps what makes it so profound. Additionally, if you are performing the core repertoire described earlier, the publications cur- rently in print almost all contain transcriptions of the origi- nal solos. Tis is the best place to start with your kids. Learn the original solo first, its inflections, articulations, and flow. As you learn to listen to the music and your students learn to engage with it, your band’s “jazz IQ” will in turn, rise.


An Example to Follow Countless directors have been teaching for years and still feel anxiety when approaching the jazz band. Tis does not have to be you. My father spent 34 years teaching high school band in the same school district. His ensembles always sounded good, and he always fielded a full big band; however, his jazz band only began to become a stellar ensemble once he invested in the topics we have discussed. Utilizing classic recordings, his students began to listen to jazz on their own, thus, helping them fall in love with the style and history of it. Transferring the techniques for en- semble balance and clarity from concert band, his jazz band began to play in tune and with a solid balance between sec- tions. Seeing the repertoire that I was interested in as I went through my jazz studies, he began reevaluating his choices to match a more appropriate repertoire. Additionally, he connected with the jazz professor at the local university as a clinician and resource for his program. His jazz bands were then able to make greater strides forward and play more challenging music with better solos because, alongside his


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students, he had learned the music he was teaching. He was a product of music education from the 1970s and was still able to learn all about this great music in a way that inspired his students.


Recap Many educators are simply underprepared to deal with jazz in their schools. If you are serious about developing the jazz area of your school’s music program, follow these steps. Build a culture around listening to the music. Encourage your kids to challenge their ears and enjoy this great art. Use your musical instincts from your classical ensembles. Tere is no “legit” and “non-legit” distinction; it’s all music, so teach it musically! By reaching out to local experts in your community and building your own ear, and choosing core jazz repertoire, you will set your band up for success. Finally, don’t be afraid of jazz improvisation. Tackle it head on using the many resources you’ve gained from listening, choosing good tunes, and learning about jazz alongside your students. Jazz is, aſter all, a community-oriented dis- cipline. Engage with your students and believe that you too can learn to direct your band with musicality, knowledge, and confidence.


Seth M. Ebersole serves as Jazz Artist in Resi- dence at Saginaw Valley State University and as Jazz Woodwinds Faculty at the Jazz & Cre- ative Institute in Kalamazoo. His debut al- bum, “Sometimes I’m Happy,” is available on all streaming platforms. He endorses Selmer Paris saxophones and can be found each week performing regionally and nationally.


MMEA wishes to thank JWPepper & Son, Inc., for their


generous sponsorship of numerous MMEA events, including:


• General Music Fall Workshop • Collegiate Conference


• Young Singers Choral Workshops • Elementary Honors Choir • Board Meeting Lunches


Please visit their website: www.jwpepper.com


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