OSWEGO -- High school students will have the
opportunity to earn college credit while interacting with and learning
from master players during the first-ever Jazz Institute at SUNY
Oswego, July 25 to 31.
The institute is the brainchild of Richard Holland,
an assistant professor of music at SUNY Oswego. He said the
opportunities for hands-on learning, diverse experience of faculty and
nightly performances will make the Jazz Institute a beneficial
experience for student players.
"I think we're the only institute of this kind in
Central New York, offering an on-campus experience where students will
be in residence with faculty," Holland said.
All attendees will join two groups during the
institute -- one of two big bands (a 17-piece big band or a 10-piece
repertory orchestra) and one of three combos (a seven-piece band, a
jazz sextet or a jazz quintet). These group sessions and rehearsals
will allow students to receive hands-on instruction from professionals
while learning to interact with fellow musicians, Holland said. The
bands will play for parents and the public on Saturday, July 31.
Classes span jazz theory and arranging, jazz
history, jazz improvisation and musical instrument digital interface
(MIDI) software. Completion of the program will earn students one
college credit.
The faculty-in-residence teaching classes and
leading performances bring a variety of experiences from the music
industry that will show students potential career tracks in the musical
field, Holland said.
Presenters will include Holland on trumpet, big
band, jazz history and combos; Grammy-nominated saxophonist Kerry
Strayer on combos, improvisation and theory; Scott Gwinnell on jazz
piano, MIDI and combos; Carl Cafagna on saxophones, repertory
orchestras, combos and improvisation; Earlie Braggs on trombone, combos
and improvisation; David Rosin on rhythm section techniques, bass and
combos; and Marion Felder on drums, percussion master classes and
combos.
"Every day, we'll also have a unique faculty
workshop or master class with a different faculty member talking about
everything from the music business to their area of expertise," Holland
said. "We wanted to make everything as interactive as possible so
students can ask questions and learn more about the music business."
SUNY Oswego's Office of Continuing Education
sponsors the first edition of what Holland hopes will become an annual
summer tradition. This year's event is a pilot, but organizers hope to
expand to a two-week institute next year if the response remains
encouraging.
The institute has a rolling deadline, and a few
spaces are still available. For more information on the SUNY Oswego
Jazz Institute, visit www.oswego.edu/ced/summersession/jazzinstitute
or call the Office of Continuing Education at 312-2270.