prep

School of the Blues students rehearsed for their Fall student concert Sunday and one of the areas they could have benefited from doing beforehand was to listen carefully to what the band was doing in their song. They did work out what the groove was, the key, the opening, ending and if there were breaks, but what they missed was what the instruments were doing within the groove of their song. In many cases this level of detail was not needed, but in some it was essential. continue reading...

A new house band rotation is starting at School of the Blues in a couple of weeks and in their prep email they're asked to watch this video. This work provides a great perspective for new players getting ready to play with others. Below is an annotated transcript for your reference.

"Journey Into Jazz" by Gunther Schuller, Narrated by Leonard Bernstien (1962)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x15bpi_leonard-bernstein-journey-into-j... continue reading...