Purple: Mash-Up Band

The music elective for this trimester is designed to give students opportunity to use their instrument in a group setting while learning how to play various styles of music.

This past week (2/27) we started off learning about Improvisation (coincidentally was a big focus at the Moss Arts Center field trip that morning!) and jazz music.

For the next few classes our focus is on the following:

1) Learning how to improvise with rhythm and the blues scale

2) Learning to play the "head" tune or melody of the jazz piece "Watermelon Man" by Herbie Hancock

3) Experiment with chord "comping" (another word for improvising in jazz) as we work to play music as a group, though playing different roles and parts.

I encourage students to continue bringing their instruments each Thursday (unless it is a piano, BNS has those!) and review what is learned at home through practice.

Through this course students will be helping arrange music in styles they are both familiar and unfamiliar with. I can't wait to see what results!