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ALL STUDENTS CAN LISTEN TO JAZZ AND TRANSCRIBE SOLOS! |
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Written by Sam Fettig
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Page 3 of 3
The activity guides students through the following transcription process:
repeated listening
identifying an excerpt they wish to learn
learning and memorizing it
writing it down
transposing it to at least one different key
It is important to set the students up for success. There are no age limits. The following transcription assignment was completed by 7th and 8th graders:
The transcription process as described here is the essence of learning to play improvised solos, from the beginning band student to the accomplished recording artist. Students who ascribe to this method will, over time, assimilate the language of jazz and gain a maturity of sound and expression. As long as basic theory isn’t neglected (notably chord-scale relationships and chord progressions), your students’ creative abilities will travel a more defined path: from the palette of transcribed material onto the canvas of an improvised solo.
CONCLUSION
There are several strategies you can use to encourage your students to listen to jazz recordings on an individual basis. You will need to build a recorded jazz library through budgeting and/or your personal collection. Before you become too discouraged by the word “budgeting”, remember that a even a handful of CDs acquired over a few years is adequate to get your students listening to jazz.
Listening assignments and activities come in three sizes and shapes. First, students express general reaction to a CD in the form of informal written description (see first example worksheet). The next level of listening requires students to identify important elements of arrangement and form (an understanding that will aid their performance). Finally, and most importantly, students can begin to learn and memorize material for use in their own improvised solo (transcribing). It is important to remember that transcribing is not an impossible task reserved for the “elite” musician; transcription of a single note is a worthy endeavor.
Have fun giving these strategies a try. I would love to hear from you as you engage your students in these important activities. Feel free to email me with your ideas, questions, or comments. I would be glad to send you any of the worksheets if you had trouble downloading them. Better yet, pay me a visit at the IAJE-WI booth at the WSMA Convention on October 28-30!
Sam Fettig
IAJE WI Vice President
Band Director, Fort Atkinson Middle School
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Tags: Music Education Curriculum Development ALL STUDENTS CAN LISTEN TO JAZZ AND TRANSCRIBE SOLOS!
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