Table of Contents

Classroom Expectations...................................................................................2
Goals...............................................................................................................3
Calendar..........................................................................................................4
Grading...........................................................................................................5
A Brief History of Jazz.....................................................................................6

Instrument/Accessory check out form...............................................................7

Classroom Expectations
____________________________________________
A jazz combo's success is based solely on the musicians in it. All good musicians
show up to rehearsal on time and are prepared for rehearsal by practicing their
parts. As musicians in this jazz combo, you are expected to do the same.
All students are encouraged to solo. For the new members, we will guide you
through the first steps of soloing through simple melodies. You will be amazed at
how you develop as a soloist if you give it a try!
Goals
________________________________
Develop musicianship in all students through playing, performing, and
listening to jazz music.

Strengthen creativity and build confidence through improvisation and

soloing

Be outstanding in representing our school and ensembles to the community

Keep the environment enjoyable and intriguing through support of one
another and positive attitudes.

Calendar 2017-2018
_____________________________________
Date
August 14th
August 29th
September 7th
September 9th10th
November 23rd
December 13th
December 23rd January 7th
February 22nd
May 19th
May 23rd

What

When

Where

First Day of School

Extra Jazz Rehearsal
Extra Jazz Rehearsal
Burnet County Jazz Festival and
Competition
Concert and Jazz Band Concert
Holiday Nursing Home Tour

6-7 pm
6-7pm
All
Day
7 pm
8 am

Winter Break

Band Room
Band Room
3043'31.5"N
9809'26.1"W
Auditorium
Leave From
Band Room
____

Concert and Jazz Band Concert

Oatmeal Community Days
Performance
Last Day of School

7 pm
2 pm

Auditorium
Oatmeal
Square

If you have any extreme conflicts regarding your attendance to these events,
please talk to me as soon as possible.

Concert Attire
______________________________________
Preparing for a concert is hard work, show that you are proud of your
accomplishments as a musician by dressing appropriately.
What I should have...
Black dress shirt
Tall black socks
Black dress shoes
Black dress slacks
Closed toe shoes
Shoes have less than
1" heels
Skirts rest below the
knee while sitting
Shoulder straps are
wider than three
inches
No low cut tops

All school rules regarding attire apply to concert dress. If you have any
questions about what's appropriate, feel free to ask me!
If you are unable to meet these requirements, come see me as soon as
you can.

Grading Policy
______________________________________
Concert and Competition Attendance
Burnet County Jazz Competition
Holiday Nursing Home Tour
Fall Concert
Spring Concert
Oatmeal Community Days
Concert Dress
Concert Attire

Other Assignments
Midterm Playing Check Point
* A rubric for this will be handed out
in class
Jazz Theory Worksheets

Points
20 points
20 points
20 points
20 points
20 points
Points
10 points per concert and
competition
Points
30 Points

20 Points

If you have a reasonable excuse to miss any performance, you may make
these points up by attending a jazz concert or watching an approved jazz
concert online and writing a two page essay. 12 point font, Times New
Roman.

A Brief History of Jazz

_______________________________________
Jazz is the truest of American music. It began developing in the late 19th century and
continued into the 20th century. Many influences of music helped develop jazz into what it is
today. African work songs, rhythms of the Caribbean, church hymns, and Creole music all play a
part in the development of jazz. Through wailing work songs and the moaning of field hollers,
blues was invented.
"There's no way in the world I can feel the same blues the way I used to. When I play in
Chicago, I'm playing up-to-date, not the blues I was born with. People should hear the pure
blues, the blues we used to have when we had no money."
-Muddy Waters
Due to the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865 which abolished slavery in all the
states, African Americans were now able to go out and find work, many in entertainment. As
musicians played in bars and brothels, a new genre with strong syncopated rhythms was formed,
ragtime.
Don t play this piece fast. It is never right to play ragtime fast.
- Scott Joplin
Ragtime slowly began to lose its strict rhythmic feel and lazily started moving into the
genre we know as swing. During the swing era, the popularity of jazz rose greatly due to the first
ever jazz recording of the Original Dixieland Jass Band.
"Swing is extreme coordination. It's a maintaining balance, equilibrium. It's about executing very
difficult rhythms with a panache and a feeling in the context of very strict time. So, everything
about the swing is about some guideline and some grid and the elegant way that you negotiate
your way through that grid."
-Wynton Marsalis
The development of jazz continued as it approached bebop. Bebop used faster tempos
and difficult melodies. As musicians continued to explore the history and development of jazz,
older genres were given new life by artists revisiting them.
"Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it
won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music, but man, there's
no boundary line to art."
-Charlie Parker

Instrument Check Out Form

THIS FORM IS TO BE FILLED OUT COMPLETELY AND RETURNED TO MISS
LEWIS IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE SCHOOL INSTRUMENT FOR USE THIS SCHOOL
YEAR.
Student Using the Instrument (PRINT)________________________
_________________________________________________________
For Office Use Only
Fee Paid __________________________________________
Instrument _________________________________________
Serial No.__________________________________________
Accessories __________________ ______________________
Condition of Instrument __________________________________
Cost of Instrument ____________________________________
______________________________________________ ________
Signature of Person Documenting Instrument Condition Date
_______________________________________________________________________
I take full responsibility for the proper use of the school instruments and all
accessories which I am using this year. I promise to care for the instruments and
accessories by following proper handling practices, by properly cleaning the instrument,
by not lending the instrument out to unauthorized people, and by complying with all
requested inventor/check-in dates and procedures.
________________________________ _______________
Student Signature
Date
I understand my son/daughter will be using the school provided instrument this
school year and I do hereby agree to pay for any loss, damages, or misuse of the
instrument and accessories while in my son/daughter's care.
_____________________________ ________________
Parent Signature
Date