Courses

Building off of the course material in presented Jazz Organ Techniques 1, this lab will introduce the student to more advanced techniques of playing jazz organ. More challenging topics will be introduced such as more active bass pedal usage (more accented notes, walking bass lines on the pedals), reverse hands ballad approach, fast tempos, and more. Various techniques will be introduced via handouts, transcriptions, videos, instructor demonstration, and in-class performance.

This course explores keyboard techniques, skills, and performance practices specific to musical theater. Students will examine multiple aspects of theater keyboard techniques, including style and feel elements, accompanying singers, leading ensembles from the keyboard, sight-reading, transposing, and developing a critical eye when analyzing various forms of printed music.

In this course, students are presented with the opportunity to explore their cultural and artistic background and consider the unique musical elements therein they can include in their work. Students will select music themes from world/folk, classical, jazz, rock, R&B, and other styles. Each student will create lead sheets of their arrangements and perform them in class accompanied by a rhythm section. Students may also choose to present original music influenced by some of the above-mentioned styles. The class will discuss variety of possible interpretations and ways to improvise on each piece considering the stylistic characteristics of today’s jazz and contemporary music. The instructor will provide audio examples and sheet music demonstrating themes from different genres used in jazz and contemporary music and engage students in thoughtful reflection about each example. A resource of lead sheets will be available to students to use for their work.

This course is for piano principals who would like to learn about many of the most influential composers for piano in the 20th century and explore the use of their pioneering techniques and methods of musical organization in their improvisations and compositions for piano. Through weekly listening and analysis assignments students will become familiar with piano composers such as Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Webern, Ives, Cage, Messiaen, Still, Bartok, Tiernan, Glass, Carlos, etc. They will then write/play their original piano pieces based on analytical observations of style, form and concepts that they find interesting and worthy of developing in their own music. These pieces will be performed and critiqued in class every week.

Most aspiring artists endeavor to create unique and original work. In this class, students will have the unique opportunity to study, imitate, and innovate the melodic interpretation, harmonic construction, and syncopation of Thelonious Monk. Students will also explore the circumstances that contributed in shaping one of the world’s most innovative pianists/composers. From this experience, students will explore new interpretations of what it means to be unique as an artist and human being.

Continuation of ILPN-122 emphasizing more advanced voicing techniques. Instrumental laboratory for piano principals emphasizing comping studies, including rhythm, and the application of these techniques to the jazz idiom. Recorded material for play-along purposes.

Students will study the construction of bass lines via basic line composition techniques, written examples, and transcriptions in order to develop a left hand bass line vocabulary. Walking bass lines with strong and consistent time are emphasized, as are comping and further development of hand independence for soloing.

Practical intermediate keyboard skills for self-accompanying vocalists and singer/songwriters. Focuses on rhythm, voicing, registration, and overall arrangement. Enhancement of individual performance skills and repertory through study and critiqued performance of musical examples drawn from appropriate contemporary styles.

Instrumental laboratory for piano principals emphasizing comping studies and the application of these techniques to a variety of pop music styles. There will be use of recorded material for play-along purposes.