Arranging for the Middle, High School, and College Jazz Band
This course covers considerations an arranger must give to issues of tessitura, range, and technique, as well as rhythmic reading and comprehension of young musicians at each level of the middle, high school, and college jazz program. Through an analysis of scores representative of Scholastic Levels 1-6 students will gain an understanding of brass and woodwind issues (fingering, stamina, intonation, key familiarity, etc.), as well as the capabilities of the rhythm section at different levels. Additional topics include: optional parts (flexible scoring), creating teaching aids that support the development of jazz skills (improvisation, comping, etc.) as well as an awareness of the cultural context in which jazz originated. The course will give an overview of the scholastic jazz publishing industry and address issues of part and score prep for submission to publishers.