Jazz Concert Success

Last night was our "Fall Jazz Festival." Our school had conspired with two other schools to have a Fall Jazz Festival. Unfortunately, the other schools couldn't participate. But, we still had a fabulous time. Sonny Carreno, dear friend and awesome jazzer, was our guest director. We had three master classes (saxes, brass and rhythm section) as part of our day. The students were marvelous. They never complained about anything and they played very well. One of the joys of having this day together was how the students interacted when we weren't rehearsing. You'd think they'd be tired of making music, but as soon as we took a break, they'd get a drink, use the restroom and then start messing around. It was awesome -- it was music all day! This made me think about how too much structure in the classroom might actually be a detriment to learning. Sure, I learned a lot in my music classes, but there is something essential to that "messing around" time. In fact, I don't think a musician can ever become a jazz musician without that chance to mess around. I believe I need to build this into my program. Thanks, students, for teaching me something new... again!