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Sonoma State University

Beginning Jazz Improvisation

Class Syllabus Fall 2011

Course: Jazz Improvisation 1 (Mus 189) 2 units

Class #: 2084 Section #001

Location: GMC 1029
Meeting Days and Times: T, Th 1-1:50

Instructor: Pete Estabrook

Contact information: 664-2134 (2) (email address is omitted here in order to avoid spam-please consult the university website for the email address)

Office Hours: By appointment on T or Th (before or after class) in GMC 2062

Final Exam: Thursday, December 16th from 2-3:50

Course Prerequisite: consent of the instructor; fundamental music terminology; fundamental music reading and notation; fundamental understanding of intervals, major scales, and key signatures; fundamental instrumental technique-the ability to play all 12 major scales non-stop at a medium tempo

Course Description: an exploration of the techniques of melodic composition and improvisation based on the scales and chords commonly used in jazz

Course Objectives: upon completion of this course, students will be able to identify (visually and aurally), analyze and improvise (on their chosen musical instrument or voice) over basic chord progressions utilized in tunes that are common in the jazz idiom.

Required Materials:

• How To Practice Jazz (Coker)
• Maiden Voyage vol. 54 (Aebersold)

Suggested Supplementary Materials:

• Major and Minor vol. 21 (Aebersold)
• Dominant Seventh Workout vol. 84 (Aebersold)
• Getting it Together vol. 24 (Aebersold)
• The II-V-I progression vol. 3 (Aebersold)
• The Jazz Idiom (Coker)
• Listening to Jazz (Coker)
• Improvising Jazz (Coker)
• Clear Solutions (Coker)
• Creative Approach to Jazz Improvisation (Baker)

Course Expectations:

• Each student must be officially registered and enrolled in the class in order to attend regular class meetings for insurance and security reasons.
• Each student, who meets the enrollment requirements (of the university) and prerequisites (listed above), is entitled to printed musical parts and required to attend weekly class meetings on time and prepared.
• Class participation involves: demonstrated verbal and musical participation, musical assignment preparation and observation of jazz teaching methods (as outlined verbally or in written form by the instructor).
• Musical assignment preparation may includes; playing (or singing), writing, verbally spelling scales and chords; harmonic recognition (of chord qualities), memorizing melodies and chord progressions; study and application of scales; chords; licks; II-V patterns; performance ear training; melody, guide tone, or bass part writing; analytical listening to recording models; pre-written solo transcription study, memorization of melodies and forms.
• The student is completely and solely responsible for any and all material handed out during class and expected to bring those materials to each meeting.
• Students are expected to bring the provided musical parts, a pencil, music paper, and a properly functioning musical instrument (including personally owned patch chords for guitar or bass) to each class meeting.
• Students are expected to attend all class meetings on time and prepared.
• If a student does not call, email, or verbally notify the instructor with a legitimate reason for his absence (preferably 24 hours prior to class), the student may be denied the ability to turn in late assignments or make-up quizzes.
• Missing 6 or more classes during the semester may result the student being dropped from the course.
• Turning in late homework assignments is unacceptable. Every effort should be made by the student to meet deadlines assigned by the instructor. Late assignments may be subject to a reduction in points and are treated on a case by case basis.
• Failure to turn in more than 3 written assignments may result in failure of the course.
• Legitimately missed quizzes may be made up by appointment. Make-up appointments are scheduled according to instructor availability (not student preference).
• Failure to complete more than 2 quizzes may result in failure of the course.
• All homework assignments and quizzes must be completed prior to the final exam in order to pass this course.
• Legitimate absence: extreme illness (high fever, vomiting, dizziness, etc.), SSU ensemble performance, car accident, death in the family, etc.
• Non-legitimate absence: vacation plans, homework for another class, missing instrument or equipment, car maintenance, ball game tickets, doctor or dental appointments, concert tickets, etc.
• Report any final exam time conflicts to the instructor immediately.
• Less than 24 hours notification of final exam conflicts is unacceptable.
• Failure to take the final exam may result in failure of the course.
• Take responsibility for class time. It should be a test of daily work, not a practice session.

Primary Grading Considerations:
Primary grading for the homework, quizzes, final exam and micro-teaching is based on the points system 100-90%=A, 89-80%=B, 79-70%=C, 69-60%=D, 59-0%=F

• There will be a written homework assignment preceding each unit as a preparation for scale and chord study. Homework must be completed by hand in pencil on staff paper (see the class schedule below). Points will vary for each assignment.
• There will be a verbal, written, and performance quiz concluding each unit (see the class schedule below). Points will vary for each quiz.
• There will be a cumulative final exam (covering all the material studied during the semester).
• Music Education Majors will be required (as a portion of their final exam) to lead the class in a micro-teaching demonstration based on the teaching methods outlined in class (see accompanying guidelines below)

Micro-teaching Specifics

• Each student who is a Music Education Major will prepare a lesson plan and teach a 10 minute segment of Beginning Jazz Improvisation.
• Participating students will prepare a typed lesson plan (in bullet point fashion) with accompanying hand written sketches (on music paper) of the material to be shown on the white board during the presentation.
• Students will be assigned a specific tune to prepare.
• The lesson plan should be submitted to the instructor at least one class meeting prior to teaching the lesson.

Secondary Grading Considerations:

A- exceptional work beyond what is required; work of considerable quantity and quality; complete memorization and assimilation of scales, chords, melodies, and forms; knows where he/she (and everyone else) is at all times while improvising or accompanying; beyond technical considerations; dwelling in the artistic realm; excellent and earnest attitude toward instructor and fellow students; perfect attendance; one missed class during the semester is allowable due to illness;

B- work completed as required with a gracious and supportive attitude; required material is completed with good quality; knows where he/she is a considerable portion of the time; perhaps not perfect mastery or memorization, but shows excellent efforts; puts in more than last minute time on assigned tasks; near perfect attendance; perhaps late a few times; missing no more than 2 classes due to illness;

C- work completed, but not within the time frame specified by the instructor; has the necessary abilities, but does not demonstrate full potential; frequently lost within the form; unable to use the appropriate chord/scale at the appropriate time; last minute efforts are the norm; some attitude difficulties or conflicts exist; unprepared a few times; possibly late to several class meetings or missing several classes completely; lost or missing parts at 2 classes; missing no more than 3 classes for appropriate reasons;

D- tries, but is barely able to accomplish minimum requirements; attendance and attitude difficulties exist; nearly always lost; unable to apply chord/scale knowledge in tempo; unable to keep up with the pace of the class in general; missing parts more than twice; lost parts more than twice; late more often than on time; missing 4 classes for any reason; repeatedly unprepared; holding up class progress as whole; disruptive or disrespectful attitude demonstrated; talking or playing while the instructor is delivering lecture; playing at inappropriate volume levels;

F- almost no work is accomplished; excessive attendance and attitude problems exist; this grade jeopardizes the student's ability to repeat the course in future semesters.

Class Schedule
The instructor reserves the right to alter this schedule verbally during class: (please ask if there are any questions about the schedule or quizzes)

• Unit #1-Review of major scales and major seventh chords; guide tones; improvisation with misc. Aebersold tracks (weeks 1 and 2)*
• Unit #2-Study of the Blues; mixolydian scales and dominant 7th chords; blues tunes; V-I scales/chords (weeks 2 and 3)
• Unit #3-Modal tunes; dorian scales and minor 7th chords; II-V-I scales/chords (weeks 4 and 5)
• Unit #4-Review of previous material from the 3rd and 7th with inversions; II-V-I licks in 12 keys (weeks 6 and 7)
• Unit #5 lydian dominant scales; inverted dominant 7th chords; tunes with secondary or substitute V's; substitute V-I scales/chords (weeks 8 and 9)
• Unit #5-Review of previous material from the 3rd and 7th with inversions; subsititue II-V-I scales/chords (weeks 10 and 11)
• Unit #6-TBA (weeks 12 and 13)**

Daily Activities

• Scale Drill (verbally spell; play as a group)
• Chord Drill (verbally spell; play as a group)
• Free playing within a scale (using a difficult key from the scale under study)
• Melodic Performance Ear Training (call and response style from the scale under study)
• Harmonic Recognition (of the chord under study)
• II-V chords/scales/licks (in 12 keys-play as a group)
• Transcription Performance (with recordings and written solos as a group-sing and play)
• Tune Study (chords/scale/guide tone application, individual improvisation, solo concept development)

General University Information

There are important University policies that you should be aware of, such as the add/drop policy, cheating and plagiarism policies, and grade appeal procedures, accommodations for students with disabilities, and the diversity vision statement. http://www.sonoma.edu/uaaffairs/policies/studentinfo.shtml