Intermediate/Advanced Band
Willie Thomas | November 7, 2011
Teacher Worksheet - Intermediate/Advanced Jazz Band
FREE LESSON (4 Sessions 30-45 minutes each)
The Free Lesson in the Player's Corner is Ground Zero for the entire Jazz Everyone Curriculum. Take whatever time necessary to get a firm grasp of the concepts introduced in the Free Lesson. It may take several weeks to complete the 4 Sessions outlined in the Teacher Worksheets. That’s fine! Most of your students will be with you for several years. This will be new for everyone. Next year, we’ll figure out the best way to integrate the new students with those starting this year. That’s a good problem.
Most likely, you will have time between the 4 Sessions to start using your new jazz experience and materials to build short warm up routines for every rehearsal. When your potential solo players can improvise everyday in front of you and the class, you can be assured they will stay motivated and maybe even work at home.
Getting Started
Download and print the Full Band arrangements for all instruments and make folders for your students.
Download and print the Blues and Mixolydian (Dominant) Etudes and put them in the student folders (you will eventually need all of the etudes )
Download and print the Level II Bb Blues riffs in the Immersion zone for the students folders.
Download and print all of the Free Lesson Pages for a separate study notebook.
Get that horn out and join the band!
Session 1
Before your first classroom session, you and your students should watch the Free Lesson online and make a written list of questions about anything you don’t understand. Collect these written questions at the beginning of your first session.
Start your first session playing through the Full Band Bb Blues arrangement until the students have the notes under their fingers (and in tune). Play a chorus with just the saxes and then with the brass. (5 min)
Next, have the brass section play the Bb Blues arrangement with a simple rhythm while the saxes do a group jam with the blues scale on the bottom of Pg 8 of the Free Lesson study folder. Then reverse the process with the saxes. (5 min)
Let your potential solo players play a chorus or two of Bb Blues with just the rhythm section alternating with the full band. (5 min)
Now, do the group jam again with the root and fifths in the Bb Blues form on page 7 of the Free Lesson study folder. Have the different sections play background rhythms with the chords. Encourage students to improvise with just roots and fifths in the correct measures. (5 min)
Next, have your soloists play a few choruses of Bb Blues improvising with roots and fifths with the rhythm section alternating with the band. (5 min)
Finally, Have students play the Full Band Dominant Cycle (Mixolydian) arrangement with whole notes in 4 measure phrases. Have the saxes play the Page 5 study folder download exercise as written, followed by a group jam around the cycle with roots and fifths. Reverse the process with the brass section.. If you have time let some solo players solo around the Dominant cycle with just roots and fifths. (5-10 min)
That will probably be enough for your first session. If you don’t complete this in one session, finish it in the next. Students are learning jazz vocabulary and starting to build warm-up routines that should start every rehearsal.. Don’t worry about explaining or answering their written questions just yet. Tell the students to play and improvise online with roots and fifths around the dominant cycle online until they can do this from memory.
Session 2
Start your session with the full band warming up on the Bb Blues arrangement while selected players solo. (10 min)
Ask students if they have found answers to any of their questions through playing. Keep the discussion short. Tell them they are learning a new language and to watch the Free Lesson video at home. (5 min)
Have the sax and brass sections play through the Immersion Zone, Level II Bb Blues riffs with one section playing the Bb Blues arrangement with a selected rhythm. Play each riff for a chorus each with each section.
Briefly discuss how Ellington and Basie used riffs like these to build entire arrangements on the stand while they were performing. Mention that riffs are VOCABULARY that need to be memorized. (15 min)
Finish this session playing the Dominant cycle arrangement in 4 measure phrases while the saxes and brass take turns playing through the Pentatonic Pairs on page 12 of the Free Lesson study folder download. (5-10 min)
If you have extra time, invite a few students to improvise with Pentatonic Pairs around the dominant cycle with the full band playing softly behind the soloists.
Encourage students to work on the Pentatonic Pairs around the Dominant cycle online.
Suggest they watch the Free Lesson one more time.
Session 3
Start this session with more blues. Brass and saxes alternate playing Minor Blues Etude 1, chorus 1, 2 and 3 alternating with Bb Blues arrangement. Have selected students play solos with just the rhythm section between each blues chorus. (10 min)
Play Dominant cycle arrangement in 4 measure phrases while the saxes and brass alternate playing the Pentatonic Pairs on page 12 of the Free Lesson study folder through the dom cycle. (5-min)
Now, have them syncopate the quarter and half notes and make the patterns swing. This PDF "Swing it!" illustrates how these Pentatonic Pairs become jazz vocabulary. (5-min)
Session 4
Start this session with saxes and brass playing the syncopated Pentatonic Pairs (Download here) in the Blues form. Have brass and sax section jam with the Pentatonic Pairs around the cycle. Alternate the background. (5 min)
Select a few students to play solos between the saxes and brass using the Pentatonic Pairs. Repeat several times. (10 min)
Start a discussion about what they have been learning in these classroom sessions. Ask if some of the questions they submitted might have been answered through the music. Briefly discuss how tonal centers are formed when notes are divided into 4ths/5th between up beats and down beats.
Have students view the Pentatonic Pairs on the circle (pg. 11) Make a big copy of the circle to use in classroom.. The image of this circle is burned into my mind and psyche and is one my most important resource references when learning new tunes.
You might discuss how the blues scale (pg. 8), dominant scale and chords (pg. 5) and the Pentatonic Pairs are formed. There are a variety of ways to insure that students understand these concepts, none of which will help a great deal with their playing. (pg. 10). (20 min)
Finish this session discussing how effective the Pentatonic Pairs can be when you’re creating vocabulary patterns through the tonal centers. (pg. 9).
Then, alternate the Yo Dude Blues tune between the sax section and brass playing the Bb Blues chart. Select some cool rhythms when playing the background arrangement. Put some solos between choruses. (10 min)
Moving Forward
If you can answer "yes" to the following questions, you probably ready to move on.
1. Can the students quickly access and use all of the print materials from the Free Lesson?
2. Do the students have a basic understanding of the theory concepts introduced in the Free Lesson?
3. Are the students demonstrating more confidence and a better sense of rhythm and jazz styles?
4. Are a number of students excited about improvising whenever possible?
5. Are students getting a handle on the Pentatonic Pairs?
6. Is your rhythm section improving and listening to each other when they play? Does it swing?
7. Are students working with the materials online outside of class?
8. Are you able to track each student's progress?
Lesson 1 - (6 Pack) 4 Sessions 35-45 minutes
The Lesson 1 Teacher Worksheet is divided into 4 sessions, outlining strategies for presenting and developing core curriculum concepts. The time available for teaching jazz fundamentals will greatly determine how and when you use these sessions. You will need some extended time periods to successfully present the materials. If you’re only meeting once or twice a week, your progress will be slow, but steady if you are organized and the students are working online out of class.
Above all, you will realize how important it is to a have a detailed lesson plan for each student that clearly identifies materials for each session. Students should have well organized lesson notebooks and separate folders for Jazz Anyone Etudes (167) and full band arrangement for their particular instrument accessible for every session.
Rhythm Section
If you’re developing and using routines on a regular basis to start your rehearsals, your rhythm section should be making progress. The more time they spend playing backgrounds for routines and improvisation, the sooner they will start to swing. We are in the process of putting all of the Beginner’s Corner Rhythm lessons online. They could be helpful for some or your younger rhythm players.
Getting Started
Download and print all of Lesson 1 Pages and continue to build the student workbooks. Click on the instrument tabs above the video for different keys. Lesson 1 - Expanding the Pentatonic Pairs
The Free Lesson Downloads will suffice for the rest of Lesson 1 materials needed.
Before you start session 1, study Level I-Curriculum Learning Track-1.1. Familiarize yourself with the 3 basic areas of Curriculum:
Core Curriculum (Blue)
Supplemental Curriculum (Red)
Enrichment Curriculum (Green)
Resource Material (Purple) are materials needed to reinforce concepts.
1. Volume 1 How to Play Jazz And Improvise
2. Volume 42 Blues in All Keys
3. Volume 84 Dominant Seventh Workout
*As a FULL member, you can receive a one time 30% discount to Jamey Aebersold materials. Find your coupon code here.
Session 1
Review Lesson 1 online with the students. You don’t have watch every minute of the video, hit the highlights and let them hear me play the new concepts. It has a good theory review that’s helpful. Checkout the ear training and talk about the importance of learning to play what you hear. The Immersion Zone should be introduced into your lesson agenda for this purpose. (30-min)
This will take most of your first session. Finish Session 1 playing through Pg 5-7, Lesson 1 download with the saxes and brass alternating the dominant cycle band arrangement. Add the new concept adding the major 3rd and the b5 in your daily warmup routines.
(10 min)
Session 2
Start your session with sections playing the new concept (add b5) with saxes or brass playing selected rhythms backgrounds around Dom Cycle. You may want to work on the Pentatonic Pairs with major 3rd and the b5 added to the blues scale in all keys separately. This is a longer range challenge and should be developed gradually in your daily routines. (10 Min)
Show students the F Blues chords and blues scale on Pg 4 of the downloads. Give them a piece of manuscript paper and tell them to put the chords in the measures with the blues scale and bring it to the next session. (10 min)
Next, play the My Baby-Mama Blues on Pg 12 of the Lesson 1 downloads with the brass and saxes alternating choruses. Let some students solo between the lead sheet choruses. (15 min)
Finish Session 2 online in the Immersion Zone. Discuss how important learning to play what you hear is when learning to improvise. Play the Bb and F Blues Immersion patterns for them to answer. Go around the band from student to student. (10 min)
When students have to keep doing this in class, they will more than likely start working at home. This can also be used for grading purposes when needed.
Session 3
Ask your prospective soloists to form a combo in front of the band to play the Baby-Mama Blues with the full band F Blues arrangement. Pick a cool rhythm for the band to play with the chords. After the combo plays the head (chart) let them solo, trade 4’s with the drummer and play the head out with the combo. Write several rhythms on the board and vary the backgrounds. (10 min)
Go online to the immersion zone and work through the Extended Bb and F Dominant tracks. Pass it around to each student through the 2 keys. No need for discussion. They’ll know what to do. Go home and work them out. (5-min)
The Learning Track suggests that you start the Vocabulary Workout sessions. Before you introduce this in class, make sure that you view and understand how these are used. These drills are primarily intended to help your soloists develop facility with the vocabulary. However, all of the students can benefit and it may encourage more students to want to improvise and work online out of class.
Play the Level I F blues Vocabulary Workout for students to listen to and discuss. Play the video again and ask students to copy-cat me as I play. (10 min)
Continue Session 3 with individual students playing patterns for other students to imitate around the Dominant Cycle with just the rhythm section. (10 min)
Finish Session 3 with a challenge to your best and braveist soloists. Have the full band play the F Blues with a simple rhythm pattern as fast as they can handle. Let’s say about 210. See what happens. (5 min)
Session 4
Start Session 4 with an Immersion Zone Level 2, F Blues riff sheet. Play these with the Full Band charts alternating between the brass and saxes. (10 min)
Let the students have a try at the C Blues and G Blues in the Level I Immersion Zone. Discuss the importance of playing in different keys. Encourage your soloists to keep playing the immersion exercises in new keys until they have them down. This is when your solo players will start growing and really making progress. (10 min)
Note: This is when you will find it helpful for students to have the Aebersold Volume 84 Play Along. This volume has all of the blues scales and open blues chouruses in all 12 keys and a variety of other basic theory concepts.
Next play Jazz Anyone F Blues etudes (167) with the Full Band chart alternating as usual. Play solos between each etude. (10 min)
Play Jazz Anyone Dominant (167) etude number 1 and 2. Finish Session 4 with top soloists alternating 4 measure solos in each key around the Dominant Cycle. Continue until you’re out of time. (15)
Afterthoughts:
Your success with these materials will not be immediate. They are long range and will result from a cumulative effort building routines with concepts and using them on a regular basis over a long period of time. You have these students for 3 or 4 years. With the proper implementation and application of this system, you will develop some strong solo,players and a swinging rhythm section. And, you can take that to the bank!
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