Honors Jazz Band
Division:  Upper School
Department: Fine and Performing Arts:  Instrumental Music
Course Title/Code:  Honors Jazz Band Art  360 

Course Description: 
Honors Jazz Band is an auditioned group of Upper School students.  Students enhance their overall musicianship by listening to and performing a variety of Jazz styles in a big band setting, working in small combos, and developing skills in playing or improvising solos.  To audition for All-District or All-State Jazz Band, a student must be enrolled in Honors Jazz Band or receive permission from the band director.  Two or three concerts per year will be performed at school.  The band may also participate in a local festival sponsored by the NC Bandmasters Association as well as a trip to a competition.  The following instruments are needed: saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, bass, electric guitar, drums.  May be repeated for credit.

Prerequisite:  Audition or permission of the instructor

Note:  With permission of the instructor and department chair, a student may add or drop this course until the end of the 2nd trimester drop-add period. 

Goal

• Students will develop advanced skills for practicing, performing, and improvising on a wind or percussion instrument.

Skills

• Tone production (playing with a characteristic and beautiful sound)

• Tempo (keeping a steady beat)

• Rhythm reading (counting, clapping, and playing rhythm patterns)

• Pitch reading (naming notes and associating fingerings with notes)

• Technique (finger/hand dexterity, embouchure [lips] control, tonguing, range)

• Interpretation (phrasing, dynamics, expressiveness)

• Balance (matching volume within the section and the entire ensemble)

• Blend (matching sound within the section)

• Intonation (playing in tune with oneself, the section, and the entire ensemble)

• Listening (identifying structure and form of the overall piece of music, as well as the function of the part a student is playing)

Activities

• Practice outside of class at least one and one half hours per week

• Rehearsals during class

• Two or three evening performances at school

• Various performances for the school during the school day

• One or two performances off campus during the school day

• Possibly one or two performances outside of school during an evening or weekend.

Assessment

• Playing Quizzes in class (short excerpts assigned from the music studied)

• Practice Assignments recorded at home (longer excerpts assigned from the music in class or assignments relating to individual student needs)

• Participation in rehearsal (being on time with instrument, supplies, and music and being prepared to play the assigned music in rehearsal)

• Performances (some evening/weekend performances may be required)

Each student is expected to furnish her/his own instrument, supplies, and the designated performance outfit.

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