Yamaha Education News

UK Teachers experience the Yamaha Jazz Experience

Pictured here: Teachers and PGCE trainee teachers enjoying a Yamaha Jazz Experience workshop, Bolton, October 2011

On Thursday 27 October 2011 the second Yamaha Jazz Experience programme began with a workshop tour, starting in Bolton, Lancashire, and hosted by Bolton Music Service. Instrumental, classroom and PGCE trainee music teachers from the Greater Manchester region took part in the workshop, which was desgned for those who are new to jazz, who want to improve their own improvising skills and take ideas back to their own teaching.

Leading this first workshop were Richard Michael, whose thirty years' experience as a classroom teacher and leader of the Fife Youth Jazz Orchestra (FYJO) provided a truly inspirational insight, together with Yamaha jazz flute artist Geoff Warren, an international jazz flautist and a former professor of jazz flute at the Royal Academy of Music. These two experienced musicians produced a series of amazing practical demonstrations on how to improvise and teach a whole variety of skills, providing a totally captivating experience for the eighteen teachers, PGCE students and music service staff who attended the Bolton workshop.

The amazing part of this presentation was that neither Richard nor Geoff had worked together before, yet from the very first practical demonstration their synergy was palpable and seamless. From his considerable experience in the classroom Richard was able to demonstrate effectively the mantra which he began over 30 years ago in his school: "mistakes are cool!" As he explained, "everyone makes mistakes and, unless they do so, I cannot help them."

It was very clear that, by the end of the first day, all the attending teachers had found the experience extremely worthwhile and could not fail to have been inpsired by such a professional and comprehensive introduction to jazz improvisation.

With the van fully packed we moved on to Carlisle - a mere 107 miles north of Bolton - to repeat the experience the following day with another group of enthusiastic teachers, and our hosts, Cumbria Music Service. Once at the venue, Trinity School, we duly unloaded the van for a second day. The workshops was received enthusiastically by the thirteen music service teachers and three students who attended.

Yamaha's educational activities hinge on the fact that we make world-class musical instruments. That's the reason we have so many professional artists who are fans. And this quality of the instruments and their playability provides enormous encouragement to young musicians and their teachers, too. Yamaha is the only single manufacturer which can cover the breadth of high quality instruments and equipment that we take on this tour. Yamaha instruments and equipment we used included: Clavinova and, at the Bull's Head, an top-end S6 acoustic grand piano, saxes, flutes, bass guitar, Silent bass, StagePas 500 PA and an acoustic drum kit, to name but a few.

Pictured here: Geoff Warren leads an impressive improvised Jazz Experience ensemble activity during the Carlisle workshop, with Richard Michael on drums

The workshop headed south in early November to Seale Hayne, Newton Abbot, Devon, where some 30 teachers, students and members of Devon Youth Jazz Orchestra's Jazz Ambassadors enjoyed a high-energy day of improvising with Richard Michael (pictured below). The feedback from the final workshop, at The Bull's Head Jazz Club in Barnes, south-west London, made particular mention of Richard's rhythm warm-up exercises. These were enjoyed by all participants and are wonderful activities for primary and secondary classrooms and for high-level professional ensembles. Details of this and other activities are available for a small subscription, from Richard's website. Teachers can also access a range of advice and materials, free, from the Jazz Experience section of Yamaha UK's 'Education Friends' teacher site.

So popular and successful was this workshop that the host music services have requested a return visit to provide further training for their instrumental teachers.

Click here for further details about the Jazz Experience 2012 ensemble competiton for 11-18s.

Nigel Burrows, music school manager

(ends)

(Posted: November 2011)