The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s free jazz school is accepting new students ages 11 to 17 throughout the greater metro region. Young players are invited to audition this Saturday, January 12 beginning at 10 a.m. at Dillard University.
Kidd Jordan teaching at the Don Jamison Heritage School of Music. Photo by Stephen Houser.
Founded in 1990 by Edward “Kidd” Jordan, the Don “Moose” Jamison Heritage School of Music is the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation‘s principal education program.
Classes are Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Dillard University (2601 Gentilly Blvd.).
Jazz instruction is provided to beginner, intermediate and advanced students in the following instruments:
- Brass
- Woodwinds
- Drums
- Piano
- Bass
- Guitar
- Voice
New students seeking to join the program should come to the Spring 2013 auditions to be held at Dillard University’s Cook Fine Arts Center (second floor). (Returning students should report for class on Saturday, January 19.)
A few notes to keep in mind…
All students must own their own instruments and (except for piano and drums) bring them to the audition.
Beginners should have completed at least one year of prior instruction on their instruments and should be able to play a major and minor scale, identify notes on a staff and play at least one song. Students should own their own instruments and should bring them to the auditions.
More advanced students should be prepared to:
- Perform a song (preferably a jazz standard) that demonstrates their full range of ability.
- Demonstrate an ability to improvise over a blues form in the keys of F and B flat.
- Play a chromatic scale (two octaves).
- Sight-read an unfamiliar jazz composition.
- For pianists and bassists, demonstrate a fundamental ability to read chord changes.
Drummers should have at least some experience with:
- Single stroke and double stroke rolls.
- Flams and paradiddles.
- Reading snare drum music.
- Playing very basic jazz beat and rock/funk beat.
- Second Line rhythms.
- Playing a C Major scale on the piano.
Vocalists should be able to sing an unfamiliar melodic phrase after hearing it once or twice. Experience with reading music is a plus.
Direct questions to (504) 558-6100, or contact the Foundation via email.
