Jazz Band

When I entered my student internship at Seminole High School in Sanford, Florida, the head band director asked me what I believed was my greatest weakness as a teacher. I immediately answered "teaching jazz band." As a flute player, I did not have much experience in the jazz idiom and did not appreciate the art form. Upon hearing my response, he immediately put me in charge of the jazz combo class and had me teach the jazz ensemble class about halfway through the semester. Although initially intimidated, I learned from those students how to effectively rehearse jazz.

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At Merritt Island High School, I was fortunate to come into a well-established jazz program. The jazz band was skilled and allowed me to continue working with high caliber students. However, I was not pleased with how few students could be enrolled in the ensemble, leading to starting a second jazz band class. It grew and we were on track to start a third band until the pandemic hit in 2020. The "Jazz I" group at Merritt Island played extensively in the community, including performances at Disney, Pirtek USA's national conference, and the Lakeside Jazz Festival. The ensemble received consistent superior ratings at FBA events and played diverse repertoire from Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, and Gil Evans to more modern composers Maria Schneider, Bob Mintzer, Alan Baylock, Darcy James Argue, Dafnis Prieto, Thierry Maillard, Ed Calle, and Ben Patterson. The band also played with guest artists Jon Oxford, Matthew Schabowsky, Phil Rodell, and Elliot Benjamin.

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Although I had an initial grasp on improvisation, I made it a point to continue learning and growing as a jazz musician at Baylor University. I took jazz improvisation lessons for two semesters from Mr. Alex Parker, Director of the Wayne Fisher Jazz Program, to not only improve my own improvisation but also learn pedagogical strategies for helping students be successful improvisers.