MUSIC 513

Spring 2017
Teaching Techniques in Jazz

Teaching Jazz Improv: (20 points) Building upon what you understand in teaching swing and improvisation, design a short
teaching episode that can be used in teaching harmonic improvisation to a young jazz ensemble. You will have 10 minutes to
teach a lesson that includes:

1) Warm-up Strategy (>1 minute)

a. Long tones or scales (variations of modes or blues scale
2) Addressing Style (>1 minute)
a. Swing
3) Teach a bass line (2 minutes)
4) Teach a melody (2 minutes)
5) Improvise! (4 minutes)
6) Reflection

1 Points 2 Points 3 Points

Objective Objective is missing more
than one of the required
parts and has no intent with
respect to student learning.
Assessment Assessment is simply a
description of the process
and not clear as to its
alignment with the
objective or how feedback
will be delivered.
Sequence Sequence is vague and/or
not provided in depth.
More work is needed to
show learner development.
Concept Concept is not included or
clear in the lesson plan.
Delivery No lesson presented.
1 Points
Reflection Reflection not completed.
Objective is missing one Objective contains all
of the three parts and is three parts and is clear as
unclear as to intent of to educational value.
student learning.
Assessment is aligned Assessment is aligned with
with the objective but the objective and clearly
lacks in clarity or and objectively measures
measurement. Detailed student learning providing
feedback is not apparent detailed feedback for the
from the current design. learner.
Sequence is missing 1-2 Sequence is clear. Learning
steps that provide is scaffolded for the
opportunities for learner to arrive at a new
misunderstandings on understanding.
part of the learners.
Concept is defined, but Concept is clear from the
clarity with connection lesson design and clearly
with the content is described in the plan.
difficult to measure.
Lesson goes over time or Lesson meets all criteria
is unclear in focus. regarding time and
content.
3 Points 5 Points
Reflection is complete, Reflection demonstrates
but limited reach beyond insightful though about
this experience. the episode.
Total:________________

All TE lesson plans should be submitted with the formatting below and will be assessed using the following rubric. Each strategy
must be creative, developmentally appropriate, conceptually appropriate, use proper sequence, and lead to a deeper understanding
of a musical concept.
Teaching Improvisation
Name Jayne Kinge_________________________

Lesson Objective (what do you want the students to learn and be able to demonstrate?)

_Students will be able to beginning taking familiar melodies and improvising with them in correct key and time. _______
Prior Knowledge & Skills Expectations (what the students must already know and are able to do):

_Students must already be able to play a song by ear, and have basic understanding of jazz chord progression. _______
Musical Concepts Addressed in the Lesson:

_Tone, style, ear training, improvisation._______________________________________________________

Must Include: Detailed procedures of Instructional Strategy and Assessment for successful achievement of goal

Opening: Stand up. Stretch: Side bend, roll neck, roll shoulders. Deep breathing. Inhale for 4. Hold for 2 beats. Exhale 4
beats.

Materials of Instruction: iPad with music, board with chalk/marker, instrument, stand, Jazz Warmups, Backing track
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsrWVNJmLVY , B-flat Blues Exercise

Sequence:

1. Students will play long tones focusing on tone starting on B-flat moving down in half steps (Remington)
2. Students will copy me as teacher focusing on style (B-flat Blues Exercise)
3. First two lines of B-Flat Blues. Imitation focusing on style.
4. Use whiteboard and discuss 12-bar blues progression. (I I I I IV IV I I V IV I I(V)) “Who can tell me what the 12-Bar
Blues Chord Progression is?”
5. Name chord tones in each chord as class. “What notes are in a B-Flat I Chord?”, IV? V?
6. Walking Bass line. “Now lets use those chord tones to create a walking bass line!”
7. “Start on the root of the chord”
8. Everyone plays the root.
9. “Now play the 3rd”
10. Everyone plays the third
11. “Now lets play the 5th”
12. Everyone plays the 5th
13. “Finally lets play the 7th. But in blues we need to flat the 7.” What is the flat 7 of a I chord in B-flat Major?”
14. A-flat- Correct! Good work! Now lets play the flat 7
15. Everyone plays flat 7
16. Now lets play those same notes coming down. I will cue. Start on High B-flat.”
17. Everyone plays high B-flat
 18. Cue/Everyone play flat 7
19. Cue/everyone play 5
20. Cue/everyone play 3
21. Great Job! Now play those notes as quarter notes like this.
22. Model walking bass line in B-flat
23. Students play walking Bass line.
24. What would the notes be in a IV Chord?
25. E-flat, G, B-flat D
26. Cue them on each note up and down
27. What are the notes of a V Chord?
28. FACE-flat
29. Cue them and play each note up and down.
30. Play whole progression.
31. Now lets learn a melody to put on top of that bass line.
32. Play Doxy.
33. Students imitate Doxy
34. Have right half play Doxy while left half plays Bass,
35. Switch
36. Now lets Improvise!!!
37. Using the chord tones we learned I want you to play any of those notes with any rhythm you want.
38. Model for first four bars
39. Have students try it out for first four bars
40. Great Job! Now lets add neighbor tones!
41. Who can tell me what neighbor tones are in the B-Flat I Chord?
42. A-flat, C, E-flat, G.
43. Great Job! Now using any of those tones play whatever you want following this progression!
44. Model Improvistion
45. Now its your turn! Cue them to start
46. Great Job! Now lets add the bass line!
47. Right half of class play bass line, left improvise
48. Switch.
49. Lets play through Doxy and add improvisation.
50. Who wants to play bass line (Any chord tones)
51. Who wants to play melody?
52. We will start with bass for 12 bars, add Doxy, Once we play through Doxy once everyone improv!
53. Play Doxy with Improvisation

Assessment: Everyone is playing in correct key and chord progression when everyone improvs after Doxy.

Closing: Have someone share their improve if they want to.