The Jazz Doctor

New middle and high school music educators are often confronted with the daunting task of organizing and teaching a jazz ensemble without knowing the basics of teaching the related curriculum. Music education programs often neglect to present a solid foundation in jazz ensemble instruction, sometimes opting to appoint jazz directors to lead their jazz ensemble programs based on the candidate's jazz performance abilities, while not always considering their abilities to instruct students 'how' to teach jazz ensemble. This book addresses the issue of how to teach a jazz ensemble and uses a reference approach that identifies an issue, explains why the issue occurs, and then suggests proven solutions to solve the issue. The information includes some initial considerations such as organizing a jazz band, philosophy of rehearsal techniques, leadership, seating, set-up issues, swing interpretation, and the most common rehearsal issues. Discussed in separate chapters are issues associated with the saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and rhythm sections. There are specific chapters on piano, guitar, bass, drum set, and percussion as well as working with vocalists and teaching odd meters. Using over fifty years of successful teaching, the author has developed a long list of jazz ensemble rehearsal issues and how to solve them. Readers can read straight through the book or opt to use it as a reference for specific issues. New and experienced educators will find valuable information that pertains to the level of their jazz ensemble.