The
Lynbrook High School Jazz Ensemble is comprised of students from grades
9-12.The ensemble is a
“Big Band” style with a typical instrumentation of 5 Saxes, 4-5
Trombones, 5 trumpets, Piano, Guitar, Bass (upright and electric) Drum
Set, and auxiliary percussion.The
class meets 5 days per week on average.
Students
in this ensemble will be exposed to a great variety of jazz music styles
such as Swing, Big Band, Latin, Bossa Nova, Salsa, Bee Bop, Funk, Hard
Bop, New Age/Fusion, etc...We
strive to not only perform all of these types of styles, but also to study
the history and theory behind each genre of Jazz.
Though
it is not a prerequisite to be able to improvise in order to join this
ensemble, each student will be exposed to the fundamentals of Jazz
improvisation throughout the year.As
the school year progresses, it will be expected that each student will be
able to improvise with in the class and hopefully in a concert as well.
The
Lynbrook Jazz Ensemble performs on a regular basis, both on and off
campus.We typically host as
least two concerts, usually January and May, in conjunction with our vocal
jazz ensemble, “The Jazz Express.”Additionally, we regularly participate in local and regional Jazz
festivals for adjudication and clinics.When ever possible, we also strive to bring in local, regional, and
national clinics to Lynbrook to expose our students to current
professionals at the forefront of the art form today.
It
is our goal that the implementation of the above aspects will provide a
holistic jazz education for each performer and that above all, each
student will develop a great respect and passion for the art of Jazz.
