I seem to be one of the few teachers in my area using this new syllabus. Why is this? The material is fantastic and kids really love it. I have two students entering grade 1 trumpet and sax in 2004 and both love the idea of making up their own solo bits. I wonder if it is because most teachers are classicaly trained and hence uncertain how to teach improvisation?
What are other teachers experience with the new jazz syllabus?

Hello!

Yes, I've had [only one] pupil take grade 1 jazz piano and she did really well in the exam. I felt that I had no previous benchmark to go by and have found remarkably few AB seminars to join. They are either for more advanced jazz players or are miles away from where I live. I have the book by Charlie Beale and used that for guidance. I also bought the CD of the aural tests in the end and they seemed a lot less baffling than when I was trying to play them.
I think it's confidence in trying something a little bit different for the first time. I felt very reassured when I received the pupil's results back, with helpful encouraging comments. I would certainly try it again.

Hi Rosemary,

We did get a lot of feedback from teachers like yourself who were keen to introduce jazz to their students yet felt that they wanted a bit more guidance themselves first.

If you or any other teachers still would like to attend a jazz seminar which provides an introduction to teaching jazz, improvisation and the jazz syllabus, please visit the following page:

Teach to Reach Jazz Workshops

I hope that this provides you with the information that you are looking for. It's great to see so much enthusiasm for the new jazz syllabuses already. Best of luck to you and your pupils.

Christine Morris
Forums Administrator

I personally found the 'Aebersold' school approach very useful in developing my students understanding of jazz improvisation. Although their is a 100+ volumes in the complete series, vols 1 and 24 are a must if you are thinking of using this methodology.

I've been using the Piano Jazz Syllabus alongside classical work since it first came out, with all the pupils who wanted to do it. I kept a few steps ahead of them by taking the exams myself, and most have done very well.
A few who enjoyed it didn't have the innate sense of pulse and rhythm to give really convincing performances, so I didn't encourage those to take any exams (though I let them have a go if they really wanted to), but others have amazed me with the quality of their improvisations and general jazz ability.
Since I'm now playing the clarinet too, I took Grades 1 & 2 in the last session. It was great fun. I love playing along with the CD backing band!

Yes i did the same, although i already had my grade 8 on both saxophone and trombone i decided to take graded jazz exams on the clarinet and trumpet just to get a feel for the jazz syllabus. As you said it is great fun.

I seem to be the only JP teacher left in Stoke-On-Trent and I have to get at least 4 entries every session in order for the examiner to come.
This isn't too much of a problem but I worry how much longer it will survive as I swear by the JP sylabus.
I'm looking forward to the challenge of the higher grades when they arrive. Jazz guitar would be nice too!

I had two Grade 5 Jazz pianists last year and currently have four students working towards Grade 3 Jazz piano, three taking Grade 4 Jazz sax, two taking Grade 5 Jazz sax and one Grade 4 Clarinet. I find the Real book to be largely excellent and of wonderful pedagogical value - the only small problem I have encountered is that the Grade 4 Clarinet scales have less in common with the pieces for that Grade, than Grades 4 and 5 Sax scales have with their respective pieces.

I have done my best to ensure that my students don't use the guide notes in the boxes but can explain to me where the notes have come from. In my opinion it is more important for a student to recognise tonal regions than to match chords with scales - so far this has been very successful - my students (when I am lucky) reason that if the piece is in G major but they are playing over a C chord that they are just playing in G major but (briefly) have C has home - then they practise C Lydian as required. This works very well with the sax pieces/scales but as I said above is a little trickier with the clarinet pieces.

Still that is only one awkward experience and there is so much to praise about the Real Book otherwise that I am hoping the Real Book 2 (Grades 6-8!) will arrive before my current young jazzers leave school.

I'm following the Grade 1 Clarinet Jazz syllabus myself at the moment (I don't currently have a tutor) and loving every minute of it. With the fact that I can't read music I find it an idea syllabus to learn because it dosen't just rely on reading the notes on a piece of paper (which to be honest to be just looks like a group of squiggles nicely arranged but mean nothing) the CD allows me to learn the pieces easily by ear, which I guess it more in the tradition of Jazz.

I would just like to see the syllabus go further than grade 5, though I am unlikely to take actual graded exams myself (I'm more likely to take a performance assessment at some point just to see how I've progressed) I think the grades should go up to 8 and beyond. There is a massive demand for Jazz music these days and it is being recgonised more and more as a art form in itself within music. Jazz can be tough and you have to like it in order to be able to succeed in the genre, but it is a genre which has inspired many generations of musicians who would not normally have taken up an instrument because of the 'stuffy' image classical music has rightly or wrongly.

I can't emphsise enough how much I like the Jazz Syllabus idea (although I've had a good try ) it has allowed me, a musical illitrate, to play an instrument which I enjoy in a genre which I enjoy.

I think its great that the syllabus has opened up music to people who don't actually read music, and yes this is in the tradition of early jazz not so sure about Be-Bop and later jazz forms. The new jazz syllabus is so new i really doubt we will see a jazz graded syllabus covering grades 6-8 for some time. I think it all depends on how well accepted the present syllabus turns out to be. Locally it has been quite difficult to get the ABRSM to send up an examiner for jazz grades due to ######r support. Last year there was only 7 candidates, of which 5 took piano, 1 trumpet and 1 clarinet. Still its early days so hopefully things will improve. Incidentally Guildhall and London College of Music offer jazz graded exams up to grade 8 so if any body really wanted to do higher jazz grades they could always do jazz grade 5 with ABRSM and then switch to one of these other examining boards. The jazz material provided by ABRSM is much better organised IMHO.

Yeah it may well be a bit of time before we see grades 6 to 8 on the Jazz syllabus but it would be nice to see it at least move towards that direction. I must admit within myself I doubt if I ever will take a graded exam (more the performance assessment as I have said) but it does provide an excellent basis to practice on.

As far as the regular graded exams go I would like to see a selection of the syllabuses come out onto CD because for those of us who can't or who have a bad grasp of reading music it helps to pick the beats in music and gives us a little bit of a chance instead of having to guess or slave over books to learn the notes to the pieces of music.

I'd really like to know how the AB's work on the Jazz Piano Grades 6-8 is going! Originally we were given a date of 2003/4 for the higher grades to be published, but there seems to be no sign of them! I have several pupils who now find the Grade 5 book not challenging enough and could do with something new....

I started on the Grade 1 Jazz clarinet syllabus at Christmas, and I'm really enjoying it. I'm a self taught adult learner in my 40's.

I'd previously been working through standard 'classical' Grade 1 material, and learning basic music theory along the way. The Jazz is more to my taste and I feel my playing has improved since I took it up. I love playing along to the CD - and can't wait to find time to practice.

But...
I've found it difficult to locate a 'theory book' that is suitable for a beginner like myself who wants to understand the beginnings of Jazz theory. Based on the blurb, the Charles Beal book seems to be aimed at pianists. After a lot of searching I've found a few articles / resources on the net that are helping me understand some of the (very) basic elements - although most of it is still way above my head.

For example: the ABRSM Jazz tunes book includes Chord symbols - but these aren't _explained_ at all. Coming from 'standard grade 1 material', these chord symbols were completely foreign to me. It was only by searching around the net over a few weeks that I'm now beginning to understand things like intervals, chords, modes etc. and how the chords relate to the improvisation above them.

Can anyone recommend a good book that teaches this sort of stuff for beginning Jazz clarinettists?

Also: how do I find a good Jazz clarinet teacher? While I don't want to take up regular lessons, I woud like to link up wth a teacher that could help me review progress and give me guidance on an occassional basis. (I'm near Leamington Spa, South Warwickshire).

Mike Abbott

Hi Mike, in case you have'nt heard of him, one of the major jazz educators of our time is Jamey Aebersold, he's wrote loads of books and articles on the principles of jazz and improvisation. You must get hold of 'How to play Jazz and Improvise' vol 1 by Jamey Aebersold also vol 24. A good link to find these books-

www.jazzbooks.com

Andy.

Andy,
Thanks for the link and book details - I've found it. From the description it's exactly what I've been looking for.
I'd heard his name mentioned a couple of times, but hadn't realised he offered all these resources.

Thanks again,

Mike A.