CLASSES AT Â THE TUCSON JAZZ INSTITUTE
Tucson Jazz Institute is committed to providing a positive and supportive teaching environment focused on motivating students to reach their highest potential. Students have the opportunity to meet and play music with students outside of their home school environment and connect with like-minded people, often making friends for life. Most students participate in both big band and combo classes which, together, provide a comprehensive system for development. All classes are 2 hours long with middle school meeting on Saturdays and high school on Sundays.
BIG BANDS
Let The Swing Begin
TJI's big band program centers around classic jazz big band repertoire from great bands like the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Count Basie Band, and the Buddy Rich Band, to name a few. Students will develop skills in sight reading, jazz phrasing, improvising, leadership, teamwork, and critical thinking while digesting music of some of America's greatest composers and arrangers. The big bands annually submit audition tapes to several of the most competitive jazz festivals in the US, regularly earning 1st place awards.
COMBOS
Improvisation Exploration
The TJI combo program is comprised of small ensembles focused on standard jazz and American songbook repertoire as a framework for delving into the details of jazz improvisation. Classes topics include practical applications of theory and harmony while students are given concrete tools with which to develop good jazz solos. TJI's combos have regularly earned top spots in competitions and have been a key factor in developing numerous young musicians earning scholarships to some of the best music schools in the US.
CLASS SCHEDULE
SATURDAY
MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSES
10:00 - 11:50 - Kenton Combos
12:00 - 2:00 - Kenton Big Band
SUNDAY
HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES
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10:00 - 11:50 - Basie Combos
12:00 - 1:50 - Basie Big Band
2:00 - 3:50 - Ellington Combos
4:00 - 7:00 - Ellington Band
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Note: The Ellington Band has an extra rehearsal on Tuesday evenings from 5:00 - 7:30
Summer Program Schedule
TUESDAY
3:00 - 4:30 - High School Combos
4:30 - 6:00 - High School Big Band
6:00 - 7:30 - Middle School Combos
7:30 - 9:00 - Middle School Big Band
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SATURDAYS
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9:00 - 10:30 a.m. - Middle School Combos
10:30 - 12:00 - Middle School Big Band
12:00 - 1:30 - High School Combos
1:30 - 3:00 - High School Big Band