Join us this summer for an exciting week of Jazz!
Explore jazz improvisation in a supportive and fun environment
Led by Charleston Jazz Orchestra member Gavin Smith, our jazz combo camp provides a rich musical learning environment, peer-to-peer engagement and mentoring by top jazz musicians
Week 1: June 12 - 16; Week 2: June 26-30; Week 3: July 17-21
9am - 3pm
A 5-day camp for students in grades 7-12 interested in learning improvisational skills by playing in a jazz combo with similarly skilled peers. The workshop consists of daily two-hour combo sessions, basic jazz theory classes, and one evening concert. Additionally, each student receives one additional 45-minute private or small-group (sectional) instructional session focused on her/his instrument.
Designed for students who can read music and want to advance their playing and improvisational skills. The standard jazz combo consists of piano, bass, guitar, drums and one or two “horns” (sax, trumpet, trombone, etc.) but there are no restrictions on what instruments may participate. Workshop participants can play saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, flute, vibes, guitar, bass, piano, voice, and drums.
The Jazz Girls Combo is a program within the camp to provide a supportive and fun musical environment for girls interested in learning more about jazz.
Cost:
$225 per week. 10% discount for current Charleston Jazz Academy students
$100 due upon registration. Balance due June 1 . Limited scholarships are available.
Please contact jan@charlestonjazz.com for more information.
Where:
Charleston Jazz Academy
3005 West Montague Avenue, Suite 200
North Charleston, SC 29418
Students will register for camp at their current ability level.
Beginner Level
Our combos for beginners are best for players who…
- Know all the notes on their instrument
- Are new to improvising or have a bit of experience playing in school band or a workshop like this
- Have some or no training in jazz music theory
- Are just beginning to learn about how to improvise over a song
- Pianists and guitarists should know their notes and be familiar with some chords
- Drummers should be able to keep steady time and have some experience playing a drum set
- Vocalists should be able to sing an octave range, sing on pitch and to read notes
Intermediate Level
Our combos for intermediate players are best for anyone who…
- Has played in school jazz bands
- Can improvise over the blues with the blues scale
- Is working on “playing the changes”—hitting chord tones and using the correct scale for each chord while improvising
- Has developed at least a beginning understanding of jazz music theory and chord progressions like the ii-V-I
Advanced Level
Advanced players…
- Have multiple years of experience improvising (have taken multiple solos) over tunes in jazz band or while playing in jazz combos
- Are comfortable improvising over ii-V-I’s and other chord progressions in multiple keys
- Can play swing, Latin, and jazz waltz tunes with a good sense of time and feel
*Note: if a specific combo level does not fill, we will place a student in his/her next closest level.
Sectional or Individual Session
Date and Time to be scheduled with combo instructor after the camp begins.
Performance: A performance will be held on the last day of the camp.