Jazz legend Wynton Marsalis once said: “Jazz music is the power of now. There is no script. It’s conversation. The emotion is given to you by musicians as they make split-second decisions to fulfill what they feel the moment requires.”
Pacific Music Institute’s Jazz Intensive takes this to heart. Jazz students can participate in an optional daily Jam Session, an informal rehearsal where students practice improvising together. Students who wish to participate in our jazz program are placed based on prior experience. While at least two years of instrument experience is preferred, no jazz experience is required. The best part? Students can participate in multiple programs, including our Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, or ‘Ukulele Workshop!
For those wondering whether studying jazz is right for them, there are many reasons why it’s worth a try. Studying jazz helps expand music theory and harmonic knowledge, from how chords are built to how they connect together. Practicing improvisation teaches openness, flexibility, and musical spontaneity, not to mention helps you hone your technical abilities. In addition, jazz helps students improve their ear, since hearing and identifying chords and scales are such an essential part of jazz.
Are you ready to start your jazz journey? To gear up for PMI 2023, give these 10 true or false questions a shot and see how much jazz knowledge you’ve got!
True or False?
- Chicago is known as the birthplace of jazz
- One of Louis Armstrong’s nicknames was Satchmo
- The 1930s was known as the ‘Jazz Age’
- Miles Davis is famous for playing the Trumpet
- Count Basie is famous for playing the Piano
- An American In Paris, combining elements of classical music and jazz, was composed in 1924 by George Gershwin
- Lionel Hampton introduced the vibraphone to jazz music
- Jazz musician, Wynton Marsalis, is famous for playing the Saxophone
- Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie pioneered the style of jazz called Bebop
- The Pacific Music Institute’s Jazz Intensive requires no previous jazz experience
Answer Key
1. F; 2. T; 3. F; 4. T; 5. T; 6. F; 7. T; 8. F; 9. T; 10. T
Want to learn more about spending your summer in Hawai‘i learning jazz? Sign up for our email list to get program updates, enrollment information, and more!
