We are hosting a day of progressive music making open to TESS and non-TESS music students alike! On Saturday, January 29, 2011, we will continue our tradition of hosting an Improv Workshop! This workshop serves as a first introduction to alternative music styles and improvisation for violinists, guitarists, pianists, and cellists.
Clinicians: TESS faculty guitarist Malcolm Karlan will be working with the guitarists and TESS violinist Karolyn Bethke with the violinists. Mr. Karlan is the Orchestra Director at Middlesex Middle School in Darien, CT and has extensive experience teaching and performing classical, rock, jazz, and blues music. At TESS, he teaches Suzuki group classes and the Guitar Channel, a jazz/rock guitar class for students ages eight and above who already play guitar. Ms. Bethke joins the teaching team from NYC. At TESS, she teaches Suzuki musicianship, private and group classes as well as Fiddling and Electric Violin, classes which focus on improvisation skills. She performs throughout the tri-state area with a variety of bands and solo acts.
Pianists will enjoy the return of Tom Kohl, www.tomkohl.org. Tom has performed, recorded, and taught throughout the Northeast since 1982. He is a nurturing instructor, gifted at giving students the toolbox for the personal expression that comes through improvisation. Chris Coogan (www.cooganmusic.com), who will work with older and more advanced pianists, is a local celebrity from Weston best known for his Good News Gospel Choir and freelance jazz music throughout Fairfield County.
Mike Block, a member of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble and a faculty member of the Mark O'Connor camps, will be working with the cellists as well as the TESS Electric Violin Class. Drummers Damon Grant and Gerald Myles will be working with all of the students. The sessions with Mike Block are open to cellists who study outside of TESS.
Damon Grant, www.damongrant.org, performs original and traditional jazz compositions on vibraphone, marimba and a variety of other percussion instruments with Afro-Caribbean flair in his own group, The Damon Grant Project. He and his group have been recognized for their work in Modern Drummer and Latin Beat Magazines. Most recently Damon was in People magazine twice with the Funk/Rock group, The Bomb Squad. Gerald Myles is the founder, director, and premier drummer of www.NetDrummers.com. Born and raised outside of New York City, he is the third generation of professional drummers. By the age of 15, Gerald began winning numerous regional and national awards for his playing abilities. His training includes attending the prestigious Hartt School of Music and University Of Massachusetts as a Jazz Performance major. He was named the United States’ best up and coming “Blues, Pop, and Rock” drummer and “Studio Jazz Orchestra” drummer by the world renowned DownBeat Magazine at age 21. The students will use percussion instruments to work on rhythmic concepts in this fun and engaging class.
TESS is the only music school in lower Fairfield County to offer this musical opportunity! For more information on participating or observing, please contact Becki at TESS at 203.956.6708.
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