Student Blog: Learning How To Improv Jazz
Jazz Improvisation is a course I never thought I'd have to take and it's certainly been a learning experience.
It's about 10:00 p.m., so I have a few lamps lit in my kitchen, but my computer screen shows the brightest light. It's illuminated by a jazz standard, playing a lively tune while I try to keep in time.
"Do ba-do wee-do-no-doy!"
-My boisterous scatting is cut short by my roommate walking through our front door. She stares at me and I hastily turn off the music on my laptop. It's as if she caught me red-handed, committing some kind of master crime.
I go to my room and continue the scatting, hoping my neighbor Claire can't hear me through the walls...she most definitely can.
This semester I'm taking a course called Jazz improvisation where I'm learning how to scat. I've studied jazz for the past four years, but I am nowhere near my idol Ella Fitzgerald.
Our first day off class when I realized I was the only singer, I immediately wanted the ground to swallow me whole. There's something incredibly silly about singing patterned syllables at random in a room full of jazz students where everyone is playing a guitar while I'm holding onto a microphone in the corner.
Jazz Improvisation has challenged me to step out of my comfort zone. I've never felt incredibly comfortable scatting, but it's something I hope to improve throughout the semester for performances and my own musical development.
My Spotify playlists have become full of Bessie Smith, Etta James, Eartha Kitt, and Ma Rainey. Some days I run out of class after messing up my improvised chorus, but other days...it just clicks. It's a learning process and a journey I'm excited to take.
From This Author - Student Blogger: Katelyn Kruszewski
Student Blog: Sight Reading with a Time CrunchMarch 22, 2023
Someone may not be able to do their part and you may need to step in. That is the joy and horror of live productions. This happened during my last jazz performance, one of our altos couldn’t make it to the concert and I had to learn their part. Here's my guide to making sight reading a little less scary.
Student Blog: How to Get Through the SemesterMarch 22, 2023
As I near the end of the semester and quickly approach my last semester at Pitt, I’m reflecting on my experiences and the tools that have helped me to get through college. It certainly hasn’t been the easiest experience given the global pandemic thing, but I think it has definitely made me a better person.
Student Blog: Learning How To Improv JazzFebruary 20, 2023
Jazz Improvisation has challenged me to step out of my comfort zone. I’ve never felt incredibly comfortable scatting, but it’s something I hope to improve throughout the semester for performances and my own musical development.
Student Blog: How to Build Courage Before Open Mic NightsFebruary 20, 2023
Open Mic Nights are the perfect way to gain some live performance experience without too much pressure. To participate in the fun, I try to do a few songs in every set, but it takes a few steps. Here are a few ways I try to combat stage fright at an open mic.
Student Blog: A Day in the Life Of A Music StudentJanuary 17, 2023
Music students have a busy schedule. Between double majors, classes, friendships, and practices, it can be crazy. Here’s my day in the life of a music student, my typical Monday.
