Course Details

Course Overview

This course is open to all instrumentalists and singers who have at least some basic fluency with their instrument, or for singers, their voice. This means that they can at least: a) play/sing a few tunes/pieces from memory, b) play by reading simple music for their instrument (but singers do not have to be able to ‘sight-sing’), and c) play/sing at least one type of scale in at least a few keys. Drummers must at least be able to play the swing jazz cymbal beat with sticks in 4/4 and 3/4 at various moderate tempos (speeds).
The course’s overarching topics of practical skills and theoretical knowledge include how to recognise and utilise jazz’s common four-note chord symbols and western music’s common tonal and atonal scales, how to play well-known mainstream jazz tunes and improvise within their harmonic structure with confidence, and for rhythm section instrumentalists (drum kit, bass, guitar and piano), how to ‘comp’, i.e. accompany others within the principal jazz genre time signatures (4/4 and 3/4) and grooves (swing and Latin), and for singers, how to clearly articulate lyrics, and for those singers who wish to improvise with confidence similar to their instrumentalist colleagues, the skills to do so.
Other practical topics and exercises address how to memorise common jazz tunes (including the harmonic structure) for confident ‘by ear’ improvising/soloing, developing fluency with the common structures of western music (i.e. their employment in practising and application to improvising), improving rhythmic and aural awareness (‘ear training’); and for drummers: playing improvised ‘fills’ and longer solos that relate to a tune. Other topics include general musicianship, technical vocabulary and concepts related to universal elements of music and its common notation, and developing familiarity with jazz’s historical eras, ‘styles’ and sub-genres. Learners will perform individually and with others in every lesson, including (optionally) in an end of term concert.

What will you learn and be able to do?

* Recognise and utilise the common tetrad chord symbols of jazz and play their component notes, and for chord instrumentalists, also their ‘block chord’ expressions; whereas for drummers, play the swing cymbal beat with sticks and brushes.

* Utilise simple tutor-provided musical routines to build practical fluency with music’s elemental materials – for everyone: rhythms and metres; for voice / pitched instruments: scales and chords; for drummers: common drum rudiments and “comping” patterns.

* Play/Sing and sustain a steady, on-going, improvised accompaniment to bandmates playing live or to recorded jazz (all instruments).

* Play/Sing improvised solos in phrases that reflect and express the composed melody and/or harmonic structure of common jazz tunes (drummers too!).

* Explore, recognise and describe characteristic features of the musical genres of the historical jazz eras and some of their notable performers.

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Entry requirements

Firstly, the basic instrumental/vocal skills described in the first paragraph above, and of course daily access to your chosen instrument. But also, you must have sufficient time to practise most days between lessons, so as to make progress, i.e. at least 45 minutes on most (if not all) days spanning the duration of the course.

Equipment required

Aside from having daily access to your instrument (with which to practise)…
1) A metronome device or phone app for practising (to aid keeping a steady musical pulse) – though you will not need to bring this to lessons.
2) A narrow (25mm) A4 ring-binder of two or ideally four rings (to hold music and other handouts) with firm covers and a few section dividers, but please, no plastic envelops!
3) Drummers: sticks, e.g. Vic Firth 8D or 7A, and brushes, e.g. Vic Firth ‘Jazz Brushes’.
4) Guitarists: an acoustic or amplifiable guitar, but you do not need to bring an amp.

How will you know you are making progress?

Throughout the course, you will be playing individually and with others to learn, improve and rehearse, for which the tutor will frequently provide verbal advice and feedback. The tutor will also present progressively challenging learning materials, though they will not go beyond any learner’s capacity to achieve and perform, at least at a slow tempo (speed). Additionally, your ILP also provides a method for tracking your progress (see the previous box).
The rate and degree of anyone’s progress is determined largely by the regularity, duration, efficiency and content of their practising, as well as their degree of effort. It is only partially the result of inborn talent, which anyway, cannot be changed, let alone improved.

Whilst there are no formal exams, personal and universal advice and feedback from the tutor will occur regularly in every lesson. Learners also will be instructed occasionally to evaluate themselves or their ‘group’ or other individuals, in which case they will be guided in how to do this effectively and sensitively. In addition, at the start, middle and end of the course, learners will indicate – in their Individual Learning Plan (ILP) – their level of confidence in relation to its ‘minimum learning outcomes’ (see the first page). This is to help learners track their progress, i.e. it is not an assessment mark, grade or score. They will also be encouraged to add – and track the progress of – up to two personal goals to the minimum outcomes already defined for the course. At the end of the course, the tutor will provide personal written feedback, while learners will have the opportunity to give written feedback about the tutor, the course and their learning experience, and to complete a learner feedback survey.

Progress opportunities - your next steps

Currently, there is no follow-on higher level course offered by Idea Stores Learning. However, this course can be usefully repeated, as it addresses most skill levels. This allows for continuing progression.

What examination is there?

Whilst there are no formal exams, personal and universal advice and feedback from the tutor will occur regularly in every lesson. Learners also will be instructed occasionally to evaluate themselves or their ‘group’ or other individuals, in which case they will be guided in how to do this effectively and sensitively. In addition, at the start, middle and end of the course, learners will indicate – in their Individual Learning Plan (ILP) – their level of confidence in relation to its ‘minimum learning outcomes’ (see the first page). This is to help learners track their progress, i.e. it is not an assessment mark, grade or score. They will also be encouraged to add – and track the progress of – up to two personal goals to the minimum outcomes already defined for the course. At the end of the course, the tutor will provide personal written feedback, while learners will have the opportunity to give written feedback about the tutor, the course and their learning experience, and to complete a learner feedback survey.

Other info

To successfully complete this course and to enjoy and stay abreast of its curriculum, learners should ensure that they have…

1) Daily private access to their chosen instrument

2) Sufficient commitment and available time to be able to practise for at least 45 minutes on most (if not all) days spanning the duration of the course. You must also endeavour to attend all nine lessons or to miss not more than one.

3) A method and related equipment for taking notes, particularly in relation to any information that the tutor has not provided in a handout.

At the start of the course, the tutor will provide an ISL email address through which they can be contacted to provide help with your learning, ‘homework’ or for any course related reason. If you need for any reason to have a conversation with the tutor outside of lesson time, send an email with convenient times to call you, which they will do as soon as possible, although without revealing their phone number.
If you will be late or absent from a lesson, please try to inform the tutor at least two hours before the lesson is due to begin, including the general reason for it.
Finally, please also inform the tutor if you need or wish to withdraw from the course and include the reason.

Extra Support

Firstly, let your tutor know. In addition, contacting one of our experienced and friendly Learner Support and Advice team is likely to be helpful. For further information, email ideastore@towerhamlets.gov.uk and a member of the team will get back to you.

B0924 - (TSCR) Jazz Improvisation Skills (experienced beginners)

Dates: 13/01/2027 - 17/03/2027 Times: 19:00 - 20:30