Summer jazz camps offer something rare: time.
Removed from the pressures of grades, auditions, and daily schedules, students can listen more deeply, practice more deliberately, and begin to understand how their individual choices affect a group sound. I approach summer instruction as a focused, immersive period—less about coverage, more about attention.
In these settings, I work closely with aspiring jazz pianists and small ensembles, addressing improvisation as language, accompaniment as responsibility, and group interaction as a living system. Technical work is always present, but never isolated from musical context. Practice methods, theory, and strategy are discussed only insofar as they serve sound, intention, and communication.
I regularly serve on the faculty of Jazz-in-July at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, an intensive program that brings together students and artist-educators in a shared, inquiry-driven environment. Working alongside colleagues from diverse musical backgrounds reinforces the collaborative nature of jazz education and the value of multiple perspectives.
Summer Jazz Camp Instruction
- Jazz-in-July, University of Massachusetts Amherst (2015–present)
- Kincardine Summer Music Festival, Kincardine, ON, Canada (2012–2014)
- UConn Summer School of the Arts — Week of Jazz (2009–2010)
- U.S. Performing Arts & Media Camp, Storrs, CT (2005–2007)
- University of Manitoba Jazz Camp, Winnipeg, MB, Canada (2000–2002)
- International Peace Gardens Jazz Camp, Dunseith, ND (1993)