This page exists for educators who take the work seriously—even if jazz was not their first language.
It is written for band directors, classroom teachers, and mentors who want their students to engage jazz not merely as repertoire or style, but as a living practice—one that values listening, risk, responsibility, and shared time.
What follows is not a method, a curriculum, or a quick fix. It is a growing archive of questions I’ve been asked—often in rehearsal rooms, festivals, and hallway conversations—and the responses that felt most honest at the time.
The material is updated periodically. Disagreement is welcome. Thoughtful counterarguments are encouraged.
If you write, let me know whether your response may be shared, and whether you prefer attribution or anonymity.
Start Here
Different educators arrive with different needs. If you’re new to this archive, consider beginning with one of the paths below.
- If you are new to teaching jazz improvisation:
Begin with Introductory Jazz Improvisation, then continue to the Learning to Improvise series. - If you direct a big band:
Start with ensemble setup, repertoire, and listening practices in the Big Band section below. - If you coach small combos or rhythm sections:
See Combo Coaching and Rhythm Section Techniques. - If you are thinking long-term about musicianship:
Begin with Practice as Long-Term Formation and Orientation & Listening.
Entering Improvisation
Teaching improvisation is less about information than orientation. Beginners don’t need more material—they need a way into listening, risk-taking, and musical decision-making that feels manageable and real.
The resources linked here document an extended period of teaching and reflection around beginner improvisation. Some originated in formal classroom settings; others emerged from informal, long-term work with young musicians. While the specific contexts have changed, the underlying questions remain the same: how do we help students begin improvising without fear, overload, or abstraction?
This material is best read as a working archive rather than a step-by-step method—notes from practice, teaching experiments, and evolving perspective.
- Introductory Jazz Improvisation
(class schedule with embedded instructional content) - Learning to Improvise – a long-form blog series documenting beginner improvisation.This articles document a period when I was teaching improvisation to my son and a small peer ensemble. While those circumstances are now in the past, the reflections remain relevant—particularly around fear, motivation, pacing, and how young musicians encounter improvisation for the first time.
- What is the protocol for kids who want to “sit in” with local groups?
Big Band
- What is the most conventional big band seating arrangement?
Are there right and wrong ways to set up a big band? - What guidelines should be used when selecting jazz ensemble repertoire?
- Recommended big band charts for high school ensembles
- Big band albums worth playing for students
Combo Coaching
- Working with Limited or Non-Standard Combo Instrumentation
- Middle School Jazz Combo
(rehearsal notes and materials from a peer-based ensemble)
Composition & Arranging
Jazz Piano
- Jazz piano books for classical and mixed-background teachers
- Building Theoretical Fluency as an Aural Musician
- Online resources for teaching jazz piano techniques
Practice as Long-Term Formation
- What would I practice if I were 15 again?
- Why transcribe jazz solos?
- How to get better at transcribing
Rhythm Section Techniques
- Balancing guitar and piano in a student rhythm section
- Choosing between acoustic and electric bass
- How do I prevent a rock guitarist from ruining my jazz band? (just kidding)
Orientation & Listening
This page is not exhaustive, and it is not neutral.
It reflects my values, my experiences, and the limits of both.
Jazz education—like jazz itself—is shaped by history, power, exclusion, and possibility.
Ignoring that context does not make it disappear.
If this material helps you teach with more clarity, courage, or care, it is doing its job.