Jazz Piano Lessons

This course outline describes the structure and expectations of jazz piano lessons at the University of Connecticut. More importantly, it reflects an approach to learning rooted in long-term artistic development, disciplined listening, and respect for the tradition as a living practice.

Jazz piano study is treated here not as a collection of isolated skills, but as an integrated process—where technique, repertoire, analysis, and imagination reinforce one another. Progress is cumulative, personal, and earned through consistent, focused work.

Jazz Piano Lessons

Course #s: MUSI 1222, Section 009; MUSI 1221, Section 009 (Secondary Applied Lessons); MUSI 3222, Section 009
Credits: Variable
Semester: Spring 2024
Instructor: Earl MacDonald
Office: MUSB 207
Class meeting times: Scheduled individually
Office hours: Wednesdays, 10–11 AM, and by appointment

Focus of Each Lesson

Each lesson is designed as a working session—addressing both immediate musical challenges and longer-term growth. The following elements form the core of weekly study and daily practice:

  • Earl MacDonald teaching a jazz piano lesson.Memorization and review of repertoire, with emphasis on internalizing form, harmony, and melody
  • Solo transcription and analysis, moving from imitation toward assimilation and personal application
  • Keyboard skills, including voicings and comping, developed in service of clarity, balance, and interaction
  • Improvisational concepts—harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic—applied within musical context rather than as abstractions

Assessment and Progress

Each week, students receive specific written assignments drawn from the areas above. Expectations for completion and mastery are clearly defined. Assignments are designed to be achievable within a one-week cycle, emphasizing depth and retention rather than surface familiarity.

By the end of the semester, six jazz standards must be fully memorized. Students are encouraged to begin with repertoire required for the Jazz Promotional Jury.

For each memorized piece, students should be able to:

  • Play the melody from memory
  • Sing the root motion
  • Arpeggiate all chords
  • Provide a harmonic analysis
  • Improvise in a manner that clearly outlines the form and progression

Once a piece is memorized, it should be added to the student’s “Song I Know” list. Each week, one selection from this list will be chosen for performance to reinforce long-term retention.

Weekly assignments constitute 80% of the final grade and are evaluated based on preparation, accuracy, musical understanding, and demonstrated progress.

A mid-semester progress report will be provided via email. A faculty-adjudicated jury examination will take place at the end of the semester and will account for the remaining 20% of the final grade.

Lesson Form

A mid-semester progress report will be e-mailed from the instructor. A jury, adjudicated by the jazz faculty, will be scheduled at the the semester’s end. The jury will account for 20% of your grade. The course content and schedule are subject to change at the instructor’s discretion and will be properly communicated to students as changes arise.

Communication policy

E-mail is the instructor’s preferred method of communication with students. Please allow 48-hours for replies. When requesting a meeting outside of regularly scheduled lessons, please submit several meeting time options. I prefer to be addressed as Professor MacDonald.

Copyright

My lectures, notes, handouts, and displays are protected by state common law and federal copyright law. They are my own original expression and I’ve recorded them prior or during my lecture in order to ensure that I obtain copyright protection. Students are authorized to take notes in my class; however, this authorization extends only to making one set of notes for your own personal use and no other use. I will inform you as to whether you are authorized to record my lectures at the beginning of each semester. If you are so authorized to record my lectures, you may not copy this recording or any other material, provide copies of either to anyone else, or make a commercial use of them without prior permission from me.

Academic and Conduct Policies for Students

⇒ https://provost.uconn.edu/syllabi-references/

This page provides students with centralized access to policies related to academic integrity, conduct, discrimination and harassment, attendance, and accommodations, offering clarity on the standards that shape their classroom experience.

Some useful telephone numbers:

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