The “best” jazz bandleaders and conductors I’ve encountered have not only been great players but have also been superb composers or arrangers.
*
I first formally studied music composition, ensemble arranging, and orchestration techniques as a professional military woodwind musician. I took all of the basic and advanced music courses offered at the Armed Forces School of Music during my era of service.
*
These courses were actually conservatory-level instruction and the school of music faculty were typically alumni of the top civilian schools as well.
*
I also constantly took college courses by correspondence or at the schools near the military posts wherever I was stationed every year during the 22 years of my career. And I’m still studying.
*
Yay, the 200+ undergraduate credit hours I earned during that period resulted in lots of useful knowledge and skills but not necessarily a DMA. 🤷🏽
*
And having a DMA wasn’t the point – gaining useful knowledge and professional experience was always the purpose and goal. Applied competence.
*
The military is focused on its members having high levels of competency that can be applied in a variety of high profile professional performance situations. I appreciate that fact more fully now.
*
As a Jazz artist who improvises coherently, I have always found having a composer’s knowledge and understanding of music to be advantageous for creating original music spontaneously.
*
Naturally, I still have some “Jazz language” memorized but I understand that the advanced ultimate goal of improvising isn’t stringing together a bunch of “licks” I learned as a solo.
*
Being a professional composer and arranger positively impacts directing and conducting an ensemble.
*
You also immediately know what the music should sound like in total. And being versed in the orchestration techniques being applied can help direct performers to serve the music as intended.
*
The beauty of the gift of music is that you can do it for yourself and for your entire life, privately or publicly, and still learn something new every day.
*
Music makes us better. Jazz can make us smarter.
🔗 https://BurnettPublishing.com
(ARTICLE)
Musings In Cb: “Scales ARE Chords”
PHOTO by Corinna Gray Photography (2023)
Christopher and Terri (Anderson) Burnett established their branch of The Burnett Family in March of 1979 in Copenhagen, Denmark. They are professional musicians, educators, and entrepreneurs based in the Kansas City Metropolitan area.