Please use the Information for Registered Students page as a reference to the 2018 program schedule. 2019 schedule details will become available closer to the start of the program.
Contemporary Styles Workshop: This introductory session outlines the specifics of contemporary keyboard playing. The presentation will include videos, recordings, and transcriptions. The differences and similarities to the classical paradigm will be illuminated, and the differences and similarities in learning these styles will also be discussed.
Contemporary Keyboard History: This overview session will highlight quintessential performers and recordings from early blues through jazz, rock, and pop. Detailed instructional materials for further study will be presented.
Performance Workshop: This class will include style-specific chord voicings, rhythmic studies, technique, and chart reading, among other topics.
Ensembles: This will be an instructor-guided forum for students to play with an ensemble. Program tunes will be covered in comping and improv labs.
Synthesizer Performance and Technology: Performance techniques will be explored, including programming, history, and computer applications, among other topics.
Jazz Master Class: This class will focus on intermediate to advanced jazz improv techniques.
Hammond Class: This will be an introduction to Hammond organ techniques in varied styles, beginning with and emphasizing gospel techniques.
New Age Music Improvisation: Learn improvisation techniques that do not require traditional jazz and blues harmonic vocabulary. Use pianos and synthesizers to create spontaneous improvisations and soundscapes.
Jam Sessions: This will be an informal way for students to perform with an ensemble in a loose setting. Up to three keyboard players could jam at a time. Rooms will have piano, digital piano, or synthesizers.
Be prepared for a full immersion in piano, keyboard, and Hammond organ performance. Develop your skills in improvisation, performance, chord theory ensemble playing, and synthesizer technology through this dynamic workshop. You’ll be exposed to a variety of styles, including jazz, hip-hop, rock, R&B, pop, funk, Latin, and fusion.