News & Views Thursday, March 28, 2024

Summer Jazz Piano Fun! Friday, July 07, 2017

recommended by Ben Huntoon, Jazz Specialist

Summer is the perfect time for piano teachers to try something different. Introduce your students to creative music making with these popular books by Bradley Sowash, a renowned piano educator specializing in improvisation who just happens to live Ohio.

kjos-494295Creative Chords is a unique two-book series designed to teach beginning students who have mastered basic keyboard skills how to improvise! Each book comes with unique code to access videos and backing tracks in which the author demonstrates how to play well-known melodies by ear, improvise embellishments and variations, add chords and accompaniment styles, and create full-sounding arrangements based on their own tastes and preferences. Teachers, even those with a limited background in improvisation, will agree this is a must-have for balancing the ear and the eye for playing today’s music!

That’s Jazz, a nine-book series, is the perfect avenue for motivating late elementary & intermediate level students, while opening them up to the vital musical tradition and artistic expression of jazz. Whether teachers have limited jazz training or none at all, they can still feel confident leading students through their first experiences with jazz!

About the Author:
Ben Huntoon is the Jazz Education Consultant at Stanton’s Sheet Music. He received bachelors and masters degrees in music from Capital University and The Ohio State University respectively. As a professional trumpeter, Ben is accomplished in a wide variety of genres and has performed throughout the Midwest on many stages over the past 30 years. He also teaches trumpet, coaches brass ensembles and has served on the jazz faculty at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio.


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