2024 Combo Camp - Weekly Camp Themes: 

June 3-7:  Improv 101

New jazz students learn the basics of how to improvise, while more advanced players learn how to develop more style and harmonic interest in their improvisations.

June 17-21: Swing Time

What does it mean to “Swing”? It’s more than the eighth notes. Using jazz standards.

July 8-12: Straight Eighths

All jazz styles that DON’T swing, including rock, funk, Latin and more!

July 22-26: Stick with the Standards

Introduction to the forms most commonly used in jazz and popular music. Blues, song forms and more styles are introduced. 

The jazz combo camps provide a rich musical learning environment, peer-to-peer engagement and mentoring by top jazz musicians.

Camps will take place from 9am - 3:30pm with a performance on the final day of camp. The weekly themes add variety to each camp session and feature different guest musicians who will conduct masterclasses, perfect for those interested in signing up for multiple weeks. 

The camps are designed for students who can read music in grades 7-12  and are interested in learning improvisational skills by playing in a jazz combo with similarly skilled peers. The camp consists of daily two-hour combo sessions, basic jazz theory classes, and one concert. Additionally, each student receives one 45-minute private or small-group (sectional) instructional session focused on their instrument.

The standard jazz combo consists of piano, bass, guitar, drums and one or two “horns” (sax, trumpet, trombone, etc.) but there are no restrictions on what instruments may participate. Camp participants can play saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, flute, vibes, guitar, bass, piano, voice, and drums.