Jazz Camp West

Evaluations

AREAS OF FOCUS

General Daily Schedule

Vocal Intensive

Guitar Intensive

Piano Intensive

Advanced Instrumental

String Program

Schedule at a Glance

Class Descriptions

Jazz Camp Evaluations

Most classes at Jazz Camp are open to all students. However, there are a few classes that do require an evaluation.  

These include 4 Instrumental programs: Combos, Advanced Instrumental Track, Piano Intensive and Guitar Intensive. There are also two Vocal programs that require evaluation- Vocal Intensive and the Advanced Vocal Ensemble.

The evaluations for the 3 instrumental programs are done all at once, by discipline.

For example: Piano players are evaluated 1x (not separately for each individual program) by the piano faculty. Sax players are evaluated 1x by the sax faculty, etc. 

At the evaluation, you will be asked which program or programs(s) you hope to get into. The instructors will decide on placements and we will post the results on Sunday morning at 8am (breakfast) on the Dining Hall Deck bulletin board.

Remember to have an alternative class in mind in case you are not placed in the program you hope to get into. 

We Encourage All Instrumentalists To Get Evaluated Even If You Don’t Want To Be In A Combo Or Advanced Program.

Why? Because It Helps The Faculty Know Who Is At Camp And Helps Us Better Teach You. It Also Opens Up Opportunities For Possible Performance Opportunities At Open Mic.

Regarding Eligibility

Can I be in the Advanced Instrumental Track and/or the Guitar Intensive and the Piano Intensive?

• YES - You can be in both the Advanced Instrumental Track and the Piano Intensive.

• NO - You cannot be in both the Advanced Instrumental Track and the Guitar Intensive because they are at the same time.

But, can I be in a combo if I get into one of these advanced programs?

• If you get into the Advanced Instrumental Track, unfortunately you cannot be in a Combo. 

• However, if you are placed in the Piano Intensive or the Guitar Intensive, you can be in a Combo.

Combos:
Combos are for instrumentalists by evaluation on first day of camp. Vocalists can participate in combos, but there will only be 1 vocalist assigned to each combo and please don’t expect to sing on every song. 

We offer varying skill levels of combos: Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced.

At the evaluation, instrumentalists will be asked to perform from 1-3 pieces of contrasting styles: 1 blues, 1 standard from either the great American songbook or a classic jazz song, and 1 song in another style that you like i.e.: latin, pop, funk, etc. You do not need all three categories covered to audition- if you only know the blues, that's just fine! You may be asked to sight read a short selection. 

If you are playing a more complicated tune, you are responsible to bring your own backing track. These are readily available on iRealB or Jamie Aebersold in iTunes. Your tracks must be on a phone, laptop or any other device that we can plug in. No CDs please.

Drummers should be able to play 12 and 32 bar forms using a variety of feels, including but not limited to swing, funk, and samba. Drummers may be asked to take a chorus over a specific form or trade fours with themselves (i.e. four bars of time/four bars of solo).

Remember, we have a total of 10 combos. The evaluations help us get an overall feeling for your style and ability so that we can place you in a combo with other musicians and an instructor where you can both play and learn!

Since there are only 10 combos, there may not be room for all people that hope to be placed. Please keep a second choice in mind for that class period. 

Vocal Intensive:

Ten singers will be chosen by evaluation on the first day of camp. 

Because of the high volume of applicants, you will be singing just a half of a chorus of a song of your choice. Please bring a chart (lead sheet) in your key if you have one. You will be accompanied by a pianist. If you have been accepted into the Vocal Intensive Program in previous years, you are still eligible.

What we will be listening for: Singing in tune, good "time", memorized lyrics, phrasing, concept & style, confidence, and what you bring to your music. You do NOT have to be able to read music to be in the Vocal Intensive.

Note: For those who are not accepted into the Vocal Intensive, our Vocal Intensive teacher will be teaching an afternoon general vocal class as well.  Please plan your schedule accordingly. 

Adv Vocal Ensemble:

You will be asked to sing some scales to determine range, and echo short musical patterns to demonstrate accuracy. We will ask you to hold a short melody against a harmony part and do a little sight-reading. We are mostly interested if you can hold a part, and how quickly you can pick things up.