Bradley Sowash News, Spring 2008

Dear Music Lovers,

First off, here’s a bit of fun. I’ve added three new videos to my website that you may enjoy viewing. The most popular is my performance of “Ellingthoven” which juxtaposes music by Duke Ellington and Beethoven. Check them out here 

The rest of this newsletter format is divided into sections so you can jump to the information that is most relevant:

(choose an area of interest)
Fans | Music Students | Teachers | Church Musicians

FOR FANS

Performances
Now that digital copies of music flow around the internet like water, recorded music has become super abundant. When something is super abundant, it becomes worthless while stuff which can't be copied becomes scarce and valuable. Live performances of music cannot be copied. In this age of virtual-everything, audiences are rediscovering that being in the same place and time with a performing musician feels sincere and authentic. This live connection between performer and listener is further enhanced in an intimate setting. I can attest to this because my own performances have taken a turn towards smaller settings over the past few months and it’s been great!

Recent Home Concerts
A home concert is a concert in a home that enables invited guests to personally interact with the artist. Recently, I was privileged to perform in the homes of fans in Florida and Colorado. With fine pianos, good food and new friendships forged, these evenings are unforgettable. For me, it’s a totally different experience from performing in a concert hall where one peers out through blinding stage lights to nameless ticket buyers unsure of their reactions to the music.

My good friend, Martha, introduces me at a recent Denver home concert

By contrast, home concerts are like a small jazz club but better since everyone knows each other and there’s no smoke. As an improvising musician, seeing the faces and feeling the involvement of the listeners results in a positive feedback loop that is crucial to a good performance. You can even ask them direct questions like “shall I play another original or would you prefer to hear my reinterpretation of Beatles tune?” And hearing their reactions afterwards over shared desserts is like the icing on the cake!

Guests during a break at the Denver home concert

If you live in or near Minneapolis, we are particularly interested in arranging a home concert in mid-August when I’ll be in town for a music conference. So, get in touch if you have an idea about someone who would be interested in hosting.

Small University
I was privileged to present a mixed set of originals and jazz hymns and spirituals at Mount Vernon Nazarene University in connection with its year-long Lecture/Artist Series. Once again, the smaller (250 seat) theater provided a perfectly sized venue for really sharing and feeling the audience energy as I performed.

Performing at Mount Vernon Nazarene University

Evidently, the audience felt the same way judging from the emailed comments I received the next day. Here’s a sample:

“My wife and I, along with our daughter, really enjoyed ourselves; your playing was fantastic as was your stories. They were great!” – Matthew

“My children and I thoroughly enjoyed the concert.” – Jill

“There are no words to describe how much I enjoyed your concert. Everything about it was utterly delightful and oh soooo professional. Your verbal presentation was perfect for the venue, along with the music you chose. People around me would look at each other and smile, laugh or say something complimentary---that too was fun to watch.” – Polly

Okay, I’ll admit that the last email was from my Mom! Still, as you can imagine, it’s always a pleasure for a composer/musician to learn that his music has awakened so warm a response in the heart and mind of music lovers like these.

Benefit Concert
From time to time, I’m asked to perform for worthy causes. I really enjoyed participating in the third annual benefit concert for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society her in Columbus, Ohio. Set in a warm, alternative worship space, the event combined the talents of classical musicians, ballet dancers, a barbershop quartet, a bluegrass band and myself. Performers hung out with the audience before and after their segments on the program. It was a fun, eclectic concert and a rare chance for me to perform in my hometown.

Learn more about my performances here.

FOR MUSIC STUDENTS

How Do People Play By Ear?
Do you want to play by ear and improvise? If you're like most people who take music lessons, you do! But how does one play by ear and improvise? Non improvising musicians sometimes tell me, “well of course you can do it. Playing like that comes to people like you naturally.” Let me assure you that I have no particular musical gifts or natural talents – I have short fingers, not much of an ear, and I still have trouble singing on key to this day. Neither have I ever been hit by lightning instantly unlocking mysterious musical skills. Far from it; I can play by ear and improvise simply because I learned it!

It’s not any harder to play by ear than it is to read music. You can do it and you can teach most of your students to do it. But it doesn’t happen overnight. There are no shortcuts. Like any other music skill, playing by ear and/or improvising requires instruction and practice on the road to mastery.

The biggest obstacle for students seeking these skills is finding instruction. To illustrate this, let me describe my own experience. As a boy, I had an earnest desire to make my own music. When I asked my teacher to help me learn to play by ear, I was told to stick to the method books. As an interested and obedient student, I tried to do that but I kept looking for the section in my method books that would deal with playing by ear and/or improvising. It never came.

So, after a while, I began “cheating” by pursuing these “ear” skills on my own during practice time instead of sticking to the assigned “eye” skills of playing only written music. Now, I was pretty much a Dudley DoRight in my boyhood days (and I’m still living clean today…) so it felt uncomfortable to go around my teacher’s instructions. Fortunately, I had the kind of mother who encouraged creative exploration. If I spilled milk on the kitchen floor, she would say, “well, now that’s its already spilled, do you want to play with it before we clean it up?” So when I went “off the page” extemporaneously adding my own variations to the written music, my mother, who supervised my practice sessions, allowed it. That was lucky for me because, ironically, it is the ear skills (in addition to my reading skills) that have most enabled me to make a living in music.

The search for instructors who could teach me to play by ear and improvise led me to ask professional jazz pianists how they did it. But they seemed unable to explain it. That’s not surprising because expert improvisers are often the worst teachers. In fact, their comments did me more damage than good. They would say things like, “you just go to have it” or “jazz is something you just feel” which made me feel like I was hopelessly suburban, square and boring. I set out to prove them wrong. Grrrrrr! Hear me roar!

As a piano teacher myself, I know that the most efficient way to learn music is with a good teacher. I also consider reading music and improvising to both be essential skills. However, the number of teachers who teach both is still rare. Too many traditional classical piano teachers teach to the eye at the expense of the ear. It’s not the fault of the teachers. It’s just that we have a self-perpetuating formal system in which readers learn to teach from other readers. On the other side, ear players learn inefficiently from each other by hanging out and swapping licks. So what’s a student seeking a well-rounded education in which they can play Beethoven and the Beatles supposed to do?

1.Tell your teacher you want to learn to play by ear and improvise.

2.Then, point them to these resources:

A. “That’s Jazz” – my three volume jazz piano method designed to assist traditional teachers with little or no experience in jazz or blues in integrating these styles into their studios.

B. The Creative Style Piano Teacher Certification Program I developed with Scott Houston, the host of the popular PBS-TV Program, “The Piano Guy.”

C. If you live in or near Columbus, OH, consider attending my weekly Jazz Workshop or Summer Jazz Intensive, which is sponsored by Chamber Music Connection.

New Books Added to Website
I’ve just added three fake books to my online store categorized for younger students, adults and professional levels. A fake book is a collection of musical lead sheets intended to help a performer quickly learn new songs. Each song in a fake book contains the melody line, basic chords, and lyrics - the minimal information needed by a musician to make an impromptu arrangement of a song, or "fake it." I selected these three books because I feel they are the best available. If you are a student or teacher interested in getting more into jazz, a fake book is a must for your music library.

Take a closer look here:

FOR TEACHERS

Music Teachers’ National Association
I was pleased to be invited to speak at the recent MTNA national conference in Denver in late March. My topic was “Improvising is for Everyone” in which I offered a rationale for integrating playing by ear alongside traditional reading based teaching methods along with practical tips on how to do it. Thirty minutes after my session, I received the high compliment of having my books sell out in the exhibit hall! If you were one of the 200 or so who attended, I encourage you to keep in touch. I love to hear from teachers with questions about teaching improvisation.

Presenting at Music Teachers National Assoc. Annual Conference

If you missed it, you can listen to it here (it's a big download so you'll need a fast connection) or read my recent article in the December/January issue of American Music Teacher.

Hanging out with friends in the MTNA exhibit hall
L to R: David Gereghty (Kjos sales), Leslie Fox (keyboard editor), me, Erika Paul Carlson (jazz pianist/vocalist)

* * *

Focus On Jazz - Teacher Training Workshop Are you interested in integrating jazz into your teaching? This three-session workshop is designed specifically for traditional studio piano teachers who have some or no experience with jazz or blues but would like to integrate these styles into their teaching and playing. Through lecture, demonstration, written example, and hands-on experience, participants will learn how to integrate a teaching approach that involves personal expression, improvisation and the applied knowledge of music theory.

Sponsor: Jazz Arts Group
Time/Dates: Fridays, June 6, 13 & 20, 9am – 12noon
Location: Columbus, OH, Capital University Piano Lab, Room 123
Registration Deadline: Monday, May 26, 2008
Class Fee: $150.00 / $140.00 for current CJO subscribers
To register: visit http://jazzartsgroup.org or call 614.294.5200 x 107.

* * *

BGSU Piano Pedagogy Workshop
Here's another one where I'll be offering a workshop and concert.
Bowling Green, OH
June 16, 2008
Details: Dr. Cynthia Benson 419-372-2629 

* * *

Schmitt Music Expo
Lastly, I'm leading a clinic on how to use my jazz piano method, “That's Jazz.”
Minneapolis, MN
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 

I’m interested in offering similar sessions and teacher training workshops to those above. Please get in touch if you think your organization would be interested in hosting such an event.

Learn about additional opportunities for teachers here.

FOR CHURCH MUSICIANS

Jazz Worship
I always enjoy sharing my sacred jazz in church settings. Sometimes these are large scale events such as last November’s jazz worship service at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Roanoke, VA which combined two church choirs from Euro and African-American traditions with a seven piece jazz orchestra for a worship service and afternoon concert. What a hoot. Richard Rudolph, the forward thinking music director of this church is going even further next year by commissioning me to arrange Christmas hymns a 17 piece big band and choir. Other church visits are small and easy to arrange such as a recent solo piano appearance at 1st Presbyterian in Wooster, Ohio in which we all enjoyed singing jazz inflected hymns.

Get in touch if you’d like to arrange a guest artist appearance. It’s easier than you think. My booking manager, Sarah Case, takes care of all the details. For more information, click here.

* * *

New Publications
My most recent sacred jazz publications are:

Great English Hymns Arranged in Contemporary Styles

Great German Hymns Arranged in Contemporary Styles

I've also added The Hymn Fake Book to my web store.

I use this with my church musician students learning to personalize these classics through arranging or improvisation.

Thanks for reading. Summer will be here soon!

Bradley Sowash

© 2008 Bradley Sowash Music (Distribute freely)

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