All the jazz

High school jazz bands learn from the pros

Four high school jazz bands came to the County this past weekend to learn their craft from some of Canada’s best musicians, ending with a gala performance on the stage of the Regent Theatre. The TD Jazz Education Program is now in its seventh year and is organized by Brian Barlow with the assistance of Blair Yarranton. The intensive three-day workshop pairs a seasoned music professional with each of the bands, together with instrument-specific coaching from other musicians.

The atmosphere is designed to be collaborative. “One of the things that makes this program unique is that its non-competitive,” said big band leader Barlow. “You can imagine when its competitive the kids don’t get to know each other…the other band is the enemy. If you’re a baritone sax player from Campbellford in the high school, you’re not going to meet a heck of a lot of other baritone sax players. When they come here, they meet at least three others. We noticed the very first year we did this, within the first five minutes kids were cheering for each other.”

Juno-nominated jazz singer Barbra Lica performs with the Brian Barlow Big Band at the Regent Theatre on Sunday afternoon.

The bands are chosen by invitation, and there’s great interest by schools to take part. Yarranton, a trumpet player in Barlow’s band and a teacher at Belleville’s Centennial Secondary School, extends the invitation for bands to take part in the program. There is a deliberate effort to invite bands from smaller centres, where they may not have the same opportunities as in the bigger towns and cities. “We bring in the top jazz music educators in Canada to work with the kids,” said Barlow. “We assign a clinician to a band, so that clinician works with them, plays with the band, plays some solos. We divide the kids into instrument- specific workshops, so that all sax players go with a saxophone player, the trumpet players go somewhere else.”

There is a nominal fee of $150 per student, with assistance available for students who may not be able to afford it. Accommodation and meals—and a T-shirt—are provided over the weekend. This year, 84 students from Oshawa, Campbellford, Brooklin and Ottawa attended the program. Barlow said programs such as this foster a life-long love of the arts. “The arts are so important. It’s how we express ourselves. The kids who have had this experience, who have been involved in arts and music in school, will probably go on to support the arts.”

It is a demanding workshop, with the kids being challenged to push their musical boundaries. “We don’t cater to the lowest common denominator,” said Barlow. “When you play in a big band, you’ve got to cooperate. You have to carry your share of things. We demand a lot of these kids, we want them to get up and try. We’ve learned that really translates into life skills.”

The culmination of the weekend is a concert on stage at the Regent Theatre, headlined by Barlow’s band and, this year, jazz singer Barbra Lica. Each of the student bands play the two pieces they have been practising over the weekend. Barlow said it’s important for the kids to see professionals on stage. “It’s one thing to talk about all these concepts and what you’re supposed to be doing when you’re playing, but it’s another to actually get to see professionals doing it.”