Blues and Jazz Improvisation (5cr)

Evaluation scale

Pass/Fail

Content scheduling

1 May–18 May: orientation phase. During the orientation phase, the student familiarises themselves with the background materials uploaded to the workspace and completes the assigned tasks. Further materials will be saved in the workspace as the course progresses.

19 May–18 August: the course’s main working phase. During the working phase, the student completes tasks mainly with backing tracks and records their own performances in accordance with the task instructions. A smartphone voice recorder is entirely sufficient for recording. The recordings are sent to the workspace’s Assignments folder in accordance with the instructions. During the working phase, the student will develop competence in recording and analysing transcriptions, as well as in developing their own musical expression. “Transcribing” comprises several working stages, and clear step-by-step guidance will be provided for each stage.

In the working phase, the aim is to become familiar with the stylistic means of expression in blues and jazz music through audio and video examples, and to learn to hear, understand, and produce them independently.

18 August–25 August: revision and supplementation of previously learned content.

Objective

The student familiarises themselves, through audio and video examples, with the stylistic means of expression in blues and jazz music and learns to hear, understand, and produce them independently.
The student develops competence in transcription, analysis, and the development of their own expressive style.

Content

The student familiarises themselves with the musical expression and improvisation of significant artists in the history of blues and jazz through recordings. The student completes tasks using backing tracks and records their own performances in accordance with the assignment brief.
Introduction to producing transcriptions and to their significance in developing musical expression.

Location and time

Schedule for Zoom meetings (link to be added to the workspace later)

1. Mon 18 May, 16.00–17.30
2. Mon 25.5. May 16.00–17.30
3. Mon 8 June, 16.00–17.30
4. Mon 10 August, 16.00–17.30
5. Mon 17 August, 16.00–17.30
6. Mon 24 August, 16.00–17.30

Tasks in the workspace with their schedules.

Materials

The material is available in the Moodle workspace.

Teaching methods

Distance teaching, assignments and materials to be uploaded to the study unit’s OMA intranet workspace. Guidance via Zoom according to the schedule.

Employer connections

x

Exam schedules

x

International connections

x

Completion alternatives

x

Student workload

The course scope is 5 credits, corresponding to approximately 130 hours of work. Completing the course consists primarily of independent work, but includes a few joint online meetings for the course’s students and teachers (i.e. via Zoom).

Schedule for the Zoom meetings (link to be provided later in the workspace)
1. Mon 18 May, 16.00–17.30
2. Mon 25 May, 16.00–17.30
3. Mon 8 June, 16.00–17.30
4. Mon 10 August, 16.00–17.30
5. Mon 17 August, 16.00–17.30
6. Mon 24 August, 16.00–17.30

Assignments in the workspace, with their schedules.

1 May–18 May: orientation phase. During the orientation phase, the student familiarises themselves with the background material uploaded to the workspace and completes the assigned tasks. Further material will be added to the workspace as the course progresses.

19 May–18 August: the main working phase of the course. During this phase, the student completes tasks mainly using backing tracks and records their own performances in accordance with the task instructions. A smartphone voice recorder is sufficient as a recording device. Recordings are submitted to the workspace’s Assignments folder in accordance with the instructions. During the working phase, students develop competence in recording and analysing transcriptions, as well as in developing their own expressive skills. “Transcribing” includes several stages, for which clear step-by-step guidance will be provided.

The aim during the working phase is to become familiar, through audio and video examples, with stylistic means of expression in blues and jazz music, and to learn to hear, understand, and produce these means of expression independently.

18 August–25 August: revision and consolidation of what has been learned previously.