CSU Jazz Summer Workshop

camp posterWelcome to the CSU Jazz Summer Workshop!

Join CSU Jazz Faculty Wil Swindler, Peter Sommer, Shilo Stroman, and more for our third annual CSU Jazz Summer Workshop. The workshop will run 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. each day focusing on small group jazz playing and improvisation. Students will also study Jazz history and listening, Jazz theory, and attend instrument-specific masterclasses. Full schedule details will be released after registration closes.

This is an excellent opportunity for middle school and high school students to begin to unravel the mystery of Jazz improvisation by working with our excellent Jazz faculty at CSU. We can help you make sense of all of those chord changes and equip you with tools and strategies to improvise better and improve over time. This workshop will provide the information, practice techniques, and experience to grow as a Jazz musician.

There will be a faculty concert at the end of day one, and a student concert at 3:30 p.m. on the last day of the workshop in Griffin Hall at CSU. All classes will be held in our amazing facility, the University Center for the Arts at 1400 Remington in Fort Collins on the CSU campus.

There will be a brief skills assessment on the first day for performance and Jazz theory to place students in the right levels for Theory class and Combo. For the performance assessment, students should prepare:

  1. Jazz Etude or Jazz tune (just show us what you can do)
  2. Improvisation with backing track (OPTIONAL)
  3. Be ready for a short sight reading
  4. Drummers - in lieu of the Jazz etude/tune, be prepared to play time a few different styles to demonstrate your ability

Once registration closes, we will send out emails to all registered students to review this info.

If you have any questions, email wil.swindler@colostate.edu.

Date: June 5-7, 2024; 9 a.m. — 5 p.m. daily
Location: University Center for the Arts, located at 1400 Remington Street
2024 Cost: $325 without meals. $375 with meals

Contact

Wil Swindler

  • Instructor of Music
  • Coordinator of Jazz Studies
  • Director of Jazz Bands
  • Jazz Saxophone

Wil.Swindler@colostate.edu