Jazz Wrokshops

Disney's jazz workshops teach young performers how to get... Into the Swing

by Matt Robinson

Jazz music and Disney are two of America's most beloved cultural creations. So it seemed a natural when some music-minded folks at Disney decided to put them together.

The result is "Jazz It Up," a Disney Performing Arts Workshop at Walt Disney World in Florida , and "Soundtrack Session: Jazz," a Disney Performing Arts Workshop at Disneyland in California. Both programs have been recognized by MENC, the National Association for Music Education, for their quality content.

"Jazz It Up" and "Soundtrack Session: Jazz" are both single-session programs for students. By immersing young artists in the world of the jazz musician, the workshops allow them to experience the trials and triumphs of today's creative culture. From rehearsals to recording sessions, participants get to know all that's involved in being a professional player, so they'll be more prepared to take the next step once school is over.

"It gives the kids a real look at the demanding schedule of a musician," says Tom Phillips, director of Mayfair High School in Lakewood, California, "and that's what's cool—because it's reality."

Since his school is 20 minutes from Disneyland, Phillips participates often in "Soundtrack Session: Jazz." "We take as many kids as we can because it is a great activity," he says.

Among the current team of talented teachers, offi cially called "clinicians," at the Disneyland workshop is woodwind player Sal Lozano (see below). "Disney Performing Arts Workshops proved quite successful at Disneyland," Lozano recalls, "so they added the jazz program, which I teach now."

By performing and critiquing the music they play, students in "Jazz It Up" and "Soundtrack Session: Jazz" (or any of the Disney Performing Arts Workshops) improve not only their performances, but also their understanding of what it means to be a performer.

"They can discuss why it does or doesn't sound good and they end up fixing it themselves... and finding their own solutions," Lozano says. "So it's a pretty good vehicle!"

After Lozano and his clinician colleagues give the students an overview of the program, the kids get right to work in the studio, recording the original Shelly Berg arrangement of "Pink Elephants on Parade" as well as tracks to clips from such Disney favorites as The Emperor's New Groove, Atlantis, and Beauty and the Beast.

"The kids realize it's tougher than they thought," Phillips says. "We talk about that back at school, and that is part of the learning process."

During their session, students learn about the importance of rhythm and time; proper articulation techniques and how and when to use them in different musical styles; making the most of inherent talents; how to develop confi dence; basic scales and ways to build upon them for all-important improvisations; and how to use all these skills to create a signature sound. They also learn about the recording process and discover what additional knowledge is necessary for a successful studio session.

Disney's jazz workshops have received numerous awards and accolades, including recognition from MENC for meeting such diverse and important educational standards as the ability to perform on instruments, both alone and with others; the ability to improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments; reading and notating music; listening to, analyzing, and describing music; evaluating music and performance; and understanding music in relation to history and culture.

"Most of my students don't take lessons," Phillips explains, "so I try to give them other opportunities to see what they can do with music if they keep playing, and this is one of them."

Because the musical program changes regularly, and because young people love going to Disneyland, many of the participants in "Soundtrack Session: Jazz" go back time and again. "It's fun to play music and it's at Disneyland," Phillips says, "so they're excited both ways!"

"And as long as the kids feel good about themselves," Lozano adds, "the work is done."

Meet the Clinician: Sal Lozano

Woodwind player Sal Lozano has been affiliated with Disney since the early 1980s, when he played with the All American College Band, the Disneyland Band, and Kids of the Kingdom. He also played on the soundtrack to Beauty and the Beast. Sal has recorded with Johnny Mandel, Christina Aguilera, Michael Buble, Jessica Simpson, Mandy Moore, Queen Latifah, and Stevie Wonder, as well as with the Pacific Symphony and the San Diego Symphony. These days, Lozano still works with top talents, but he also makes time to help the next generation of stars learn their chops as a clinician for Disney Performing Arts.

"In 1990, I got a call from Ken Murphy, who was putting the workshops together, and he asked if I wanted to be involved," Lozano recalls. Because he had played in so many sessions with so many talented performers of all ages and abilities, and had spent many years conducting clinics for young artists all over his native southern California, Lozano was a natural for the program and took to it like Donald to water. "It's a great program," he says. "We give them a taste for what it's like to be a professional musician. More importantly— and I say this as a musician—we teach them to come up with ways to deal with their own problems, and we get them to up their game."