Master Classes and Clinics

 Anyone Can Play Jazz Guitar!  In this class, students will learn the fundamentals of Jazz guitar with an emphasis on The Great American Songbook (Standards) repertoire. Students learn in a fun, fast, easy, and supportive way. Suzahn’s method makes learning jazz guitar simple and easy to understand.  During this class series, students will learn small pieces of information and be able to digest them before moving on. Those pieces of information will be continually reinforced. Then, we will build upon that information creating a solid foundation.

Each student will leave with enough jazz and guitar knowledge to play basic jazz tunes (chords and soling), along with a few Standard tunes.

Students will learn how to participate in a jam.

Students will know the guitar neck and rudimentary theory (with a fast sing-song trick).

This class is informal, yet highly structured. Suzahn’s goal is for the student to continue to teach themselves after they leave. The environment is fun, uplifting and positive. Fundamentals and basics are stressed. Students will learn quickly and leave with a solid entrée into the magical world of jazz.

Perequisites:

-Previous experience playing guitar and a willingness to learn.

-Access to an acoustic (with low action), or electric guitar.

-At least 17 years of age.

-All levels are welcome.

-Suzahn may ask for a recorded samples before admission to determine best educational approach.

  A step-by-step overview on how to start the process of booking gigs and touring.

• What are your arsenal of supplies
• How to negotiate and talk to promoters
• How tour routing works
• What to do with social media
• What is PR, marketing and promotion and how to use them to your advantage.
• This class can range from an overview in a 60 – 90 minute format, 3 hours, or a semester long class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gypsy Jazz is a colorful mixture of French and American Jazz music as influenced by the late-great Django Reinhardt.

In this class, students will learn the fundamentals of Gypsy Jazz guitar with an emphasis on the Gypsy style, and repertoire. Students learn in a fun, fast, easy, and supportive way. Suzahn’s method makes learning jazz guitar simple and easy to understand.  During this class series, students will learn small pieces of information and be able to digest them before moving on. Those pieces of information will be continually reinforced. Then, we will build upon that information creating a solid foundation.

Each student will leave with enough jazz and guitar knowledge to play basic jazz tunes (chords and soling), along with a few classic Gypsy Jazz tunes.
Students will learn how to participate in a jam.
Students will know the guitar neck and rudimentary theory (with a fast sing-song trick) .
This class is both informal, yet highly structured. Suzahn’s goal is for the student to continue to teach themselves after they leave. The environment is fun, uplifting and positive.
Fundamentals and basics are stressed. Students will learn quickly and feel they have a solid entrée into the magical and whimsical world of Gypsy Jazz.
Prerequisites:

-Previous experience playing guitar and a willingness to learn.

-Access to an acoustic (with low action), Gypsy, archtop, or electric guitar
-At least 17 years of age.

-All levels are welcome.

-Suzahn may ask for a recorded samples before admission to determine best educational approach.

• Who was Django Reinhard, the man?
• Who are the Gypsies and where do they really come from?
• What is the American influence on Gypsy Jazz and visa versa?
• Why France? Why then? Why now?
• What are the basic musical tenants of instrumentation, rhythm, and the basic harmonic structures of Gypsy Jazz.
• What are the similarities and differences from American Jazz?
• What is the socio/political impact of Gypsy music historically?
• Why is it enjoying such a huge resurgence today?

 I give a beginners overview about Gitane (Gypsy Jazz) Music and the social, economic and political significance of it’s rise after the 2nd World war, and how it relates to American Jazz. Part 2: I give a demonstration of how improvisation of jazz works by teaching the students basic soloing over a blues tune using their voices.

• How to write ’em, how to play ’em, how to pitch ’em.
• A quick guide to a Pop sensibility
• Music Theory for songwriters using the Nashville Number system
• Lyric writing techniques and the tricks of the trade.
• A Music Industry overview

This class can be any length from a few hours to a few days. It can be taught in two modules, beginner and advanced and includes a “cassette roulette” and song circles.

Exploring a new American experience from the perspective a world traveling musical ambassador.  Observations in the aftermath of the Right Wing Movement in America and how current events effect the cultural experiences viewed through the lens of international travel. 

 This Master Class shares tools for women and men to better understand the challenges and opportunities women face in the music industry. It discusses how Brain Science can help us better understand and navigate in the music industry work place  ” ] 

• Finding your personal sound.
• Understanding the mechanics of the voice.
• Tone sculpting techniques through breath texture.
• Setting up the vocal keyboard.
• Self monitoring.
• How to sing the notes of the changes through chord study, arpeggios and harmonic patterns.
• How to Scatt (Vocal soloing).
• Understanding dynamics.
• Using technology.
• Performance techniques, connecting with an audience, stage fright.
• Basic rhythm, swinging and singing soulfully.

This class is great for the jazz singer and non-jazz singer alike. Learning to feel a melody, shape a melody, breathing techniques and creating different tone textures and sounds are all wonderful ways to improve any singer. This can be extremely useful for the pop, country, rock and folk-alternative singer. Learning how to sing with soul and get a basic understanding of rhythm and “feel” can transform any vocalist. Jazz and blues standards provide an infinite amount of opportunities for the vocalist to experiment and learn. When applied to pop and other genres, the singer takes away invaluable tools, a sense of musical freedom and a better understanding of their voices and capabilities. This can be done as a master class or workshop.

This master class is a must have for any jazz vocalist. We work on understanding general improvisation, understanding improvisation for the voice, navigating through modes, communicating with the band, leading the band, understanding rhythm, analyzing a tune, tone production and shaping, breath, audience connectivity, working with technology, body language and movement and basic music theory for singers (including singing riffs, changes and arpeggios). We work repertoire and the student gets one on one coaching within the group. Time and group size permitting, every student gets to perform in front of the group at the end of the class.

Jazz is a truly American art form that has been embraced the world over. But often it’s incredibly rich socio-political history goes unspoken. The history of Jazz is the history of America following an evolution of struggle and triumph, through a complex landscape. It provides an abundant musical backdrop, while crossing cultures and communities, as it chronicles generations of the American experience from slaves to citizens, and all the way to the White House.

Come on a journey with Suzahn and explore the conceptual aspects of Jazz with her educational, inspirational and entertaining performance!  Participants listen, learn and sing along while learning the elements of Jazz through, “Scatting”. Suzahn will share cool jazz lingo, the secrets of how a jazz works, what jazz musicians and avid listeners are thinking, and share hilarious and fascinating antidotes from a life on the road around the world.  The audience will walk away with an understanding and appreciation of why jazz musicians improvise, and get a road map of what they are doing when they improvise. One or two lucky audience member will be invited up onstage to try their hand at improvising along with Suzahn and the band.  This is a fun program which can vary in length and depth, depending on the venue and time allotted. 

 Though jazz and classic blues are really early twentieth-century black music innovations, certain characteristics found in jazz do have their roots in much earlier musical traditions that are not often talked about.  Call and response and improvisation from Afro-Caribbean influences along with the reinvention of elements from Western music are intertwined and influenced by an era of exploration and exploitation.  Socially, economically and spiritually through this period in the US, one sees a connection to the deep roots of jazz as it matures from Gospel and Blues. This fun and enlightening Master Class is interwoven with live song performances and recorded examples and students are asked to participate.

Suzahn Fiering is a Master Certified Professional Coach (MCPC). This is an ongoing 12 week class for the recovering creative. We work with Julia Cameron’s brilliant, best selling book and follow the steps to being productive in our creative endeavors whether it is music, art, creative writing, dance or any other art form. We unveil ways to touch our true inner creative self and unblock past patterns, negative tapes, and self-sabotage. Together, we build a plan for each person in the group through examination, supportive feedback, and exercises designed to guide each participant towards a clear, healthy and abundant life. This is a 12-session program or a one session overview class.