Brass, Reeds, Strings, Piano, Percussion, Bass and Guitar will meet to hear about James’ vision for the group and to play some tunes!

James will work with the group and select the members that will stay together throughout the summer.

WANT AN INVITATION? You must contact James Gardiner, Paula Telander, joey brite, or Anna Orias to request an invitation. If James has not heard you play, you need to send him some footage of your playing. He may also invite you to meet him. If he would like you to attend, he will extend an invitation to this first day.

CONCEPT: A contemporary jazz orchestra that melds high-level musicians from different backgrounds, race, ethnicities & ages, with an emphasis on original compositions created by and for the group. Group members will be encouraged to compose music that features the individual and collective talents of the group members. Being great readers is a high priority in selection for orchestra consideration.

This orchestra is PHASE I of a three phase program. The next two phases will introduce weekly Academy classes in composition, orchestration and notation as well as studio engineering and recording.

FORMAT:
Saturday, June 1st: 12 pm – 3 pm, at Musically Minded Academy

Musically Minded will provide some non-alcoholic (always) libations & snacks.

20-30 participants will come. They will be comprised of around:
– 7-15 Pros and
– 7-15 Non-pros (Highly Gifted Youth ages 12-25)

NOON: Networking, greetings, etc.

12:10: Intro by Anna welcoming all, then turn attention to James who will give an overview of his vision

12:30: James pulls out his charts/Scores, etc and members of the group play together.

1:30 BREAK

1:45 James begins with closing out the final hour by covering future rehearsal schedules, and next steps for the group.

2:45 Anna adds closing remarks.

3:00 Invitational is over.

COST Remarkably, the initial 10 weeks of this orchestra will meet for FREE with James donating his time and Musically Minded Academy donating the space. During the summer months, the PR team for this group will do fund raising targeting individual sponsors to fund the program, which we plan to keep as an ongoing offering through the Academy.

Feb. 20th
*************
Percussion that you shake, scrape, or rub (idiophones)
Shakers with beads inside
Shakers with beads outside chekere
Natural, and found instruments quijada, bean pods, goat hooves
Scrapers, guiro, reco-reco
Glockenspiel
Materials and the sounds they make, metal, skin, plastic, wood, gourd, bone, etc…

Feb. 27th
***********
Build a Percussion Instrument

Mar. 6th
*********
Plucked strings (guitar, mandolin, ukulele, bass, harp, etc. )

Mar. 13th
**********
Bowed Strings (violin, viola, etc.)

Mar. 20th
*********
Build a String instrument

Apr 3rd
**********
Exploration of Winds Instruments and Voice
Brass
Woodwinds
Harmonica
Recorder
and more…

Apr 10th
***********
Build a Wind Instrument

________________________

You may still enroll with prorated tuition through this link:

jazz concert
February 5, 2013
By: Carol Banks Weber
Subscribe
“As an independent artist-producer, I also want to show youth that they can create their own opportunities, rather than wait for someone else to create them. That is what I have done with Twist since its inception in 2007.” —Lua Hadar

Not a lot of jazz artists are trying to do what Bay Area vocalist Lua Hadar already does on a regular basis. She and her band Twist go global wherever they gig, taking world-wide influences to heart in jazzy, dishy remixes. Not just for the far out music either, but for a mind-broadening, communal, loving world altogether.

A 70-minute, live studio concert CD/DVD, “Like A Bridge” showcases the United Nations in Hadar/Twist’s own particular brand of jazz, with the vocalist singing in seven languages, including Malagasy, Japanese, and Italian — a loving, welcoming force in music.

Do you know of anyone who sings in Malagasy? Lua Hadar can.

Photo credit:

Kingmond Young Photography

Officially released back in November, “Like A Bridge” enjoyed a wider audience of music listeners and music critics who appreciated Hadar’s call to unity, from as far off as Germany and the Netherlands, to Great Britain and Brazil. “Our new DVD encourages people to be like a bridge to each other in promoting understanding of differing languages, cultures, and ideas,” Hadar described.

Through the universal language of music, enriched by jazz and touched by inspiration from all over, Lua Hadar and her five-piece global jazz band Twist come together with special guest star, 14-year-old singer/songwriter Josh Reinier, for a special Celebrating Women Musicians Concert Series.

Hadar’s band Twist is made up of music director/pianist Jason Martineau, bassist Dan Feiszli, drummer Celso Alberti, global percussionist Ian Dogole, and reedist Larry De La Cruz. They can’t wait to play it straight, with swinging standards , as well as bring some cosmopolitan flavor to their music, while hopefully bringing everyone in the audience together with the universal language of love.

“We’re honored to perform in this series, which was created to inspire musical excellence through positive role models,” Hadar explained. “As a teaching artist, I know that what we directly teach our youth is just as potent as what models we show them. I felt this would be a perfect opportunity to present young Josh Reinier, with whom I had the pleasure of working at the San Francisco Opera. As an independent artist-producer, I also want to show youth that they can create their own opportunities, rather than wait for someone else to create them. That is what I have done with Twist since its inception in 2007.”

Open to the entire family, Hadar/Twist’s cosmopolitan jazz concert starts at 8 p.m., February 16, at Oakland’s non-profit Musically Minded Academy on 5776 Broadway in the Rockridge area. Tickets are $15 in advance/$20 at the door, $8 for students, seniors, and children/$12 at the door. Info: (510) 601-5700.

The Rockridge area music school fosters a love of music in the community, often for those who cannot afford it. Music lovers can go there for concerts, educational programs, and mentorship. The Musically Minded Academy hosts the Celebrating Women Musicians Concert Series as a way to reinforce positive musical role models out there for today’s youth especially.

Lua Hadar with Twist: Like A Bridge – official DVD preview

 Read online version here…

You must sign up here in advance if you want to perform! Buy your tickets here!

What questions are you asking youself? Are you expressing yourself the way that you want to? Are you finding joy in your community? Are you enjoying your time?

Perhaps it is time to reconnect to music. Musically Minded Academy provides so many ways to do that. The first two weeks in January are traditionally one of the biggest enrollment times at the Academy. If you are searching for what education will be the best fit for you at the Academy, we have many options to fit your needs. Contact us to hear about all of our education options.

Mad Science Workshops

Mad Science, in partnership with Musically Minded Academy, have several workshops available for children aged 4 – 7 this winter break.

Please visit our Workshops Page for details

Enroll through this link!