In high school, jazz was never a familiar subject to me. I’ve always wanted to learn jazz theory and piano because improvising music was such a cool concept, but I had no experience. After coming to college, I decided to take advantage of the resources and joined jazz combo as a vocalist. I’ve had no regrets about this decision ever since!
Jazz combo is a program at Amherst in which you get assigned to a group of musicians (usually 5~7 people) to play jazz together for the school year. There is an audition process, but it is just so that the instructors can see which students will benefit from being grouped with each other, so it is a pretty chill process. Other than combos, there is also a jazz ensemble (aka “big band”). This is a bigger group with about 15~18 people and also includes an audition process.
This past week, there were jazz combo end of semester performances on Monday and Wednesday. I got to perform and also enjoy other students’ performances. Jazz always makes my day better, whether I am stressed about an exam or just having a relaxing weekend. Seeing other great musicians with so much talent really amazes me and inspires me!
Before Amherst, I thought that jazz was all about being free–from all the rules in music, from conventional ways of playing an instrument, and from the traditional mannerisms of performances. However, through learning to play jazz myself (although I still have a very long way to go), I realized that in order for there to be such freedom, there needs to be rules. The beauty and freedom of jazz comes from the unspoken rules between the musicians, music theory that became one’s instinct through so much practice, and the sincere communication between the musicians.
Jazz has surprisingly taught me more than just music. It taught me communication, dedication, assertiveness, and appreciation that I’ve realized also applies to other areas of my life. So, if you are already a jazz musician or are a total beginner who has no experience, great! I encourage all of you guys to try out jazz at Amherst. However, if you are not interested in jazz but are somehow still reading this post–thanks for reading by the way–I encourage you to just do it. Join and try out the things you’ve always wanted to do! Don’t be afraid of the judgement or your lack of experience 🙂
Alright, I hope you enjoyed reading this. I’ll see you guys next time!
-Jooah