Sutton Music Trust aims to allow every child in the London Borough of Sutton to make, celebrate, and be inspired by the music they love – what we see in the results of our annual youth voice survey is the desire to explore a wide range of genres and styles.
During the half term break in May, we collaborated with Carshalton Jazz to hold a three-day workshop focused on jazz skills and improvisation. 14 students were involved in the project, held at the Throwley Yard Cinema in Sutton.
My son was always interested in Jazz and this workshop finally gave him the opportunity to learn and play pieces from the genre. The teachers were patient and enthusiastic. Overall, it was a great experience!
Led by tutors from SMT and musicians from Carshalton Jazz, students explored a wide range of jazz standards including Cantaloupe Island and When the Saints Go Marching In and gained confidence in soloing and improvisation. The ensemble showcased their work in an informal concert on the final day of the workshop.
Thank you, Carshalton Jazz, and SMT for the fantastic introduction to jazz and opportunity to explore jazz improvisation. My son found this challenging but exhilarating by the end of the course. He would love to play more jazz now!
Carshalton Jazz are proud to have been involved with the half-term jazz improvisation workshop with Sutton Music Trust. This has been a truly wonderful experience where the students had the opportunity to learn to improvise, play by ear, and play with professional jazz musicians. The achievements over the 3 days were fabulous, and we hope to continue this partnership in the future.
Carshalton Jazz is a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers. Carshalton Jazz thanks those who bought a ticket at their Christmas raffle, the proceeds of which have financially supported this project.
Watch a rehearsal of our Blues Jazz Jam on Day 1 of the workshop!
