The Middle School Jazz Band is open to players of clarinet, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, guitar, bass, drums and piano from M1-M4. Regular rehearsals are Monday afternoons from 3:35 – 5:00 pm.
The Jazz Band performs regularly at school concerts, festivals, competitions and other performances outside UNIS. Band members receive a basic grounding in improvisation skills so that they feel comfortable interpreting the basic chord symbols of major, minor and dominant 7th. Class time also includes rehearsal of standard big band charts, simple post-swing jazz melodies, and a healthy diet of the blues.
Members of the band are expected to commit to a full year of Monday rehearsals. Conflicts with sports schedules are handled so that students may miss rehearsals for games, but not for practices.
For more information on the Middle School Jazz Band, please contact Mr. George Nicholson at (212) 584-3066 or gnicholson@unis.org.