Over the past week, I’ve spent far too many hours plowing through scores, writing extra parts, reviewing curriculum, and making sure that instruments are functional. Such is the life of a music teacher as the academic year looms in the distance. Still, the part of the year that I actually get paid for starts next week – this prep work just ensures a smoother start of the year for my students. For me, the next few weeks will be a madhouse rush to make sure parts are ready, balancing rehearsal schedules, getting to know students, and I general, wearing several different hats at once. It’s an overwhelming job; one that offers incredible benefits to society, but simply a lot of work.

As I was working on band parts for my Latin Jazz group this week, I took a few minutes to consider reasons behind the lack of Latin Jazz education in the Unites States. Music teachers face a massively energy intensive and time consuming task that needs to draw upon their previous musical experience. The music educator with a background in Afro-Cuban or Brazilian music is a rare thing – going any further into the Caribbean or South America is even scarcer. With all if the responsibilities on a music teacher’s shoulders, it is next to impossible to immerse yourself fully in a new musical style. It’s possible to throw out surface ideas to your students, which is not always a bad thing basic exposure is better than nothing. Diving deeply into a new style without a complete background will never offer a rich experience for students though. In order for an educator to reach beyond their background experience in a truly practical way, they need easily accessible resources that they can apply in the classroom with minimal preparation. This is where the connection between Latin Jazz and the classroom falls apart – there are limited resources available for Latin Jazz studies and most of them work better for individual rather than classroom study.

This seems like an important idea to address considering the recent concerns around youth and their involvement in Jazz. With the current economic climate, educators are doing back flips to simply keep their music programs afloat – they can’t be spending all their time making sure their Latin Jazz is in order. I think it’s important to offer this music as a piece of the curriculum though, so in an effort to encourage educators to keep Latin Jazz alive, I’ve offered some tips for a successful Latin Jazz experience in the classroom.

Take The Time To Share The Culture Behind The Music
It’s important that students gain knowledge of the music’s cultural connections beyond the word “Latin.” Make sure that at the very least students understand if the rhythms originated in Cuba, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, or Colombia. Pull out a map and let them know that the tradition traveled from one place to another. If you can dig deeper, got for it – identify the style and mark it as popular or folkloric music. Give some examples of great musicians playing this style in its traditional form either on video or CD. Demonstrate cultural connection as much as you can, but just don’t forget it.

Be A Stickler For Authenticity
If you make a commitment to have your ensemble play one Latin Jazz song or a whole set, it’s absolutely essential that you interpret the rhythms correctly. If you stick to Cuban or Brazilian rhythms, there are plenty of books available that provide patterns for different styles. If you’ve got them available, use timbales, congas, or whatever instruments the authentic performance of the style demands. If not, there are also a variety of books that demonstrate application of rhythms on drum set. Whatever you do, don’t accept a “close enough” version of a Latin rhythm that sits somewhere between rock, funk, and bossa nova. Take the opportunity to challenge your students and expand their rhythmic vocabulary with the authentic performance of Caribbean or South American rhythms.

Expand Your Listening Library
With any style, it’s impossible for a young person (or an older person) to properly execute a performance without extensive listening experience; it’s vital that you integrate listening into your students’ study if Latin Jazz. This can be a finance issue for some schools, so if you can’t go all out, start slow. Get a couple of classics from Tito Puente, Machito, Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaria, Jerry Gonzalez or others. If you’re not sure where to start, look here on LJC at our Revisiting Latin Jazz Classics series – you can find links in the archives. If you’ve got access to a computer, use YouTube to play music. You may have to get creative, but make sure to integrate Latin Jazz listening into your plans.

Be Picky When You Choose Repertoire
The idea of jazz bands playing a “Latin chart” is fair from original in the education world, but the concept of playing a Latin Jazz chart with an authentic respect for culture is still fresh. As a result, there are plenty of big band arrangements available that lean more towards novelty than actual interpretations of South American or Caribbean music. While these charts do use straight eights, they avoid the idea of rhythmic structures almost completely and the rhythm section charts look more than a rock tune. Take the time to find charts that will take your students deep into the Latin Jazz world; you may have to look a little harder, but it will provide a better educational experience. You can find some fantastic charts at 3-2 Music, coming directly from musicians like Chris Washburne, Wayne Wallace, Rebeca Mauleon, Oscar Hernandez and more. Some jump into college/professional level, but you can find plenty of great charts for high school level bands there as well. These quality charts will put your band on the right track and give your students a realistic view of the Latin Jazz world.

Expose Your Students To Local Latin Jazz Artists
Latin Jazz artists reside across the country, providing a wealth of role models for your aspiring band students. As all music teachers know, making a meaningful connection with working professional artists can be an inspiring experience for young musicians. If you’ve got money in your budget for guest artists, approach some of these musicians about working with some of your students. Depending on the amount of Latin music that you will be integrating into your curriculum, you may hire these musicians for one-time, two-time, or even regular visits to your classroom. Most musicians enjoy passing on their tradition, and with the tightening economy, everyone is trying to make ends meet. If you don’t have funds for guest artists, make sure that you maintain a calendar in your classroom about local Latin Jazz concerts. You have to work within your means, and you can’t always provide every experience that you’d like for your students. Sometimes just providing the information can be enough, and motivated students will take the initiative to attend concerts themselves. Make a point of announcing free and all-ages concerts in class; students may be more likely to attend these. Whichever path your students take, making a connection with live performances can be vital to their education.

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These are just some quick ideas as I scramble to pull my academic year together for my students. Still, the fact remains that we have dangerously few Latin Jazz resources at our will. I’m sure that there are several educators out there – any ideas? Passing on this tradition is an important part of Latin Jazz’s survival; any help would be greatly appreciated!

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Check Out These Related Posts:
An Open Letter To JazzTimes Regarding Latin Jazz
Is Latin Jazz On It’s Deathbed? A Need to Reach The Younger Generation
More Thoughts About JazzTimes And Latin Jazz Coverage From Bobby Sanabria
Setting The Record Straight: George Russell, Cubano Be, Cubano Bop, And The Origin Of Latin Jazz

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