ADULT EDUCATION
SUMMER 2024 COURSES OPENING THURSDAY 4/18/24!
NMJW offers classes for adults of all ages and skill levels. Our long-running classes offer adults a chance to revisit their passion for music in a supportive setting. With classes ranging from Big Band to Jazz Improvisation to voice studies and beyond, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Since we run on limited hours in the office, we are asking everyone to please register online.
See our Instructor Bios Here
Any questions? Email [email protected]
Your spot in a class is not guaranteed until we receive tuition payment. Due to the popularity of certain courses, tuition is due at time of registration, unless arrangements have been made. You are welcome to pay online, call the office to make a payment over the phone, or mail/bring a check to the office at 5500 Lomas Blvd NE, Albuquerque NM 87110.
If mailing or bringing a check please email [email protected] so we can secure your spot.
To get on a waitlist, please email [email protected]. (If you were on a waitlist for a particular class that is being offered again, you get priority to sign up for the next round.)
OUR PAST OFFERINGS INCLUDE:
- Jazz Improvisation
- Big Band Jazz
- Latin Jazz
- Jazz Guitar
- Latin Percussion
- Jazz Singing
- Blues Guitar
- Contemporary Vocal Technique
...and many more!
COURSE OFFERINGS
SUMMER 2024 OPENING THURSDAY 4/18/24
CLASS PAYMENTS WILL BE REFUNDED IN-FULL MINUS A 10% ADMIN FEE BEFORE THE FIRST CLASS, NO REFUNDS GIVEN AFTER A CLASS HAS STARTED.
Intro to Jazz Guitar: How to Play What You Hear -- Live ONLINE
Instructor: John Maestas
ONLINE via ZOOM
Mondays, 6-7:30 pm
6 weeks: June 3-July 8
$95 general | $80 NMJW members*
One of the most fulfilling experiences for a musician is the act of creating something new and spontaneous in the moment. For many people, the idea of playing a "solo" or improvising something out of thin air is not only a mystery but also intimidating. This guitar course is designed to give you the musical and mental tools that are central to making quick decisions and help to demystify the improvisational process. The material in this course will be geared towards guitarists who have little or no experience playing Jazz or improvisation. Specifically, we will touch on chord/scale relationships, arpeggios, transcribing music by ear, weekly featured guitarist playlists, rhythm & exercises to build steady internal time, and tools on how to quickly decode harmony in motion.
Currently based in New Orleans, LA, guitarist John Maestas is originally from Albuquerque, NM. He studied with guitarist Michael Anthony in New Mexico, and later studied Jazz at the Chicago College of Performing Arts and Berklee College of Music. As a music producer he has worked in the studio writing, recording & performing songs for other artists and for his own band, Juan Tigre. He has had the pleasure of sharing the stage and studio with many inspiring artists in his career including Christian Atude Adjuah Scott, Elzhi, Pell, Bernard Purdie, Nesby Phips, Nicholas Payton, and Jason Marsalis.
Reharmonizing & Arranging Standards
Instructor: Michael Anthony
New Mexico Jazz Workshop, 5500 Lomas NE
Mondays, 6:00 - 7:30 PM
6 Weeks: July 15-August 19
$95 general | $80 NMJW members
In this course, we will look at jazz standards and ways to “level up their sound” through alternative turnarounds, interludes intros and endings, and chord voicings. Alternate harmonies and reharmonization can perk up and energize a melody, come explore ways to make your versions of the jazz standards really stand out! This class is open to all instruments and vocalists.
Michael Anthony is a musician’s musician. Throughout the sixties and seventies, Michael Anthony built his reputation and his chops as a professional studio musician in Los Angeles and was a second generation member of the famed "Wrecking Crew". Michael has recorded and performed with: Tony Bennett, Nelson Riddle, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mandel, The Beach Boys, Peggy Lee, Diana Ross (Do You Know Where You're Going To, Theme From Mahogany), Barbara Streisand and the LA Philharmonic under Zuben Meta. Today, Michael Anthony applies his talent and his experience as a musician in the realm of education, teaching guitar workshops and master classes on both the secondary and university levels.
Ukes Unite!
Instructor: John Bartlit
NM Jazz Workshop, 5500 Lomas NE
Tuesdays, 6:00-7:30 PM
6 Weeks: June 18-July 23
$95 general | $80 NMJW members
In this 6-week course, students will learn the essential skills for any up-and-coming ukulele jam enthusiast, such as basic strumming, chords, finger picking and tuning. Class may also include unexpected song creation, solos and a whole lotta fun! You may bring your own instrument or rent a ukulele from the Workshop for an additional $10.
John Bartlit is a Los Alamos-born and bred composer/drummer/ukule player. When he is not touring the world as an internationally acclaimed musician and clinician, he can be found performing throughout central New Mexico with virtually all of the best talent in our region. Based Albuquerque, John is known far and wide as an accomplished musician and brings an infectious joy to the stage, whether he is playing a traditional percussion instrument or something he found amusing in the plumbing department of a hardware store.
Blues Singing
Instructor: Zenobia Conkerite
NM Jazz Workshop, 5500 Lomas NE
Wednesdays, 6:00-8:00 PM
6 Weeks: June 5-July 10
$130 general | $110 NMJW members
This class will touch on what it means to sing the Blues. While working on Blues standards, students will explore how their personal experiences can be integrated into singing this genre that comes from and touches the soul. The course culminates with a recital on the last day of class.
Singer, songwriter and recording artist Zenobia began her singing career in her church choir in Los Angeles where she taught herself to play the piano at 5 years old and wrote her first song at 8. At 18, she debuted in the LA company of the rock musicial, HAIR, then was sent to New York to join the original Broadway company. Zenobia was a studio singer on sessions and live gigs. Her CD, “Resurrection" was voted "Best of the Year" 2015 and "Glory" 2014 Best Gospel Song by New Mexico Music Awards.
Jazz Brain: Basics & Beyond
Instructor: Lewis Winn
NM Jazz Workshop, 5500 Lomas NE
Thursdays, 6:00-7:30 PM
6 weeks: June 13-July 25 (no class on July 4)
$95 general | $80 NMJW members
In this six-week course we’ll explore the fundamentals of melody and harmony for both soloists and accompanists, the diatonic basics as well as the more exotic non-diatonic elements beyond, to expand the improviser’s ability to freely converse using the language and slang of music. A better understanding of these fundamentals and plenty of practice time are essential for developing the ability to make the sounds you want to hear in real time.
Train your brain, improve your improv!
Lewis Winn has been a working musician and teacher for over 40 years. In addition to various classes at NMJW, he has also taught at UNM, College of Santa Fe, and University of Montana. He is the leader/arranger for the group “The Alpha Cats”, co-founder of the experimental Right About Now project, and an A-list freelancer.
