Jazz Ensemble I

The New School’s Jazz Ensemble I is an introductory ensemble designed for students who have no experience playing jazz or improvised music. The ensemble focuses on all aspects of playing through a standard jazz ‘lead sheet’, including:

• Recognising and identifying lead sheet rehearsal markings
• Comping chords
• Walking bass lines
• Playing the melody
• Articulating and embellishing it
• Basic soloing techniques

The ensemble develops these skills and provides participants with a good working knowledge of what their roles are within a jazz ensemble by introducing them to a range of standards from the jazz and jazz blues repertoire, including:

• ‘All Blues’ – Miles Davis
• ‘Birks Works’’ – Dizzy Gillespie
• ‘Blue Bossa’ – Kenny Dorham
• ‘Blue Monk’ – Thelonious Monk
• ‘Cantaloupe Island’ – Herbie Hancock
• ‘Chameleon’ – Herbie Hancock
• ‘Footprints’ – Wayne Shorter
• ‘Killer Joe’ – Benny Golson
• ‘Mercy Mercy Mercy’ – Joe Zawinul
• ‘Mo Better Blues’ – Bill Lee
• ‘St. Thomas’ – Sonny Rollins
• ‘Summertime’ – George Gershwin
• ‘Watermelon Man’ – Herbie Hancock

Depending on individual students’ progress over the term or year, they can then move on to our Jazz Ensemble II and Jazz Ensemble III.

While students of all instruments are welcome to join our Jazz Ensemble I, there is a limit of one acoustic or electric bass player, one guitar player, one drummer and one pianist in the ensemble.

Questions about this ensemble?

CONTACT US

or call us on (01) 478 1884.

Eligibility

Students entering Jazz Ensemble I should have at least one year of instrumental study, be familiar with key and time signatures, and have a basic level of music reading. The ability to play scales from memory would also be an advantage. No previous jazz experience is necessary.

Dave Mooney, the Jazz Ensembles Director, will phone prospective participants after they enrol to discuss their suitability for the ensemble.

Fee Discount

Students concurrently enrolled for private or group tuition at the New School receive a 20% discount off the fee for this ensemble.

Safety & COVID-19

The health and safety of both students and staff at the New School is of the utmost importance to us, and we have made a number of changes to the school, its equipment and our policies to make in-school tuition (tuition taking place on the New School premises) safe during the time of COVID-19. These include:

• Perspex screens in every classroom.
• Installation of HEPA air filtration/purification units where necessary – especially in classrooms where wind instruments and voice (singing) are taught.
• Cleaning and disinfection of both classroom instruments and furniture between lessons and classes.
• Regular cleaning of public spaces.

See our COVID-19 Safety Policy page for more information on what we have done, as well as the protocols we expect all in-school students and visitors to follow.

Jazz Ensemble II

The New School’s Jazz Ensemble II is an intermediate ensemble designed for students with some previous jazz experience. Ensemble members are introduced to a range of essential skills, including:

1. How to approach a melody, distinguish its main notes from its less important ones and improvise on those.
2. How to move from one chord to the next by building up harmonic vocabulary.
3. About different jazz ‘genres’ and approaches (jazz blues, Latin jazz, modal jazz).

Participants develop these skills by exploring a range of great standards from the jazz repertoire. Here are a few that the ensemble has worked on:

• ‘Alone Together’ – Arthur Schwartz
• ‘Autumn Leaves’ – Joseph Kosma
• ‘Days of Wine and Roses’ – Henry Mancini
• ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ – Antônio Carlos Jobim
• ‘Solar’ – Miles Davis
• ‘Song for My Father’ – Horace Silver
• ‘Strasbourg St. Dennis’ – Roy Hargrove
• ‘Tune Up’ – Eddie Vinson

Depending on individual students’ progress over the term or year, they can then move on to our Jazz Ensemble III.

While students of all instruments are welcome to join our Jazz Ensemble II, there is a limit of one acoustic or electric bass player, one guitar player, one drummer and one pianist in the ensemble.

Questions about this ensemble?

CONTACT US

or call us on (01) 478 1884.

Eligibility

Jazz Ensemble II is open to participants who are ready to move on from Jazz Ensemble I, as well as participants with previous jazz experience. Dave Mooney, the Jazz Ensembles Director, will phone prospective participants after they enrol to discuss their suitability for the ensemble.

Fee Discount

Students concurrently enrolled for private or group tuition at the New School receive a 20% discount off the fee for this ensemble.

Safety & COVID-19

The health and safety of both students and staff at the New School is of the utmost importance to us, and we have made a number of changes to the school, its equipment and our policies to make in-school tuition (tuition taking place on the New School premises) safe during the time of COVID-19. These include:

• Perspex screens in every classroom.
• Installation of HEPA air filtration/purification units where necessary – especially in classrooms where wind instruments and voice (singing) are taught.
• Antiseptic dispensers available throughout the school.
• Cleaning and disinfection of both classroom instruments and furniture between lessons and classes.
• Regular cleaning of public spaces.

See our COVID-19 Safety Policy page for more information on what we have done, as well as the protocols we expect all in-school students and visitors to follow.

Jazz Ensemble III

The New School’s Jazz Ensemble III is an advanced ensemble that gives students with previous jazz experience a chance to refine and improve their improvisational and harmonic skills. Ensemble members learn the more advanced jazz and improvisation techniques required to participate in and lead groups themselves, including

• Modes, progressions and harmonies
• Transcribing and aural skills
• Communication within the group
• Intros and outros
• Phrasing, dynamics, harmonic and melodic soloing, motivic development
• Alternative arrangements and different jazz styles

Participants develop these skills by exploring a wide-ranging repertoire of well-known and lesser known standards, including more technically or harmonically challenging pieces. Here are a few that the ensemble has worked on:

• ‘Afternoon in Paris’ – John Lewis
• ‘Black Nile’ – Wayne Shorter
• ‘Bluesette’ – Toots Thielemans
• ‘Desafinado’ – Antônio Carlos Jobim
• ‘Giant Steps’ – John Coltrane
• ‘Jordu’ – Irving Jordan
• ‘‘Rush Hour’ – Robben Ford
• ‘Tico Tico’ – Zequinha de Abreu

While students of all instruments are welcome to join our Jazz Ensemble III, there is a limit of one acoustic or electric bass player, one guitar player, one drummer and one pianist in the ensemble.

Questions about this ensemble?

CONTACT US

or call us on (01) 478 1884.

Eligibility

Jazz Ensemble III is open to participants who are ready to move on from Jazz Ensemble II, as well as participants with previous jazz experience. Dave Mooney, the Jazz Ensembles Director, will phone prospective participants after they enrol to discuss their suitability for the ensemble.

Fee Discount

Students concurrently enrolled for private or group tuition at the New School receive a 20% discount off the fee for this ensemble.

Safety & COVID-19

The health and safety of both students and staff at the New School is of the utmost importance to us, and we have made a number of changes to the school, its equipment and our policies to make in-school tuition (tuition taking place on the New School premises) safe during the time of COVID-19. These include:

• Perspex screens in every classroom.
• Installation of HEPA air filtration/purification units where necessary – especially in classrooms where wind instruments and voice (singing) are taught.
• Antiseptic dispensers available throughout the school.
• Cleaning and disinfection of both classroom instruments and furniture between lessons and classes.
• Regular cleaning of public spaces.

See our COVID-19 Safety Policy page for more information on what we have done, as well as the protocols we expect all in-school students and visitors to follow.

Patrice Brun

Jazz Ensemble I

Patrice is a French saxophonist based in Ireland since late 1990s. Classically trained at a young age, he started his professional career in 1996 performing with L’Orchestre International Bernard Becker as well as local bands such as Mr Pitiful (R&B, Blues). When he came to Ireland he developed his passion for jazz and received a Licentiate Diploma in Jazz Performance from Newpark Music Centre in 2004. While at Newpark he participated in masterclasses with such jazz luminaries as Michael Buckley and Tommy Halferty (Ireland); Steve Coleman, John Patitucci and Benny Goldson (USA); and Ramesh Shotam (India), among many others. More recently, he completed a MA degree in Music at Dublin City University, specialising in Composition under the supervision of Irish composer Ronan Guilfoyle. Patrice currently plays with his own trio Par Trois, the four-piece band Hype performing jazz standards and original compositions, and the renowned salsa band Havana’ Ché. He also regularly performs with Irish bands Stars from The Commitments and The Stunning. Over the years, Patrice has appeared in numerous venues around the country, including 3Arena, Whelans, the Helix, Sugar Club, Vicar Street and the Olympia Theatre, as well as Cork’s Metropole Hotel and Belfast’s The Empire. His previous projects and collaborations include the Patrice Brun Quartet & Sextet, Bop 5, Migration, legendary Irish jazz guitarist Louis Stewart, the Dublin Symphony Orchestra, A Night in Havana Orchestra, Fuzzy Logic Ensemble, Jerry Fish and The Mud Bug Club, and Westlife. In addition to teaching with the New School for a a number of years, Patrice currently teaches saxophone and lectures in contemporary harmony and composition, arranging, ear training and jazz improvisation for the BA degree in Jazz and Contemporary Music Performance at Dublin City University.

David Mooney

Jazz Ensembles II & III

Dave hails from south Dublin, but his musical pursuits have led him far and wide. He holds a BMus degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied with such world-renowned musicians and composers as John Lockwood and Joseph Smith, and also holds a diploma in Jazz Performance from the Guildhall School of Music in London. Dave has performed and recorded with a vast and varied array of artists. He has completed two successful European tours with Gavin Friday and has also performed with Sinéad O’Connor, Sarah Brightman, Jeff Ramsey (Al Jarreau Group), Dick Evans (formerly of the Virgin Prunes), Sarah Brindell, Honor Heffernan, the Young European Strings, Stambandet (a Scandinavian folk group) and many more. He was one of the founding members of the established New England jazz ensemble 3D4tet, and he has had many successful international tours including the Balkans, where he led his own jazz quartet and brought together top jazz musicians from Macedonia, Croatia and Serbia. Dave has performed widely in Ireland, and he was chosen to represent Ireland at the IASJ (International Association of Schools of Jazz) conference and concert in London. He has extensive experience as a music educator both in the US and Ireland, and he has taught double bass, electric bass and jazz improvisation at the New School, as well as directing our Jazz Ensembles, since 2005.

Reviews • Testimonials

‘Great introduction to playing in an ensemble!’
– B. Byrne

‘Dave has a great way of moving the class along with students at different levels without losing the momentum.’
– P. Kavanagh

‘I really liked the interaction with others and with the teacher. Amazing.’
– M. Mandrelle

‘I liked everything about it. The relaxed atmosphere was conducive to learning. But most of all, Dave is a great teacher and his dedication shows.’
– M. Murphy

Have you been – or are you – a member of one of our Jazz Ensembles? We would appreciate it if you could take a few moments to give us your feedback in a brief online questionnaire about it.

FEEDBACK

2024-2025 Ensemble Schedules

Jazz Ensemble I
Tuesdays 6.45 – 7.45 pm

First Term (10 weeks)
1 October – 10 December 2024
(No class on 29 October – Mid-Term Break)

First – Second Terms (23 weeks)
1 October 2024 – 9 April 2025

First – Third Terms (32 weeks)
1 October 2024 – 25 June 2025

Second Term (13 weeks)
7 January – 9 April 2025
(No class on 18 February – Mid-Term Break)

Second – Third Terms (22 weeks)
7 January – 25 June 2025

Third Term (9 weeks)
29 April – 25 June 2025

Jazz Ensemble II
Wednesdays 6.45 – 7.45

First Term (10 weeks)
2 October – 11 December 2024
(No class on 30 October – Mid-Term Break)

First – Second Terms (23 weeks)
2 October 2024 – 10 April 2025

First – Third Terms (32 weeks)
2 October 2024 – 26 June 2025

Second Term (13 weeks)
8 January – 10 April 2025
(No class on 19 February – Mid-Term Break)

Second – Third Terms (22 weeks)
8 January – 26 June 2025

Third Term (9 weeks)
30 April – 26 June 2025

Jazz Ensemble III
Wednesdays 8 – 9 pm

First Term (10 weeks)
2 October – 11 December 2024
(No class on 30 October – Mid-Term Break)

First – Second Terms (23 weeks)
2 October 2024 – 10 April 2025

First – Third Terms (32 weeks)
2 October 2024 – 26 June 2025

Second Term (13 weeks)
8 January – 10 April 2025
(No class on 19 February – Mid-Term Break)

Second – Third Terms (22 weeks)
8 January – 26 June 2025

Third Term (9 weeks)
30 April – 26 June 2025

2024-2025 Ensemble Fees

1. Students concurrently enrolled for private or group tuition with the New School receive a 20% discount off the fees for school ensembles. See our Tuition Catalogue for more information about the wide range of instruments, subjects and courses we offer.
2. Students have the option of paying an initial deposit and distributing payments by means of post-dated cheques or credit/debit-card payments (in either case, payments are made on the first day of each month). Single term payment plans are accepted only if enrolment takes place before the ensemble begins each term (1 or 2 October 2024, 7 or 8 January 2025, 29 or 30 April 2025). Although there are no finance charges, payment plan fees include an additional processing charge of €8 per instalment payment.

Enrolment

Enrolment in one of the Jazz Ensembles requires a completed Enrolment Form and full payment of the ensemble fee or payment plan arrangement, if applicable. The number of participants in each ensemble is strictly limited, and we recommend early enrolment.

ENROL NOW

Late Enrolment
New members can join one of these ensembles, subject to places being available, up to two weeks after it starts each term. Tuition fees for late-enrolling students are pro-rated and depend on the number of classes remaining in the term or year. See the following pages for more information:

First Term Late Enrolment Fees
Second Term Late Enrolment Fees
Third Term Late Enrolment Fees

Purchasing an ensemble enrolment as a gift?
Please complete a Gift Certificate Booking Form.

BOOK NOW

Questions about one of these ensembles?

CONTACT US

or call us on (01) 478 1884.