Jazz Piano Basics
A Group Course for
Intermediate Students
Next course starts 29 January 2025.
‘An excellent introduction to jazz and improvised music-making. The teacher is not only a great jazz musician but a supportive and inspiring educator.’
– E. Grennan
‘Having had only “classical” training in the past, I have learned so much from this course. The approach to teaching jazz is both friendly and effective.’
– B. Moran
Course Description
Taking place in Waltons New School of Music’s Digital Piano Lab and taught by a renowned jazz pianist and educator, Jazz Piano Basics is a hands-on course designed to provide piano students of at least intermediate level (Grade 5 or equivalent) with a solid foundation in jazz piano. The course – the only one of its kind in Ireland – explores the unique rhythmic, melodic and harmonic aspects of jazz music in a group setting and provides some of the essential elements of playing in the genre, including:
- Formation of chords and common chord progressions
- Understanding and memorising ‘charts’ for standard jazz tunes
- Improvisation – both melodic variation and soloing
- How to accompany and play with a group
- Voicing techniques
- Aural training, intervals and chord recognition
In addition, students will work on another important aspect of jazz – timing and ‘feel’ – that can best be developed both by listening to and playing with each other in pairs, as a group and with other musicians. The distinction between practising improvised music and playing improvised music will also be discussed, as will the influence of the blues. Students also will learn from the masters by listening to recordings of great pianists in different settings.
To develop their understanding and technique at home, students will be given access, through Google Classroom, to videos, audio files and specific practice exercises developed especially for this course. Finally, for the last class, students will have the opportunity to apply their skills in an ensemble context by working with a professional jazz bassist and jazz drummer. Students will also have the opportunity to further develop their jazz skills through continuation courses following on from this one.
For any piano student who has ever wanted to find out what jazz is all about, this is an ideal introduction to the form.
Participating students should be able to sight read intermediate level pieces reasonably well and have a working knowledge of scales and chords, but no previous knowledge of jazz is required for the course.
Jazz Piano Improvers
Participants who have completed the Jazz Piano Basics course can continue their exploration of jazz and improvised music making with our 10-week Jazz Piano Improvers course, taking place on the same day as Jazz Piano Basics, or with private jazz piano lessons at the New School. (See the Course Schedules & Fee tab for more information on Jazz Piano Improvers.)
Enrol in this course.
Questions about the course?
or call us on (01) 478 1884.
Jazz Piano Basics is one of the New School’s group courses. We also offer private jazz piano lessons and lessons in a range of other genres for students of all ages and skill levels. See our Piano • Keyboard Tuition page for more information.
Techniques Covered
A video demonstration of some techniques covered in the course:
So-Young Yoon
So-Young was born in Seoul, Korea, where she was classically trained from an early age and won several local and national music competitions. She also studied jazz piano at the Seoul Jazz Academy, the Korean sister school of Boston’s renowned Berklee College of Music. After moving to Ireland in 2003, So-Young received a BA in Jazz Performance degree with First Class Honours from Newpark Music Centre (now the Jazz and Contemporary Music Performance Department of Dublin City University), where she studied with leading pianist Phil Ware and composer Ronan Guilfoyle. She went on to receive an MPhil in Music Composition from Trinity College Dublin, where she studied with Evangelia Rigaki and Simon Tresize. And she has also received a Licentiate Piano Teaching Diploma (LRIAM or HDip) from the Royal Irish Academy of Music. So-Young has performed as a pianist, composer and arranger with numerous ensembles in all of Dublin’s main jazz venues, as well as with her own quintet, for which she composes original music. Her notable performances include three concerts in the National Concert Hall, one of which was a sold-out event in which she led a six-piece band in a critically-acclaimed radical rearrangement of the music of Thelonious Monk; ‘Introducing the So-Young Yoon Quintet’ at the Goethe-Institut Ireland; and Jazz Prelude, a composition for flute, cello and piano, first performed by the Kirkos Ensemble at the School of Creative Arts, TCD. So-Young has taught piano and jazz piano to students of all ages and skill levels with the New School since 2007.
‘Ask Miles’ – Miles Davis’s ‘All Blues’ interpreted by So-Young Yoon.
‘Jazz Prelude’ – Composed by So-Young Yoon
Reviews • Testimonials
‘A great way to immerse yourself in a different musical world.’
– N. Collet
‘An exceptional teacher. As a former classical piano teacher to diploma level, I can safely say this is the best teacher I have come across and I consider myself very fortunate to have done so.’
– J. Dunne
‘Great foundation for a jazz beginner. The teacher has a very positive, open and encouraging approach.’
– S. Malin
‘An excellent introduction to jazz piano and improvisation. Playing with other jazz musicians at the end was a great experience!’
– C. O’Brien
Have you taken – or are you taking – this course? We would appreciate it if you could take a few moments to give us your feedback in a brief online questionnaire about it.
2024-2025 Second Term
Course Schedules & Fee
Jazz Piano Basics
10 weeks, 29 January – 9 April 2025
(No class on 19 February – Mid-Term Break)
Wednesdays 6 – 7 pm
Course Type: In-School
Jazz Piano Improvers
10 weeks, 29 January – 9 April 2025
(No class on 19 February – Mid-Term Break)
Wednesdays 7.15 – 8.15 pm
Course Type: In-School
Tuition Fee: €265
Enrolment
Enrolment for this course requires a completed Enrolment Form and full payment of the course fee. Places in the course are limited to eight and are available on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the date of enrolment. A number of our group courses fill in advance of their start dates, and early enrolment is recommended.
Purchasing this course as a gift?
Please complete a Gift Certificate Booking Form.
Questions about the course?
or call us on (01) 478 1884.
Jazz Piano on YouTube
‘Jazz is a mental attitude rather than a style. It uses a certain process of the mind expressed spontaneously through some musical instrument. I’m concerned with retaining that process.’
– Bill Evans
‘Get up from that piano. You hurtin’ its feelings.’
– Jelly Roll Morton