horn player john clark's improvisation class with the vermont jazz center

Fearless Improvising for Everyone

Day & Time: Thursdays, 4:00 - 5:30 pm
Start Date: February 20, 2025
Instructor(s): John Clark
Location: Vermont Jazz Center
Tuition: $250

Many of us feel comfortable with our instruments – they are our friends. This class reaches out to individuals who want to play and improvise but might have found the idea of improvising a bit intimidating. We find this hesitation to improvise especially prevalent in musicians who have studied classical music. The instructor is John Clark, who has recorded with musicians ranging from Gil Evans to Sting to Stanley Turrentine. He is a gentle instructor whose class provides a safe place and a community of other like-minded individuals with whom to improvise.

There are many ways to improvise – perhaps we play by ear, or we are good at reading, or maybe we sing with intention when others are out of earshot. We know that music gives our lives purpose and we would like to develop our skill sets and find others to make music with. The aim of this workshop is to provide an opportunity for you to express your creative ideas in new ways with other people. We’ll demonstrate examples and encourage participants to express themselves using innovative and fun musical strategies. We’ll listen to and analyze the language of improvisation as demonstrated in various musical styles, including classical and jazz. 

This improvisation-friendly workshop welcomes people from a wide range of backgrounds, ages, instruments, and styles, as long as you’re moderately proficient on at least one instrument. Additionally, we will compose, analyze, and improvise using our compositions. 

Please contact the instructor directly if you have any questions: 

John Clark jtcsr1@gmail.com