Fall 2023 MECA
Continuing Education Courses
Overview
Learn the building blocks of improvising on the double bass or bass guitar in a jazz style. Develop walking bass lines and improvised solos from chord charts and discover methods for instructing young bassists in a jazz ensemble setting.
How the course works:
The course is done completely on your own time, there are no scheduled meetings. There are six units, about one per week during the summer term, and about one every two weeks during the fall and spring. Assignments are due at the end of each unit. Students will watch the instructor’s videos and read the content, then make videos of themselves demonstrating the skills. The instructor will watch your videos and provide feedback, which students can then apply to your next assignments.
This course will include:
• Playing accompanimental bass lines in swing, straight-eighth notes and ballad styles
• Fingerboard/fretboard layout and fingerings
• Basic harmonic structures of relevant chord/scale relationships
• Navigating common jazz chord progressions
• Concepts in improvisation
• Learning six standard jazz tunes
• Concepts in jazz education
Students can choose either upright or electric bass to take this course. No previous jazz or improvisation experience necessary.
*Students enrolled in the MMEd degree program at VanderCook may register for this course at the 500-level through the student portal. Please contact Dean Sinclair at [email protected] if academic advising is needed.
Requirements
Chat Session
Prerequisites
Required Text(s)
Instructional materials will be provided by the instructor.
Learning Platform Information - Online Courses Only
Schoology is a learning management system that allows you to interact directly with your instructors, fellow students, and members of the greater VanderCook community.
The evening before your class begins, be on the lookout for an email from Schoology with log-in instructions. Once you receive credentials, visit www.online.vandercook.edu to login.
Some courses have specific online chat meeting times (please see course descriptions), while others have a flexible meeting schedule. You can expect all courses to meet together in a live online chat. If a live meeting time doesn’t work, you can work with your instructor to make other arrangements.
More information about Schoology can be found at www.schoology.com
Please see specific software/hardware requirements in the course description.
Online course grades are available within two weeks of the course(s) completion. If you need a transcript, please CLICK HERE to access the online transcript request form. For a faster turnaround time, please submit the transcript request to the registrar prior to the end of your course(s).
Instructor
