Fall MECA Online Courses
All Fall MECA online courses
are generally held from
Sept. 21 through Dec. 13, 2020,
unless specified.
|
Registration closes at 11:59 p.m.
on September 18, 2020
|
Questions?
Visit our MECA FAQs page.
Drop, withdraw or change using
the Add/Drop Form.
For other MECA-related questions,
contact us at meca@vandercook.edu
or 312.788.1139
Beginning Jazz Improvisation
ONLINE
September 21–December 13, 2020
This course is designed for music performers and educators who want to learn how to improvise. Through carefully selected jazz repertoire, participants will learn the basic mechanics of improvisation and the essential music theory elements needed to improvise, including modal improvisation, the blues, ii-V-I progressions, and simplifying chord progressions. Participants will practice and perform jazz improvisation concepts on the instrument of their choice. No previous experience with improvisation is required.
Instructor: Michael Fein
Michael Fein earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in jazz saxophone performance from Rowan University. He released his debut jazz album, Four Flights Up, in April 2005 (available on iTunes). Fein has presented numerous sessions at music and technology conferences including the 2005 National Education Computing Conference and the 2009 and 2010 TI:ME National Conferences. He was awarded the TI:ME Teacher of the Year in 2007. In 2010, Fein co-authored Making Music with GarageBand and Mixcraft, a music production curriculum text, and recently authored Teaching Music Improvisation with Technology, published in February 2017. Fein currently teaches graduate music technology courses at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and music technology electives and jazz ensemble at Haverford High School in Haverford Township, PA.
Course Details
Beginning
Jazz Improvisation
Course Code 6140
Instructor
Michael Fein
mfein@vandercook.edu
3 Graduate Credits
Tuition
$1,065, due in full with registration
Chat Sessions
TBD
Prerequisites
None
Required Text(s)
None
Software/Hardware Requirements
Access to a Mac, PC or Chromebook with Internet access and the latest version of Google Chrome or Firefox.
MECA Online Course Details
VanderCook Online is powered by Schoology (www.schoology.com). Through this learning management system, you'll be able to interact directly with your instructor, students in your classes, and members of the greater VanderCook Online community.
Fall 2020 MECA courses officially begin on Monday, Sept. 21. Soon after you register, you'll be added as a new Schoology user. Be on the lookout for an email from Schoology with log-in instructions. Once you are given credentials, simply visit www.online.vandercook.edu to login. On the morning of Sept. 21, you'll have access to your classroom and course material.
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.
You’ll have the opportunity to work at your own pace each week while completing assignments and posting responses to discussion questions. You’ll constantly be interacting with your instructor and classmates online, and working through new material each week. We know how crazy school schedules can get, so our instructors try to make everything as flexible as possible!
Online grades will be reported by mid-October. If you are in need of a transcript please visit the online transcript request page. If you are in need a quick turn around time for your transcript please submit the transcript request to the registrar prior to the end of your course(s).