Colin Hemmingsen's Column

Rip It Up, Issue 5, 1 October 1977, Page 15

Colin Hemmingsen's Column

Rock in Schools Part 2

I thank William Dart for the correction to my last article regarding jazz in the UE syllabus, but the fact that it is an aural and not theoretical question further exemplifies the misconceptions about jazz being a subject without a theoretical background. Mr Dart questions the validity of jazz being a university subject at all, and further states that one of the virtues of rock music is its non-academic nature. Why should a lack of knowledge improve the music, when in any other field, profession or activity in life, knowledge enhances understanding, ability and performance? When jazz first evolved, it was not considered an academic subject, but since then, the number of books published on or about the subject show that this is no longer the case (George Russell’s "Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organisation", Jerry Coker’s Improving Jazz", David Baker's numerous books on improvisation are only a few). To the average orchestral player the contents of these books would be new ground. Can all the colleges and universities around the world and especially in the U.S., be wasting their time in teaching jazz theory and improvisation? Even those already in existence are insufficient to cope with the steady demand. Why should jazz/rock be singled outastheone subject not requi ring advanced education? How can knowledge possibly inhibit creativity? I have had personal experience of just how "putting jazz and rock into the Faculties of Music Conservatorium” can solve a great deal. As I mentioned in a previous article, when I would ask older musicians how they did those things I wanted todo, I would be told, just blow man", but on arriving in the States I found this was definitely not so. I spent some time at Berklee College of Music, which specialises in jazz and at New England Conservatorium, which has an excellent jazz department, and I know that practice alone, has not been the only reason for an improvement in my playing over the years, but knowing what to practise and why.

On reading the profiles of any American or European jazz or jazz/rock musicians, you will find that the best performer, writers and arrangers have all had an extensive academic training, nearly all specialising in jazz at one time or another. Carla Bley, Chic Corea, Jean Luc Ponty, Gary Burton, Woody Herman, Al De Mieola, Billy Cobham, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Stanley Clarke the list goes on. When talking of rock in schools, I mean more specifically jazz/rock, not rock alone. If students were to study soley punk rock, I might agree that it may “promote philosophies and life styles at odds with many classrooms’’, but a study of the broader spectrum of jazz/rock would reveal as many diverse philosophies as there are musicians. I cannot, for example, imagine a wider difference in philosophies than those of a punk rock group and those of Seals and Crofts, who are believers in the B’hai faith. I feel that a similar approach should be made to the content of a music programme for schools as should be made by a group performing for an audience. There must be something that the student/audience can identify with, and this can be used as a basis from which to build an understanding and appreciation of more interesting, advanced and complex music.

If Mr Dart’s definition of labourer is the same as mine an unskilled worker, I can see nothing wrong with being a labourer, except to say that if the musician or person has the potential to be something more, he is not serving himself or his audience if he does not try to improve his standard of education and performance to the best of his ability.

As to whether healthy jazz/rock would result from varsity courses, in my experience, (and in the experience of many students from Creative Music School), I know that it most definitely does. There are selfish and greedy people in all walks of life, and music is no exception, but an environment where ideas can be exchanged in a musical and a social sense must benefit musicians, as it does any group or profession with a common interest.

Colin Hemmingsen

Darfs Letter

There were some good ideas in Colin Hemmingsen's Column. One correction: Jazz is not an optional question in U.E. music, but the student’s knowledge of the jazz works is tested in the aural paper rather than in the wirtten paper. One total agreement: The three jazz works are very old-hat, especially if the Modern Jazz Quartet is supposed to live up to its name in the late 1970'5. I think they chose it 'cos it opens with a bit of the old fugue. I would like to see some Carla Bley because I think her works are more discussable as an isolated piece of music than one piece by Armstrong or Ellington. One query: I am not sure it is the duty of Universities to school rock musicians. I think Universities must, to some extent err on the sideof the academic. One of the virtues of rock is itsi/n-academic nature, and I am not sure whether healthy jazz/rock would be produced by too many varsity courses. Possibly there is a place forthis at another tertiary institute. Rock music in schools is wasted on a lot of the kids and a fair amount of it promotes philosophies and life-styles that are somewhat at odds with many classrooms. The closing idea about N.Z. classical musicians be treated like artists and popular musicians as labourers is rather sad, but I don’t feel putting rock and jazz into the Faculties of Music Conservatorium will really solve much. P.S. What’s wrong with labourers any_way?

William Dart