Jazz Philharmonic: Second Set: Teacher's Manual Book & Online Audio

Phillips delivers exactly what string teachers need to make jazz accessible: a carefully sequenced collection with notated solos, full backgrounds, and bass lines that let students hear professional phrasing before they attempt improvisation. The recorded accompaniments transform practice from a theoretical exercise into real musicmaking, and the range from beginning to advanced ensures every section member finds their entry point into jazz.

These charts swing. They honor jazz tradition with authentic harmonic language and groove while remaining approachable for string players used to classical technique. The notated solos offer glimpses of how jazz phrasing bends and breathes differently than concert music, inviting students to hear jazz not as a foreign idiom but as a living, expressive extension of their musicianship.

This manual serves string teachers introducing jazz concepts across ability levels, from middle school ensembles meeting jazz for the first time to advanced high school orchestras deepening their improvisation skills. It works equally well for classroom ensemble directors and private studio instructors seeking structured pathways into jazz repertoire.

• Reference the recorded accompaniments frequently during sectional rehearsals so students internalize the groove and harmonic movement before learning their parts by ear.
• Encourage soloists to listen to the notated solos in the recording multiple times, studying phrasing, vibrato control, and dynamics as a model for their own interpretation.
• Balance the ensemble sound by having non-soloing sections play backgrounds with consistent tone and articulation; these parts drive the groove and cannot be an afterthought.
• Use the provided bass lines to establish harmonic clarity; a secure bass foundation gives soloists freedom to explore the changes with confidence.

Weave these pieces into the second half of your season once students have built foundational technique and comfort reading in ensemble. A single chart works as a concert feature or can anchor a jazz-themed concert alongside standards from the first set and other eclectic styles repertoire. Use individual units across the year to break up classical programming and sustain student engagement through variety.

• Jazz harmony recognition and chord changes
• Improvisation within defined chord progressions
• Jazz articulation and vibrato control
• Listening to and interpreting recorded professional models
• Ensemble groove awareness and rhythmic precision
• Reading notated jazz solos as interpretive guides