"Teaching Jazz with Confidence and Joy"

About this episode

Lesley Moffat discusses teaching jazz with Milas Yoes, focusing on building confidence and effective strategies for jazz band directors.

In this episode of Band Director Boot Camp , Lesley Moffat talks with jazz educator and author Milas Yoes about how to start, grow, or strengthen a jazz band, even if jazz was never your primary background. If you’ve ever felt underprepared to teach jazz, this conversation will help you see that you likely know more than you think you do, and that confidence can be built step by step. Milas shares why he wrote Diving into Jazz Band with Confidence and Joy for directors who may have landed a jazz band assignment without much formal jazz pedagogy training. He talks honestly about the importance of choosing music that truly fits your students, especially paying close attention to rhythm section needs, instrumentation, and skill level so students can be successful instead of overwhelmed. The conversation also highlights one of the most rewarding parts of jazz education: improvisation. Milas breaks down a simple and approachable way to introduce improvisation using a groove, limited note choices, call and response, and “safety in numbers” so students can experiment without fear. He reminds us that the first solos are supposed to be messy, and that jazz creates a unique space for…

People in this episode

Host: Lesley Moffat

Guest: Milas Yoes

Topics covered

• jazz education
• confidence in teaching
• improvisation
• music selection
• student engagement

Keywords

• jazz band
• teaching jazz
• music education
• improvisation techniques
• student success

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Diving into Jazz Band with Confidence and Joy

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