From Harlem to Havana: Musical Intensive in Cuba

Catalog description

The course will be conducted at the Universidad de las Artes (ISA) in Havana, Cuba where students will study the intricacies of Cuban music through lectures, coaching and ensemble rehearsals. Students will learn how the Cuban musicians evolved a unique musical language, how this language merged with American Jazz to form Afro-Cuban Jazz* and will apply the concepts they learn to their individual instruments and in ensembles, while absorbing the local culture, and building friendships and exchanging musical ideas with ISA students. This course includes presentations of musical concepts as they pertain to the performance of Cuban music and Afro-Cuban Jazz including an overview of percussion instruments, forms of the clave, how the clave is incorporated in interactive jazz ensembles, music history, compositional structure, sound production including vocal production, rhythmic articulation, arranging techniques, and common performance practices. *Afro-Cuban Jazz is the potent mixture of Latin rhythms with jazz improvisation. Students will be divided into working ensembles on the first day and expected to rehearse and arrange for this configuration for the duration of the course. The school day will go from 10am-5pm, with a 2-hour lunch break and will include lectures that are interactive, listening sessions, individual instrument practice, ensemble rehearsals and jam sessions. The course will conclude with two public performances: one on the ISA campus and one at an outside venue. Upon return to New York, students will write a minimum 1000-word essay on their experience in Cuba, including what they learned and how they feel they assimilated the material, how they evolved as artists, how this trip shaped their understanding of the Cuban society and the Cuban people, and their artistic and personal goals moving forward.