THE JAZZ PROGRAM

Jim Guerra, Chair
Jim Guerra is a graduate of Berklee School of Music. An adjunct professor of music at Duquesne University, he has taught at Rogers School for the Performing Arts and at CAPA, the High School for Creative and Performing Arts. He was a member of the U.S. Navy Show Band and has played in the Buddy Rich Band and the Woody Herman Band. He is a member of the John Wilson Big Band in Pittsburgh and has worked in numerous productions of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Civic Light Opera Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Ballet Orchestra. He has been the Director of Summer Jazz Studies at Duquesne for 20 years.

Ron Bickel
Mr. Bickel received his Master of Music from Duquesne University. As a jazz artist Mr. Bickel has played with Chet Baker, Larry Coryell, Buddy DeFranco, Mel Torme, Jimmy Ponder, Don Aliquo, Joe Negri, Roger Humphries and many other notable jazz musicians. Mr. Bickel taught for 30 years in public schools. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at Duquesne University where he teaches jazz piano.

Ken Karsh
Ken Karsh is currently a professor of guitar at the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, California University of PA, City Music Center (the community music center at Duquesne University) and a faculty member for the Duquesne University Summer Guitar Workshop. He received his B.M. and M.M. in Performance at Duquesne University.

Ken has performed live and on recordings with nationally and locally known musicians such as Jimmy McGriff, Barry Miles, Eric Kloss, Bobby McFerrin, Lee Konitz, Joe Negri, Joey DeFrancesco, "Papa John" DeFrancesco, Jack McDuff, Gene Ludwig, Nathan Davis, and Angel Romero. As guitarist for a variety of Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera musical theater productions, Ken has performed in such well know productions as Jesus Christ Superstar, Chicago, A Chorus Line, Parade (composed and conducted by Jason Robert Brown), Fiddler on the Roof (performing on guitar and mandolin), Copacabana (composed by Barry Manilow) and recently, The Lion King with the Gazelle Company at the Benedum Theatre in Pittsburgh. Ken has performed with such distinguished groups as the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra (performing on Mandolin). He is a member of the Duquesne University faculty guitar ensemble Catch 22 and is featured, along with his faculty colleagues Bill Purse, Mark Koch, and Jeff Mangone on their CDs Reappearance and Sly on Life.

Ken's arrangements and etudes are featured in the Mel Bay and Warner Bros. publications, Jazz Guitar Standards (2002) and Jazz Guitar Standards: Chord Melody Solos and Mel Bay's Guitar Journals: Jazz. He has authored two textbooks for guitar: Jazz Scale Workout (Mel Bay Publications) and the self-published Fingerboarding Made EZ: Scale & Arpeggio Visualization for Guitar. Ken has recently released a CD on Alanna Records of his own compositions and jazz standards entitled Ventana.

Jazz Studies at City Music Center is offered in separate parts or, as a full comprehensive program of solo instrumental instruction, jazz theory, and improvisation. Admission to comprehensive jazz program is by permission of Chair of Jazz Program and Chair of Musicianship Program.

Solo Instrumental Studies
Private instruction is available for piano, guitar, and saxophone.

Jazz Improvisation/Jazz Theory
Students learn how to improvise melody and use harmonic progressions, within the structure and form of jazz composition. They learn how listen to each other, how to develop a musical idea, and how to be a soloist within a larger ensemble. The emphasis of the class is on learn ing to improvise not to prepare for performance. Students will learn the foundations of the jazz vocabulary; modal studies, chord syllabus, form and analysis and styles. Prerequisite is Musicianship IV or equivalent. This is an elective class, open to all instruments, and it meets on Saturday from 1:00 to 2:30 pm.

For additional information, please call City Music Center, (412) 396-5872.

Faculty

Jim Guerra, Saxophone, Chair
Ron Bickel, Piano
Josh Dunlevy, Saxophone
Ken Karsh, Guitar

Effective June 1, 2011, CMC will begin processing Summer Tuition Payments online. Final tuition payments for the current academic year should continue to be processed through the CMC office.

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