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Logo © Copyright 2011 Michael Garrick. All Rights Reserved

"There is more to jazz than meets the ear!"

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RIP Michael Garrick MBE (1933-2011)

With great sadness we announce the passing of our dear beloved leader and inspirer without whom Jazz Academy would never be. In light of that Michael Garrick's Jazz Academy will continue to carry the torch and spread the Joy and Love that permeates the creative music we call 'jazz'. We will go from strength to strength in his memory.

- Gabriel Garrick

"Jazz as a development in music is inevitable because it corresponds to the development of human beings psychologically. It just so happens that it sprang up in a particular place at a particular time and so carries a particular history with it"

- Michael Garrick

Introduction

Jazz Academy Vacation Courses:

  • Spring Jazz - 2nd-5th April 2012
  • Summer Jazz - 19th-25th August 2012
  • Winter Jazz - 27th-30th December 2012
  • Jazz for beginners
  • All instrumentalists, jazz singers and accompanists
  • String players
  • 95 years of Jazz Improvisation: 1917-2012
  • All periods and preferences
  • Nightly jazz club
  • Associated Board jazz syllabus

Click here for details of Jazz Academy records featuring Michael Garrick and his various groups.

Yehudi Menuhin Campus Established in 1989 at The Royal Academy of Music, Jazz Academy has since taken place at Beechwood Campus in Royal Tunbridge Wells and now resides at the Yehudi Menuhin School in Cobham. This venue is in a beautiful setting with top notch facilities; pianos literally everywhere, unlimited parking, modern indoor swimming pool, residential accommodation with onsite catering and licensed bar.

Michael Garrick MBE, course founder, says : "When I came home from my first week teaching on a one-off all-music course I automatically switched on the radio, something I'd not had cause to do for the whole action-packed week. Lurid, awful news invaded my ears. I realised with a jolt how inspiring life can really be with other human beings who love and share something greater than themselves and by contrast how normally we are fighting off so much that brings us down, all that we're subjected to by media which seems obliged to report every ghastly detail. Our aim with Jazz Academy is to send everyone away feeling better - much better! They've been in touch with something real."

Jazz, the music of the last and the new centuries, is our focus and for us, it celebrates good-humoured human spirit, not birthdays or long faces!

We don't pay that much attention to generation gaps at Jazz Academy (average ages 16-75): we're here to illuminate and pass on our experience, skills and great love of jazz, the music that thrills us to the bone.
Michael Garrick - Course Director
Jazz Academy caters for all ages

Enthusiasm Your only qualifications need to be a real curiosity, an ability to play or sing (in your own judgement) with reasonable facility and above all, an enthusiasm for sharing and learning with an open mind.

Environment We look forward to welcoming back (as often happens) previous students and making way for lots of new ones. Our environments are chosen for their friendliness, good catering, greenery, swimming pools and ample, free parking.

Quotes: "Jazz Academy is a different world. Fantastic!"

"Great value for money"

"It did me a power of good"

"A revelation...my first real insight into jazz"

"I learned a hell of a lot"

"It's given me a good firm kick up the butt!"

"I've been on lots of Jazz courses - Jazz Academy was the first one where I really learned something"

"It's better than a fortnight in the West Indies!"

- Quotes like these from former students echo our general aim - a great deal of fun plus a feast of good music. See below for two unsolicited testimonials.

Course director Michael Garrick leads aspiring jazzers

Enthralled spectators in the jazz club...

Hils Revell grooves along with top drummer.. Timetable A typical day's timetable for all three courses starts shortly after 9am and runs throughout 5 periods till 5.30pm. It includes:

  • Instrumental tutorials
  • Illustrated jazz history
  • Ensembles
  • Harmony classes
  • Graded improvisation
  • Playalong sessions with tutor rhythm sections
  • Jazz beginners classes
  • Vocal groups
  • Opportunities for individual tuition
  • Composing and arranging

The Jazz examination syllabus from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music can also be studied by those who may be interested.

Specific details for the courses are given below:

Spring Jazz To celebrate new life and embrace the freshness of the spring season, how better to do so than spend some of the Easter holiday experiencing the best process any jazz course can offer? This course was run as 'Piano People' but, as the pianist has passed and Gabriel Garrick, being a trumpeter, has now inherited the mantle, this course will cater for all instruments. The dates are the 2nd to the 5th April 2012. SPRING JAZZ BROCHURE

Summer Jazz In late summer, the Jazz Academy Summer Course is for all instrumentalists and vocalists. A wide variety of people and instruments makes this a most enjoyable musical experience for anyone who is interested in learning more about jazz. The next Summer Course will take place from the 19th to the 25th of August 2012.

Winter Jazz What happens between Christmas and New Year, apart from more eating, more drinking and more insufferable relatives?! (If you really want to stay together though, bring them along at the reduced friends and relations rate). WINTER JAZZ is the answer - an oasis of cool excitement for all instrumentalists and vocalists between Chrismas & New Year. 27th - 30th December 2012.

 

Relaxed jazz club every night

Gabriel Garrick with Fred Thelonius Baker

 

Evening Jazz Club Our jazz club runs from 7.30pm to 10.30pm; time slots are freely bookable as are tutors to play or sing with. You can be sure of a warm and positive reception regardless of ability or performing experience. Friends, family and jazz fans are welcomed to a swinging scene and a fully licensed bar.

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Why choose Jazz Academy?

Fun and games for ALL the family!

Give it one! Alan Jackson at the drums

  • Value for money: Jazz Academy's Summer Course runs for six full days in total (Spring Jazz and Winter Jazz are three days long). Every minute of the day is utilised to the full! You won't be left twiddling your thumbs!
  • Opportunities for performing: All students have the chance to perform either solo or as part of organised or ad-hoc groups in the nightly club which is situated on campus.
  • Courses to suit all musicians: Jazz Academy courses are designed to appeal to any musician who has an interest in jazz and a reasonable ability to play their chosen instrument or sing - in their own estimation. Classically-trained? In a Rock/Pop band? String player? School music teacher? Jazz Academy's tutors are specialists in helping all of these tpes of students as well as those from a purely jazz background. You won't be left out!
  • Quality of tutors: Jazz Academy tutors are all experienced, professional musicians and are drawn from institutions such as Guildhall School of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Trinity College, Birmingham Conservatoire and the Associated Board. Their wide experience with students of all abilities includes inspirational work with primary and secondary schoolchildren. You'll find that all tutors are friendly, approachable and willing to help you learn.
  • Wide range of styles covered: Jazz Academy courses are designed to appeal to the widest range of jazz interests, from the earliest pre-jazz and ragtime styles to the tastiest avant-garde and 'cutting-edge' of today's performers. There's something for everyone!

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Registration (Spring Jazz)

The course brochure for Spring Jazz 2012 is available NOW!!..Click to download.  

Early registration is advised.

Registration (Summer Jazz)

The course brochure for Summer Jazz 2012 will be available after the spring course. For reference, click HERE for the brochure of the past course.

Registration (Winter Jazz)

The brochure for Winter Jazz 2012 will be available after the summer course. For reference click HERE  for the brochure of the past course.

Please check that you have enabled popup windows for this site or downloads will not work! .

Vocal tutor Trudy Kerr accompanied by Michael Garrick (piano)

Sing for the joy of jazz!

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Contact Jazz Academy

Email: vicky@tptp.co.uk

Phone: +44(0)7957 627465

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Frequently Asked Questions

All getting involved in a mass jam!

'Didn't they do well?' - praise indeed from Martin Hathaway!

  • How did Jazz Academy start? "Having done lots of jazz work in Hampshire and Manchester with children of all ages, John Dankworth asked me to start a Summer Jazz course for his Wavendon All Music plan. A few years later I was teaching at the Royal Academy of Music and in 1989 with the help of my old Wavendon colleague Arthur Lockwood began Jazz Academy there, moving to Beechwood nine years later.

    "The great advantage of vacation courses - apart from the non-stop fun - is no exams. You learn as much or as little as you need, no questions asked. Age? Eight to eighty is about it, but nothing surprises us. It's about love of the music and pooling our experience. Tutors learn more all the time and love to pass on to others what makes them tick."

    Michael Garrick

  • Why are Jazz Academy courses value for money? It's because you get more hours of teaching per day. The teaching day starts earlier and finishes later - there are five sessions per day.
  • What's the atmosphere like on the courses? Jazz Academy tutors are experienced in making sure that all students get a fair chance to learn during the week. Classes are self-grading: you can change classes if you wish
  • Are there opportunities to perform during the week? Yes! Each night there is the evening Jazz Club which gives all students a chance to play. We have been told that performing opportunities are best at Jazz Academy courses.
  • What if I've just started to learn an instrument? Jazz Academy courses are designed for students who can already play their instrument or sing - but you don't need Grade 8 (or to have taken any exams, for that matter) to get the most out of the courses! Intermediate level players are in the majority and students who can already read music will find that they benefit most from the courses
  • I can't make it for the whole course, can I attend just a few days? Yes, there is a "per-day" rate for just such cases. Don't forget to state on your enrolment form clearly which days you will attend.
    1. Gareth Lockrane. Flute and piano

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      Unsolicited testimonials

      Dear Mike,

      I just wanted to say thank you for the amazing jazz course you have put together. I was very fortunate that I came across your Jazz Academy site and signed up for the course (Summer Jazz 2011). It was my first ever jazz course and I have learnt a tremendous amount from it.

      At first it was daunting and I felt I was inadequate in many ways, but then I felt more relaxed and it made me motivated to learn jazz seriously. I had never played in an ensemble before this course. What a wonderful experience you have provided! Being away from hectic London, the Yehudi Menuhin School was perfect for the course aswell. I have enjoyed meeting the tutors and fellow students in a very friendly atmosphere.

      I found your piano seminars especially intriguing and engaging. Your knowledge of music was astounding and you explained things so clearly to us. I liked how you threw in anecdotes and jokes and made us laugh at the same time. Listening to you play so beautifully and magically inspired me to explore further into jazz. By the way, I had 'You've Changed' stuck in my head for a week. It is one of the most enchanting tunes.

      Thank you again for giving us such a fantastic experience. It certainly was the most intense week of the year for me. I enjoyed being immersed in jazz. See you soon at one of your concerts!

      Sincerely yours,

      Akemi Fujita

      Dear Michael,

      A quick note to thank you and your team of tutors for making Winter Jazz 2010 a special experience. I enjoyed the course you ran at Aberystwyth all those years ago, but we know that the difficulty in getting a critical mass of players together (a perennial problem in this remote and underpopulated area) meant that it was hard work for you and the people attending it. Since then I have tried one other, much larger, course (I won't say where and when) and didn't like it at all. Too much aggression, competition, ego and a generally unproductive vibe. This put me off jazz courses for many years. But Winter Jazz was so different-great tutors, lovely students, excellent venue, plenty of time and space to learn and perform. I especially enjoyed being able to gatecrash Trudy's vocal sessions (thanks Trudy!) and work on my accompaniment skills. Gabriel was great fun and I had a ball with the funky grooves he introduced to his improvising sessions. Gareth is something special and he brought the very best out of the ragged crew in his tutorial group. Pat, Martin and Fred Thelonious are just perfect as musicians, teachers and, well, people. And then there's M Garrick himself, the Capo di Capi, setting standards that journeyman keyboard pounders like me can only dream of.

      Anyway, enough of the gush. I just wanted to say you've created something special with Winter Jazz, you've cured my cynicism about such events and I will be very surprised if I don't return to one of the Jazz Academy fests before too long.

      I hope you're over your mid-winter malaise-it didn't seem to interfere with your peerless piano performances-and that our paths cross again in the near future.

      With best regards,

      Sid Thomas

      Dear Michael,

      A note to thank you and the whole of the Jazz Academy Team for an absolutely superb Summer Jazz 2006 at Beechwood. My learning experience last week extended far beyong my expectations; but first the memory lingers of the sheer niceness of Jazz Academy tutors, fellow students and Beechwood staff. What a vital element of Jazz Academy's 18th anniversary course!

      Next, I was fortunate to study with three core JA tutors, Paul, Martin and Steve. Down at the shallow end, in Paul's ensemble I was often amazed at how he was able to break down already bite-sized chunks into even tinier portions that slipped enjoyably down the throats of complete jazz innocents. These ideas later resurfaced quite distinctly jazz-flavoured in the evening jazz club. Perhaps I can take a little pride in occasionally lifting my own feet from the bottom to swim tentatively towards a jazz depth of five feet or so, and there I, too, found that Paul's morsels had a remarkably bouyant effect on my solos.

      Gabriel Garrick (trumpet) leads wind aspirants with Pauline Davis (piano)

      Most useful for me with specialist saxophone tuition was Martin. His schoolmaster charicatures began with the calling of the register and his seriously memorable tutorials reminded me more than anything of the "Beano" or the "Dandy". And his comments became inkier as and when the Essex Girls, or anyone else for that matter, required. And through this humour his very salient and serious points stuck. And still stick. I loved it.

      Steve is the voice of reason. He explains everything, however complex, so clearly and so reasonably that you just have to agree with him. And then do it. Or keep trying to... Serious stuff, but again, so nice.

      Michael, your own appearances motivated me every time. All the course talks were great, but your placement of Roots, Humour and the Human Condition was very, very moving. Thank you. But most of all, and to all the JA team - thank you for your wonderful music. Marvellous.

      Yours Sincerely,

      Martin Holland.

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      Course founder Michael Garrick MBE was one of the UK's leading jazz educators.

      Formerly Professor of Jazz Piano at the Royal Academy of Music, Trinity College of Music and John Dankworth's Wavendon Allmusic Plan, he led his own groups since the '60s and has approaching 1000 compositions in his catalogue.

      Click here for details of Jazz Academy records featuring Michael Garrick and his various groups.

      Click to go to Michael Garrick's web site Click to go to Gabriel Garrick's web site
      Left to right: Martin  Hathaway  (alto  saxophone),  course  leader  Michael  Garrick  (piano),  Steve  Waterman  (trumpet)
      Click for a photo of the Michael Garrick Jazz Orchestra

      Text copyright © 1997-2012 Michael Garrick, Gabriel Garrick & Charles Brereton
      All Rights Reserved.

      Last update: 12th January 2012