by Andrew Weitzman, ’18
Within the University School community, there are many different facets and definitions of the arts. For some people, art is sculpting, painting, and woodworking. For others it may be technical design and photography. However, there is one art that is selective because of its required initial skill and control over the technique, playing an instrument.
Mr. David Kay is the director of the Jazz Ensemble and the Jazz Combo groups here at US. He has a bachelor’s degree from Michigan Sate in music education and a master’s degree in Jazz Studies from Indiana University, one of the most prestigious music schools in the country.
Following college, he played with some of the top names in jazz, such as Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Mary Wilson and the Supremes, and many others. In addition, he played in several school and community orchestras for theatre productions, including all of the spring musical performances performed at US.
During his summer break, he is a part of the music faculty at the Interlochen Music Camp in northwestern Michigan, where he teaches saxophone, jazz classes, and runs rehearsals. He has spent 28 years there, which is the same amount of time that he has spent at US.
The Jazz Ensemble is an audition-based group where each member has to have a certain level of ability with his instrument. In addition to control of the instrument, each student must be able to sight-read music, which is being able to play the composition by just looking at the notes and knowing how the song sounds and how it is played. Sight-reading is one of the most difficult parts because it is a skill that is not easy to practice. Furthermore, the rhythms in the jazz groups tend to be more difficult than those in the orchestra, which calls for a higher mastery of the instrument at the beginning of the year.
Within the three jazz groups, they play several different styles of music. A decent amount of the music they play is swing music, which is a typical groove style of music in the jazz genre. They also play jazz songs with a Latin influence from the Caribbean and Central America. Mr. Kay tries to have the players come into contact and lean songs from different points times in jazz music history. Therefore, the concerts are usually comprised of a combination of modern and classical jazz music.
All of the classical jazz in rooted in tradition, and the core of that tradition is music by people such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and others. The players get into contact with different types of jazz by playing music by those famous musicians.
Typically, the Jazz Ensemble and other jazz groups have three main performances each year: one for US Homecoming, one in the winter, and one in the spring. Depending on the year, they could have more gigs outside of the school, which are usually established by an outside connection to a particular venue. Mr. Kay usually has the Jazz Combo group play because of the ease of travel. He enjoys these outside gigs because a part of the learning experience of an instrument is to play in front of an audience, just as presenting artwork at a showcase is a learning experience for other artists. This year for their spring concert they are bringing in a special guest saxophone soloist who performed with the famous trumpeter Miles Davis. The Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo join together with the Orchestra, which is led by Mr. Singer, for both of their school concerts.
As a closing question in our interview, we asked Mr. Kay why he believed that it was important to know how to play and learn about music. He answered, “Music, like all arts, is unique way to discover and have connections with how you feel, your emotions, and how you and others see the would. Sports and other activities just don’t encompass that.” He went on to explain that in music, the goal is not to beat someone but to try and participate in the activity together to get the best results out of other people. The overall goal is to transfer oneself and one’s emotions through the art form, with the hope that the music positively impacts or touches a nerve in someone else’s life and makes them have a revelation or feel better about a situation.
“It is difficult to conceptualize because music is an irreplaceable and vial experience in the life of all people.”
When asked what the world would be like without music, Mr. Kay responded, “It is difficult to conceptualize because music is an irreplaceable and vial experience in the life of all people.” With music, people are taught to focus at an elevated level and be perceptive of specific details and events. Learning how those sounds can be manipulated with those techniques helps to process the music and create a more satisfying output. It takes more than just technical command of the instrument it takes insight into the art form itself.
I encourage all of you to come and hear these talented musicians share their art form with the hope of influencing your life and changing a situation for the better.
