Frank Zona
Her Method of Teaching Jazz Improvisation Helped My Students
“I’ve been an active player all my life, and about 15 years ago, I started my own jazz group.
When I went to college, I had no formal music training. All my studying for jazz improv, for the most part, has been on my own. I bought all the books I’m supposed to buy, and worked with them.
I saw this offer for her Jazz Improvisation Explained course. It looked interesting and I thought, I’ve been at this a while, maybe this is not for me. But I thought about it some more, and since I’ve been subscribed to her newsletter, I’ve seen many of her videos, and felt that Donna is a really knowledgeable instructor. She’s passionate about what she does and maybe there’s something in there that I can use. More importantly, maybe her methods of teaching jazz improvisation can help me teach my students.
I was really surprised when I bought the course – I thought the modules were well-laid out and it was at a good pace. I was really impressed with the module on the Blues. I’ve already incorporated some of her methods and techniques with what I do, both for teaching and playing. It’s a great benchmark and touchstone to refer to for getting my students on their way. ”
Rich Sojka
Take The Course Even If You're A Seasoned Improviser
“I am a rocket scientist, and I’ve been playing my trumpet for 62 years, on and off. In the past, I’ve seen courses and books that said-learn all these scales and arpeggios and you can improvise. There may be some truth to that, but this is an art, and can’t be very difficult if you’ve never done that before.
In the course, Donna put things very simply, in a step-by-step fashion. Every Module had a standard that we looked at. I would say to someone on the fence – take the course, definitely – even if you are a seasoned improviser.
The information Donna provides is very succinct and user-friendly. The course was very expansive – it covers a lot and all from a basic standpoint.
Even someone who has never improvised before can take a solo – I’m totally convinced of that.
For me it was a ground-breaking ceremony for opening up my creativity, because obviously, with my scientific background my head tends to meander toward the analytical side of things.
But when you get into improvisation, it’s not just analysis, it’s creativity and experimentation. You have to explore things from every angle you can conceive of. “
Adam Chan
Now I Am Able to Improvise With Confidence
“The first time my bandleader asked me to improvise, I looked at the page in shock. Later he said to me, “nice use of space.”
After working with Donna, I am much better able to look at a song – not just the notes on the page, but the underlying structures that aren’t immediately obvious.
My confidence has improved 10,000-fold.
I can do it now – a huge step up from not being able to do it at all. ”
M.T.
“Before I worked with Donna, my improvisation was lost in the background, with no structure.
Donna explained what needed to be done with improvisation in a nice, clear way.
Now I enjoy improvising. It used to be tense. It used to be feeling like homework.
It's a very different way of doing things.
I am progressing and enjoying playing.”
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