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Arranging course - Focus on jazz and Big Band

Teacher: Jussi Lampela, MMus (jazz)

Do You need to get better in arranging for Your school’s ensemble? Or You are an accomplished musician, but face the task of writing arrangements for an ensemble You’ve never written for before? Or You just would like to get a more systematic approach to arranging and maybe some new ideas? Then read on!

Is this for me?

This course is meant for all musicians/composers interested to get more into arranging. The material focuses on popular music and jazz, with some chapters dedicated to writing for big band. And not limited to jazz/pop, the ideas presented in the course are common to all genres of music and can be used to improve Your skills as an arranger/orchestrator in all genres and all kinds of ensembles, be that a wind band, symphony orchestra, a small horn section or a vocal ensemble.

What are the prerequisites?

For practical purposes, You get the most mileage out of this course if You are familiar with basic music theory and notation. Here’s a more precise breakdown:

1. You can read music quite fluently, preferably on both treble and bass clefs. You don’t have to be a master pianist, but it helps if You can sight-read on your own instrument quite well, and bang out some chords on piano if needed.

2. You know how to construct chords, and are familiar with how to interpret chord symbols. Internet is stacked on good resources for this, below are a couple of sites that can help You out:

https://www.libertyparkmusic.c...

https://viva.pressbooks.pub/op...

https://www.stringkick.com/blo...

3. For writing and testing out arrangements, a notation software speeds things up. Musescore is an obvious cheap/free alternative, or consider investing in a professional software if You’re serious about writing/arranging music. Today the most popular professional programs are Sibelius, Dorico and Finale (in the order I prefer).

But other than that, You can be a total newcomer to arranging. I will start with the very first principles in how to approach getting started writing Your first arrangement, and give You tools for every step along the way.

Where and when?

The course takes place online, on four consecutive Saturdays in August 2024:

Saturday, August 3

Saturday, August 10

Saturday, August 17

Saturday, August 24

The start time for the Saturday sessions on various time zones:

08:00 PDT (Los Angeles)

11:00 EDT (New York

16:00 BST (London)

18:00 EEST (Helsinki)

Some have asked if it’s ok to miss some classes and watch them afterwards from the video replay: Sure thing, that’s what the video recordings are for! And besides the webinar replays, You get access to 27 pdf’s with matching sound files, and 3 other video files detailing various arranging concepts.

I am using Zoom as the platform, and will record all four sessions, so if You miss one session You can watch the playback at a later date. Each session lasts about 2 hours and 30 minutes, with a 15 min break in between and the 30 minutes at the end reserved for free group chat and questions. You will get access to all the pdf’s and sound recordings, as well as the recorded webinars. The sheet music is licensed for educational use through Notfabriken Music Publishing AB, and the streaming license is provided by the Finnish PRO, Teosto.

How much does it cost?

The early bird-fee for the course is now only 80 euros (roughly 85,- USD), and it's rising to 100 EUR  at the start of July, so act fast to reserve Your spot! The seats are limited to 50 (because of sheet music licensing).

General ideas behind the course material

In my teaching I love the idea of using a single example to present various devices for arranging. That’s why I’ve decided to use a familiar melody to most jazz musicians, “There Will Never Be Another You” (Gordon/Warren), and present many ideas in the course, using only the first 8 bars of this favorite jazz tune. We will go through different ways of harmonization using “There Will”, and in the fourth lesson we’ll go over 10 different ways of how to use all of the previously learned ideas with a full big band. For the big band examples I’m happy to have The Finnish Air Force Big Band play these for us, so we can hear the examples played by an excellent, professional big band.

Who is the instructor?

I am originally a jazz guitar major from Finland’s prestigious Sibelius-Academy, and have moved gradually to composing and arranging during the last 15-20 years. I’ve done over 600 arrangements for various ensembles: Choirs, wind bands, big bands, symphony orchestras and other ensembles. On top of that, I’ve been an orchestrator on over 20 feature films, tv series and documentaries and have arranged and orchestrated 11 theater plays. I’ve taught arranging and orchestration classes on various schools and universities in Finland, and have also been a teacher in Finnish Big Band Association’s arranging courses several times.

Some testimonials about the course:

“Lots of really cool concise info!”
Tim Davies, composer/conductor/orchestrator/arranger
https://www.timusic.net/debrev...

"Jussi's arranging course offers a wonderful wealth of information, especially for those looking to write for big band! Jussi is an excellent arranger and a lovely person, making the learning experience enjoyable in any setting. If you want to make your music both sing and swing, this is the course for you!"
Rolf Gustavson, orchestrator and composer.
https://rolfgustavson.com/

A statement from a previous student:
”Jussi’s arranging course offers loads of big band nuggets of wisdom gathered during a career spanning more than 20 years as a top-tier arranger and educator. A very compact and practical course where one can learn both the basic and the more colourful devices for big band writing through clear and engaging examples and analysis of famous jazz charts. While taking his course, Jussi guided me through adapting a melodic death metal album into 4-minute medley appropriate for a big band. And thanks to Jussi, instead of a hot mess the result was the heaviest, head-banging swing thing I’ve ever heard, completely playable for professional band!"
Mikko Aaltio, composer

Some of my arrangements and compositions:

https://open.spotify.com/playl...

For more information please visit my website:

www.jussilampela.com

A brief video of the things we'll go over in the course:

SELECTED CREDITS AS A LEADER: