The Youth Jazz Ensemble course introduces students to the joy of playing and improvising in the jazz idiom, helping them build the skills required to perform this challenging and rewarding music. Meeting weekly to rehearse, each ensemble is guided by an experienced CMS coach— a professional jazz musician who draws upon their onstage experience to help each group reach its full performance potential.
These ensembles are open to students aged 12 to 18, with no prior jazz or improvisation experience required. Through a thoughtful placement process, each student joins an ensemble suited to their current musical level and age, ensuring that the Youth Jazz Ensemble course offers new challenges and growth opportunities each year.
For over 30 years, the Community Music School Youth Jazz Ensemble has been at the forefront of jazz education in Canada. This unique course immerses students in jazz techniques, concepts, and repertoire, designed to help them discover their individual voices as improvisers while working towards the shared goal of performance.
Jazz, rooted in the Black American musical tradition, is an art form that emphasizes artistic expression through improvisation— the spontaneous composition of music. Its history is rich with landmark innovations that have shaped modern music, creating a dynamic, ever-evolving musical language that continues to influence and inspire today.
“Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life.”
- Art Blakey
“Jazz is democracy in music.”
- Miles Davis