The Conservatory, a music & community arts school, based in Doylestown, Bucks County, presents a concert featuring the many and varied styles of Jazz. A band comprised of both professional jazz performers and student musicians takes the stage at The Underground, on Sunday afternoon, March 17, 2019.
The students involved in the show are members of The Conservatory’s Jazz Performance Program, directed by keyboard player Bill Gottshall. Sax player Jonathan Lucas, who directs an Introduction to Jazz program and teaches
individual lessons at The Conservatory, and trumpet player Wolfgang Bauscher, who is also an instructor there, will join Gottshall in fronting the student-teacher band. Gottshall is a frequent performer at The Underground, appearing both with jazz groups and classic-rock bands. Lucas performs as a freelance musician in venues such as The Arden Theater, in small and large group settings with some of Philly’s finest jazz musicians, as well as other musical
ensembles on piccolo, flute, clarinet, and saxophones. Bauscher is a regular performer at several local jazz venues, especially in the Doylestown area. In addition to playing trumpet in jazz settings, Bauscher plays French horn in many classical ensembles.
The Conservatory’s Jazz Showcase format provides a unique type of mentoring for student musicians. Instructor and student stand shoulder-to-shoulder, performing jazz in an actual nightclub environment. This cooperative approach provides support for the young musician while letting him/her experience the interplay of improvisation that takes
place in a jazz band. “Learning how to improvise is always the biggest hurdle for the young jazz musician,” says
Gottshall. “Improv is the lifeblood of jazz, but it takes a very long time to feel comfortable doing it. There’s always the fear of losing your place in the music. In an all-student band, kids will feel worried and nervous, so they’ll hold back and play it safe. The onstage student-teacher partnership provides a bit of security for the young musicians. The
adults always have their back!”
The Conservatory Jazz Showcase begins at 3:00 PM and will run about one hour. Tickets are $8.00 per person and are available both online and at the door. The Underground is an all-ages club. Children are welcome and encouraged to attend, as long as they are accompanied and supervised by an adult. The Conservatory is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides free and subsidized programs to disadvantaged youth, persons with disabilities, and senior citizens. It depends upon generous donations and grants from individuals, corporations, and foundations to make certain that the arts are accessible to everyone.
Doors open at 2:30 pm
Social media links:
The Conservatory
http://www.myconservatory.org/
https://www.facebook.com/The-Conservatory-102422363165711/