notEs from thE rsC

Lifelong Learning is the Key to Resilience in RSC Jazz Department

Philippe Crettien P’05 (right) working with Felipe Salles (left), his composition professor at UMass Amherst last year.

According to Jazz Department Director Philippe Crettien, jazz musicians must always keep learning in order to remain fluent in the evolving art form. “Jazz is a music of convening influences,” he says. “It’s a vibrant, living thing, so you have to stay on top of it if you want to be relevant.” Crettien models this commitment to continuing education, having recently completed a master’s degree in jazz composition after 20 years of teaching. The challenging two years he spent composing for choral, orchestra, and jazz ensembles at UMass Amherst pushed him outside of his comfort zone and enhanced his already excellent instruction.

He says that curiosity is a shared trait among his 11 colleagues in the department, who are also professional musicians. Guitarist Patrick Mottaz, for instance, has spent the past three years exploring the value of technology in jazz education. He says he has found “a whole new teaching toolbox” in audio apps such as GarageBand and Logic, which he uses to teach music theory concepts, help students record original compositions, and demonstrate his own songs.

Even as jazz faculty such as Crettien and Mottaz have consistently worked hard to acquire knowledge that elevates their teaching, the past year has produced a particularly urgent demand for new skills. The jazz department has risen to this challenge, working together to navigate the unexpected transitions to remote, hybrid, and socially distanced in-person teaching.

From the start of the school closing last spring, the jazz department—whose members are skilled in the art of improvising—adapted quickly and successfully to remote teaching. Faculty members immediately transferred their lessons to Zoom without missing a session. Next, they tackled the next challenge of continuing live musical collaboration, described by Crettien as “the whole thrill and challenge of jazz.”

After discovering that the SoundJack platform allows for virtual playing among ensemble members performing up to 500 miles apart, jazz faculty downloaded the software and began to experiment. They found it to be a

Trombonist and RSC faculty member Clayton DeWalt (shown leading an outdoor class) has adjusted to teaching in the COVID era.

“game changer,” in Crettien’s words. Trombonist Clayton DeWalt worked tirelessly to understand the technology’s intricacies through research and trial and error. He also relied upon colleagues throughout the process, exchanging ideas and gathering for trial calls. DeWalt has gained a wealth of knowledge, which he shares with the community via video tutorials. “I just think about what I would want to know if I were learning for the first time. You learn so much more about it yourself as you break it down into steps for

The Rivers School Conservatory is pleased to announce the creation of a new fund, designed to invest in the development of innovative practices and programs. Established with a gift from Sarah and

Bob Bua, parents of Cecily ’21 and Griffin ’19, the Innovation Fund will increase access to the high-quality music education that RSC provides and enhance the school’s reputation as a premier music conservatory.

Sarah Bua, who also lends her leadership as a member of the Rivers Music Executive Committee, says, “Music has been an essential part of my life, from when I was a child all the way to the present moment. Musical training and performance teach essential skills that prepare youth for a lifetime of impact and connection.

We are excited to support RSC as it innovates towards that envisioned future.” Already, the Innovation Fund has been instrumental in helping RSC navigate teaching and learning in a hybrid model during the COVID-19 pandemic. Supported and inspired by the Buas’ investment,

RSC has pursued SoundJack technology as a tool for the remote continuation of ensembles. With this valuable software, chamber groups and jazz combos can play together in real time from different locations without any lag in sound. Students and faculty participating in these programs have received equipment packages that include the microphone, audio interface, and headphones needed to use SoundJack. In this way, the fund has facilitated musical collaboration in a manner that was not previously thought possible and made it possible to include students who would not otherwise be able to enroll for health and safety reasons. The fund has also supported the creation of tutorial videos designed to instruct the community on the use of SoundJack, accompanying equipment, and other pedagogical software. Jazz faculty member Clayton others,” he says. In this case, as with Crettien’s graduate studies and Mottaz’s use of technology, love of learn- ing goes hand-in-hand with leadership in COVID-era education.

When the world turned upside down, the RSC Jazz Department led with resilience. As a team that is devoted to a growing and changing genre, the department was prepared to respond creatively to the obstacles presented

Introducing the rivers School Conservatory Innovation Fund

by the pandemic. — Marissa Birne ’15

RSC Director Gabriella Sanna is excited about the new fund and its impact on the Conservatory.

DeWalt says of the project, “I’m hopeful that the work we’re doing now will continue to serve us well for the rest of the year and into the future, as the landscape of music education evolves.” RSC Director Gabriella Sanna echoes DeWalt: “I am endlessly grateful to Sarah and Bob Bua for their dedication to RSC, and I am excited about the ways in which this fund will continue to support faculty, programs, and students in pursuit of musical excellence.”

To learn more, or to contribute to the Innovation Fund, please contact Jan Hicinbothem (j.hicinbothem@ rivers.org), RSC associate director of advancement, or RSC Director Gabriella Sanna (g.sanna@rivers.org). —MB