JazzED-ucation in Action: Sam Boshnack

As one of Seattle JazzED’s seasoned educators of four years, Samantha Boshnack, Seattle-based trumpet player, composer, and bandleader can be found each week leading JazzED’s brightest beginners in Foundations trumpet sectionals.

Boshnack first started playing trumpet at age ten in her public-school band program. She became hooked on music, and jazz, pretty quickly. and the tunes of Kenny Burrell, Miles Davis, and Hugh Masekela were some of her early inspirations.  “I like the sound and I love the feeling of making the sound. There's just something kind of cathartic and visceral and sort of soothing to blowing a trumpet that I can't really explain.”

Composing has been an important part of her life ever since she was introduced to it in college. “I feel like that's a big part of me that I have to tend to; I need to play it, but I also really need to write.” She has released five albums of original music and has been commissioned by organizations including 4Culture and the Seattle Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.

Many of her compositions start from improvisation. Compared to playing a solo on the trumpet, the exciting thing about composing is that it offers a space to expand on an idea and reveal the full artistic vision. “You get that extra opportunity to really choose the good stuff and then flesh it out big, add lots of lines, and just take it to a whole other level.” For example, her most recent work, an orchestral jazz song cycle titled “Uncomfortable Subjects”, is written for a twelve-member jazz chamber group including strings, winds, and voice.

Whether she’s composing or playing, the opportunity for group creativity is one of her favorite aspects of jazz. Jazz musicians have the freedom to communicate and create with other instruments and make music that encompasses everyone. “Every person on their instrument has a different voice and a different sound and if you can create a sum of all those voices…that's something really special that jazz does.” 

Like many musicians, Boshnack’s performance schedule was interrupted by COVID. Prior to the pandemic she regularly performed with the Royal Room Collective Music Ensemble led by Wayne Horvitz. She also leads several ensembles, including an alternative chamber orchestra that combines improvisation and orchestral music called B’shnorkestra.

These days Boshnack has primarily been composing and teaching. She hasn’t been performing much due to a shoulder injury, but now that she’s recovered she’s “excited to get back to performing.” To learn about what she’s up to these days, you can check out her website.

Enrollment Now Open for Fall Music Programs

We're entering a new season of programming! Musicians can choose between three tiers of in-person learning; Foundations (Beginner), Connections (Intermediate), and Explorations (Advanced). Classes and ensembles are slated to start the first week of October. 

As always, all programs are offered to the community on a sliding scale and families can choose what they would like to pay, with free loaner instruments available for every student!

Foundations

Start here if you're new to making music or continuing with us from Foundations Summer Camp! We’ll teach you what you need to know about your instrument of choice in this year long class. Grades 4-8. Enroll now!

Foundations

Connections

Connections I + II

With two level options for musicians, those who have been playing for at least one year are invited to kick it up a notch and start to explore their musicality! Grades 5-8. Sign up today! 

Explorations

Getting into Gigging students

Explorations: Getting into Gigging
Want to get paid to play? Learn improvisation and jam session skills this fall! Bonus points: students who have completed the class will be eligible to represent JazzED by playing paid gigs out in the community. Grades 9-12. Add your name to the roster. 

Explorations: Girls Ellington Project
Join Seattle’s all-girls, all-city jazz band and prepare your audition for the Essentially Ellington Festival this year! Grades 9-12. Save your seat.

Explorations: Mentors in Training
Earn service hours and learn music teaching techniques directly from expert educators. Become a mentor this fall! Grades 9-12. Lead the way.

Our In-House Expert Shares 3 Powerful Strategies to Retain Music Learning

Seattle JazzED Director of Education, Kelly Clingan

What happens after camps let out? How do you make sure you’re not slipping on all those skills you’ve honed?

It turns out music learning never stops! And our resident expert, Director of Education, Kelly Clingan, has made it her mission to make sure all young musicians are equipped and encouraged to keep growing in their skillset. Scroll down to walk away with three key tips to keep the music flowing.

Let’s explore three learning strategies that Clingan suggests for learners of all ages. If you can utilize these methods or share them with the musicians in your lives and encourage how to use them on their own, all will stand a much better chance of increasing success.

1.    Keep your instrument out of its case where you can access it every day.

Often, the hardest part of practicing each day is gathering the will to say, “I’m going to do it!” We all know that repetition is extremely important for every musician, but sometimes, it can be difficult to take that leap. An easy way to take away some of that difficulty is to keep your instrument outside of its case in a place where you frequently can see or have access to it. If your instrument is sitting within close reach, you’ll be more inclined to feel inspired. Both myself and my daughter are trombonists and make it a habit to always have at least one trombone in full view at home. If we feel inspired, we can pick it up and play away!

In a quiet space where practicing at loud isn’t easy? We at Seattle JazzED have practice mutes to help filter out some of the sound and can loan to them to families (for free) for brass and percussive instruments!  

2.    Make a “play date” with friends and jam together.

If all went according to plan, you or your student made some friends at summer camp, or your siblings or cousins attended with you. Now it’s time to take what you learned and reinforce what’s already in your bag of tricks. Gather some friends and play music together. Try to make similar sounds with your instruments and slowly progress towards creating similar patterns.

Are the creative juices not flowing just yet? Don’t fret, we have just the thing to get you started. Check out our online daily guided practice videos and give it a try with friends. We have twenty-minute daily practice videos for every skill level and for every instrument we offer at JazzED. The idea is that routines are healthy! Some people start their day with a cup of coffee, others with a five-mile run. Every musician starts their day with some form of the same thing, their musical routine.

 

3.    Learn your favorite summer jam by ear.

Have you ever heard of the term “transcribing”. To transcribe something generally means that you are taking audio and figuring it out using your ears and what you know about your instrument to play it. Taking it a level up means sometimes writing it down as well. We model this behavior in all of our classes. Often, we listen to a song, then sing it aloud together, and then use those experiences to play the song.

Try out that activity with your new favorite jam! Play the tune, sing along, and then pull out your instrument to begin matching notes. Making sure you’re starting on the right first note is the main thing. Then, rewind it as many times as you need to. This should be fun as it’s like a music puzzle. If you get frustrated, walk away, and come back another time.

And if all else fails…keep trying.

A lot of playing an instrument is muscle memory, so that’s part of what we’re doing. Much like a marathon runner would stretch every time, we’re keeping our body remembering what it feels like to play, in our face, in our hands, and in our body overall.