About This Event

This event will be bookable on Monday 3 August 2026. Gain confidence in your ability to improvise and perform in a jazz group and learn tunes from the jazz repertoire. This 9-week course will introduce you to playing in a jazz band, or provide opportunity for you to improve your knowledge and skills. We will work on a number of tunes over the 10-week course, modelling a real playing experience. We play together as a group, learning tunes and improvising. As far as possible we will function as a jazz band would, depending on the mix of instruments participating. Within this context we will consider orthodox performance conventions, and allow you to try improvising (or improve this skill) in a supportive environment. This is a practical course focussed on playing, but theory and improvisation techniques relevant to the tunes being played will feature. This course is for those who play an instrument with reasonable proficiency – we will contact you after booking to ask which instrument(s) you will be playing. To engage fully with the course you will also need to read music or chord symbols, but those who play well by ear are also welcome. Please note: Our grand piano will not be available for use during this course so we may have to limit the number of pianists we can accommodate for this term only. We will advise on availability of piano/keyboard participation at time of booking. Your instrument (other than drums etc) needs to be capable of all 12 chromatic notes eg not a diatonic “Blues” harmonica. Unfortunately, we cannot include vocalists. About the tutor: Tutor Richard Everitt is based in Leicester and plays the saxophone and piano. He mostly performs in small jazz groups, but also writes for larger ensembles. He performs regularly at Regent Jazz, where he organises the monthly jam session. Between 2016 and 2022 he was lead composer for the Leicester Cosmopolitan Carnival finale performances. As well as running this course, Richard has also tutored at CL Jazz Summer Courses for some years. Further information: This 9-week course will run on Mondays, 7pm – 8:30pm, starting on 11 Jan and ending on 8 March 2027. Participants must be aged 16+. Under 18s must be accompanied by a paying adult at all times. If the course/workshop you’d like to book is sold out, we do operate a waiting list – simply contact our box office team on 0116 252 2455 / arts-centre@le.ac.uk and ask to be added to the waiting list. We’ll then contact you if a place becomes available, with absolutely no obligation to accept it if you’ve made other plans! Please ensure that you read and agree to our updated Terms & Conditions before booking as courses/workshops are non-refundable if cancelled within 21 days of the start date for any reason. We aim to make all our sessions as accessible as possible and carers/PAs are very welcome – just remember to book their free place when you book your session. If you’d like to talk to us in advance of booking or attending your sessions to discuss your access needs, our Box Office team is here to help! Email arts-centre@le.ac.uk, pop in or call 0116 252 2455, open 7 days a week. We have blue badge parking spaces outside Attenborough Arts Centre, plus double yellow line roadside parking very close to the building for blue badge holders for up to three hours if our parking spaces are occupied. Free parking for all customers is available after 5pm on weekdays and all day at weekends in the University of Leicester car park next door to Attenborough Arts Centre on Lancaster Road. The closest public car park for parking at all other times is Victoria Park, 5-10 minutes walk from us (near De Montfort Hall).

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