Lady Gaga to revive Jazz scene amongst young musicians

The announcement that Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett are making a jazz album together, may be crucial to the revival of the scene amongst young musicians, says the National Schools Symphony Orchestra (NSSO).

NSSO, a charitable organisation which brings together young musicians between the ages of 9 and 18 for an intensive week of music tuition and performance, has witnessed a decline in young jazz players in recent years.

In response to this decline, NSSO has created the National Schools Jazz Orchestra (NSJO), which from 2013, will provide a course for young players to learn to work together as an ensemble, gaining the high-level experience required within professional jazz bands. It will provide a stepping stone for those aspiring players that want to play beyond what is available at school or county level.

Course director, Alex Tester explains, "Just in the same way that the Gaga / Bennett album will take on jazz standards in a new style, we will attempt some very classic major scores from the past, interjected with very modern charts – effectively reinventing standards and tunes.

"Using the traditional jazz repertoire, we will encourage pupils to improvise, interpret and embellish the scores, helping them find their own voice in their jazz style. We are finding some students are wanting to be challenged beyond the standard of an average school band and firmly believe this will be an inspiring journey for all those involved."

Applications for all 2013 NSSO courses are now open. Applications for all courses can be obtained from rebeccawoodward@nsso.org.