Jesse Elder

Jesse Elder is a Brooklyn based jazz composer, pianist and band leader. His teaching focuses are introductory piano, jazz piano, composition, arranging and vocal accompaniment. Jesse is a 4 x winner in the national "ASCAP Young Jazz Composer's Competition". He has toured the US with Angelo Moore of Fishbone. He has performed at the top NYC jazz clubs, including the Blue note, the Jazz Standard, Small's, Fat Cat, Town Hall, Top of the Rock, BargeMusic, Kitano, Minton's Playhouse and others. Jesse studied at Interlochen Arts Academy, Oberlin Conservatory & New School University. He has taught students of all levels for many years at Oberlin, New School, and as a faculty member at the New York Piano Academy. Jesse is a full time professional pianist, musical director, arranger, composer and band leader.

AS A TEACHER OF COMPOSITION

Jesse will work closely with students to help them find their own voice(s), and to nurture their growth through useful exercises. The student will be able to discover and/or further explore their personal relationship to sound, melody, harmony, rhythm, counterpoint, theory, philosophy, and other compositional elements. They will be able to strengthen their ability to work with all of these elements and to combine them organically into one complete picture.  The lessons will ultimately result in the student attaining the ability to joyfully engage in the process of creating original music of increasing quality. Technical questions will be addressed in direct relationship to the music being created.  

AS A JAZZ PIANO TEACHER

Jesse will help students with jazz theory, history and piano techinique. The student will become comfortable, or more comfortable with the piano through technical excersizes and through learning tunes. The student and teacher will listen to recordings of the great jazz pianists throughout history and will study their approaches carefully. The student will learn to master jazz harmony one step at a time, starting with basic chords and scales in all twelve keys. All information will be applied to the learning of standard jazz compositions. The results of the lessons will depend upon the student's dedication to practicing the material given. Mastery of jazz piano and the discovery of ones own voice within this context is the ultimate goal.

AS A TEACHER OF VOCAL ACCOMPANIMENT

Jesse will teach intermediate level jazz pianists partnered up with vocalists in a group lesson setting. He has been accompanying vocalists professionally on a weekly basis for about 6 years and has gained a lot of knowledge and experience as a result. The pianist will learn many techniques that specifically apply to accompanying vocalists including learning how to comp and play bass lines while paying attention to register and dynamics, how to transpose on the spot, approaches to interacting with lyrics, etc. Vocalists will be able to build repertoire, learn how to write out and transpose parts, and learn how to collaborate with pianists. Group listening sessions will also be a part of the classes. We'll find a handful of recordings by master vocalists of tunes that we are learning and will discuss what we hear, what we can learn from it and how to apply it. Performance opportunities may result for both singers and pianists when they are ready.

COMBINED STUDY

If a student wishes to become a jazz pianist and composer, taking both jazz piano and composition lessons is highly recommended, either by alternating every other week, or by taking two lessons per week, depending on the students ability to find time to practice, compose & study.

VIDEO

Jesse Elder & Logan Richardson
Live at BargeMusic 08.09.10 with contact juggler Blake Habermann

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