Jazz Education

Why is jazz taking a back seat to band in school?
As I frequently do, I was searching yesterday for high school jazz band directors with whom I can share some of the

A conversation about jazz with an Artificial Intelligence
As artificial intelligence is creeping into so many applications these days, I thought I’d share what it “thinks” about jazz and improvisation.

How to put more swing into your playing
I enjoy writing about this topic. After all, it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing! I ask myself

The illusion of ego-less jazz
I was recently party to a heated email conversation between two very famous jazz teachers/players who hold polar opposite views on how

Quick and easy jazz improvisation?
A marketing email hit my inbox last Thursday. It was promising the benefits of their special way of memorizing and practicing licks,

Some post-show thoughts about the 2022 NAMM
This month’s NAMM 2022 in Anaheim was great. It had been two and a half years since the previous show. This year’s

Another story from the new book by Richie Beirach and me
Richie and I have been writing a book on jazz education called Teaching and Learning Jazz: From tradition to technology – A

Michael Lake
Jazz/latin trombone, author, multimedia artist, marketer

Why is jazz taking a back seat to band in school?
As I frequently do, I was searching yesterday for high school jazz band directors with whom I can share some of the jazz educational resources

A conversation about jazz with an Artificial Intelligence
As artificial intelligence is creeping into so many applications these days, I thought I’d share what it “thinks” about jazz and improvisation. To do that,

A taste of the Ukrainian spirit
A buyer of my book Alto Trombone Savvy wrote me a very sweet email and informed me that he cannot directly receive the book but is making