Educational Blogs
Talking JMI with Braden Hunter
We had a quick chat with one of our current Bachelor students, Braden to discuss his experience thus far studying at JMI and how it has benefited him and his future as a musician. Braden lived regionally before moving to Brisbane to study and we are very grateful that...
Chats with long-time friend of JMI, Brent Stanton
Originally from New Zealand, Brent Stanton now permanently resides in New York City, working in Film & Television, as well as Music. Brent has a wealth of knowledge to share. We wanted to take a walk down memory lane and learn more about Brent's journey as a...
Five reasons why EVERY musician should study jazz
Every genre of music has the ability to teach us something new. But there is one genre of music that will not only teach you something new, but change the way you play music entirely — jazz, baby. Now we might be biased, but here at the Jazz Music Institute, we...
Meet our newest Faculty member, Lee Brackenborough!
We had a quick chat with our latest addition to the JMI Faculty, Lee Brackenborough! We are so pleased to announce that he starts a new adventure with us at the Jazz Music Institute as an Aural Ear Training Teacher. Lee was kind enough to share a bit of a background...
Greg Quigley takes a trip down memory lane
We found a pile of old photographs and newspaper clippings from the 70s, 80s & 90s and showed them to JMI's Founder, Greg Quigley. What unfolded was a wonderful trip down memory lane over the earliest Summer Jazz Clinics in Australia and how Greg got 14 Americans...
What is a ‘Pivot’ in Jazz Improvisation?
A JMI Educational Blog by Tyler Cooney For this educational blog, I’m going to discuss a simple but effective musical concept to instantly add some interest to your ideas as an improviser - a pivot. To explain what a pivot is, let's take a look at a normal Bb dominant...
Our Faculty Answer Your Questions
With 2021 fast approaching and auditions for next year coming to a close in January, we decided to reach out to you and see what questions you had for our faculty before the new year of learning commences! Here's what some of our leading educators had to say in...
The Voices In Your Shed
A JMI Educational Blog by Ashley Turner Whether we’re talking about a small victory like mastering a two bar phrase or trying to navigate a successful career it’s not always just about the nuts and bolts of pitch, tone and rhythm that gets us where we want. Our...
JMI Blog: Blues Phraseology (Part II)
Blues Phraseology in Jazz by Steve Russell, piano lecturer at JMI This is the second in a series of articles aimed at developing a better understanding of the nature of blues phraseology and its importance in jazz and bebop. Part 1 is designed to clarify the...
JMI Blog: Blues Phraseology (Part I)
Blues Phraseology in Jazz by Steve Russell, piano lecturer at JMI This is the first in a series of articles aimed at developing a better understanding of the nature of blues phraseology and its importance in jazz and bebop. Part 1 is designed to clarify the...
JMI Blog: Three Beat Phrases in Jazz Drumming
by Dave Sanders, drum lecturer at JMI Many of the syncopations in Jazz music are created from rhythmic phrases that use groupings of three. These provide a rolling feel that crosses bar lines and create excitement. A musical example is in bars 5 to 8 of It Don’t Mean...
JMI Blog: Jazz Drumming in Odd Time
by Dave Sanders - Drum lecturer at JMI. In this blog series, Dave will look at various aspects of jazz drumming. This blog will focus on playing in odd time. Not all music is in 4/4. It’s a good idea to spend some time practicing in time signatures other than 4/4. By...