In Ladd McIntosh’s beginner improvisation class, 15
students encircle the teacher campfire-style with their trusty
instruments in hand. As a jazzy rhythm section chugs along, the
teacher points to the students one by one for some short,
improvisational solos. Some look frazzled while others revel in the
spotlight.
“I let the students know that this is the place for
learning, the place to make mistakes,” McIntosh said.
“A lot of the students have improved dramatically.”
The learning process is the foundation of the Henry Mancini
Institute, a four-week intensive music training program for college
students and young professionals. Weekday rehearsals culminate in
weekend showcases that are free to the public. The summer concert
series concludes this week with the HMI Jazz Chamber Ensembles on
Wednesday and Thursday (the latter date featuring works by bassist
Christian McBride), and the HMI Big Band along with Bob Mintzer on
Friday. All concerts start at 8 p.m. in Schoenberg Hall.
Founded in 1997 by Jack Elliott, HMI is now in its seventh year.
Hundreds of musicians between the ages of 18 to 30 tried out for
scholarships that include tuition, room and board at UCLA. After a
four-month auditioning process, 84 participants (77
instrumentalists and seven composers) from 64 U.S. cities and nine
countries made the cut.
“The schedule is very packed and busy, but I enjoy playing
music full-time,” Indiana University graduate and trumpet
player Benjamin Cord said. “It’s my second time here,
and I really like this atmosphere, where you can concentrate solely
on music.”
HMI offers workshops, master classes, private lessons, panel
discussions, mentoring sessions and seminars on “The Business
of Music” and “The Recording Industry.” Cord
especially cherishes the opportunity to perform with guest musical
artists such as McBride, composer and conductor Randy Newman,
composer John Corigliano, and classical crossover legend Gunther
Schuller. While instrumentalists like Cord devote their time with
the HMI Orchestra, Big Band, Chamber Orchestra, combos and chamber
ensembles, composers get a chance to write for various
ensembles.
“The class is unique in that our discussion is based on
rehearsals we’ve just heard, which is very rare,”
Syracuse University graduate and composer Dave Chiappeth said.
“You get to hear your work and then work on it after
you’ve already heard it. Most of the time, you just deal with
the score and talk about what it would sound like.”
Jazz violin instructor Jeremy Cohen, a member of the faculty
since HMI’s inception, notes that students are eager to
challenge themselves by trying improvisation styles and learning
how to become “rhythm players.”
“As a violin instructor here, I come across a lot of
violin players who are extremely well trained in the classical
world because most of the institutions in the world, including
UCLA, have fine faculty and support system for traditional forms of
violin playing,” Cohen said. “Not so common is the
untraditional. “˜Improvisation styles for violinists’ is
not the kind of class you’ll see in a lot of other
places.”
HMI focuses on music from 20th century America, jazz, film and
television. According to Cohen, the institute explores American
genres, taking symphony orchestra players and performing
contemporary American music.
“If you turn on the radio, 90 percent of it is not
classical music, but there’s no training ground and very few
institutes like the Mancini Institute which calls together an
entire symphony orchestra (and) plays contemporary material,”
Cohen said. “(HMI) offers training to the participants in
alternative, non-classical styles while embracing all of their
classical education.”