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Jazz Improvisation Camp
July 20-25, 2008
Daily Schedule | Admission | Application | Refund Policy | What to Bring | Expenses | Current Camper Information

The University of Oregon Summer Jazz Improvisation Camp is for junior-high through high-school aged instrumentalists wanting to develop skills in the art of improvisation. The camp is designed for musicians with advanced improvisation experience as well as for performers wanting to learn how to improvise for the first time. Steve Owen, director of the award-winning Jazz Studies program at the University of Oregon, and a team of the region's finest jazz artists/educators work with students at this week-long, work-intensive camp.

• 8 to 10 coached improvisation ensembles
• Jazz Theory/Materials class
• Daily master classes
• Pattern and ear-training class
• Repertoire/Listening class
• Evening concerts
• Evening jam sessions
• Recreational activities

DAILY SCHEDULE (tentative)
7:00 a.m. Breakfast
8:30 Jazz Theory/Materials
9:30 Rehearsal
11:00 Listening/Repertoire
12:00 Lunch
1:30 p.m. Patterns/Ear training
2:30 Rehearsal
4:00 Master Class
5:00 Dinner
7:00 Evening Concerts
9:00 Jam Session

Registration and check-in on July 20 will be from 3 pm-5 pm. Check-out will begin at 4:30 pm on July 25, immediately following the final performance.

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ADMISSION
The University of Oregon Jazz Improvisation Camp is open to all wind, percussion, guitar, bass (upright or electric), and piano players who are completing grades 7 -12. Graduating seniors are welcome! An audition tape/CD is required to attend this camp as well as submission of the camp application form with parental permission. Our camp is able to accommodate a maximum of 70 students. Early application is recommended. The camp may meet its capacity before the application deadline of June 15, 2008. Submitting your application by June 15 does not guarantee you a spot in the Camp. You may be placed on a waiting list if the camp is full.

Audition Tapes or CDs
An audition tape or CD is required for new campers only. If you are a returning Jazz Improvisation camper, you do not need to send an audition tape or CD. All recorded audition tapes/CDs should be on cassette or CD (please no mini CDs). Tapes/CDs need not be professionally recorded. Tapes/CDs cannot be returned unless a stamped, self-addressed mailer is enclosed.

Winds, Guitar, Piano and Bass
- Major scales in as many keys as possible (two octaves if possible).
- 2 to 3 minutes of either a classical or jazz solo piece
- (Optional) 2 to 3 minutes improvising over a blues or jazz standard (This can be an excerpt from a concert or a recording of you playing along with a Music Minus One CD (Jamey Aebersold CDs).

Drums
16 measures of as many of the following time feels (on drumset) as possible:
Medium Swing at m.m. = 138
Bossa Nova at m.m. = 132
Samba at m.m. = 100
Funk at m.m. = 88 Up-tempo Swing at m.m. = 108
- 2 to 3 minutes of a recording of you with an ensemble (not necessarily a jazz ensemble)

Deposit
A $100 nonrefundable deposit is due with your application (please do not send cash). Make checks payable to University of Oregon.

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APPLICATION
Application deadline is June 15, 2008. Download Application Materials Here (requires acrobat reader)

2008 Camp Application Materials

Once your application has been accepted, you will receive detailed information about where to go, what to bring, etc.

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REFUND POLICY
You can receive a refund of $75 of the $100 deposit ONLY in the following cases: 1. If your application is not accepted OR 2. If you are placed on the waiting list and do not get to attend camp. Refund requests for cancellations made more than 30 days before camp begins will be refunded in full, minus the $100 deposit. Requests made 11-29 days before camp begins will receive a 50% refund. There will be no refunds for cancellations made within 10 days before camp begins.

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WHAT TO BRING

• Book of manuscript paper
• Cassette/CD player if possible
• A wire music stand
• Drummers -- bring drumsets
• Bass and guitar -- bring instruments AND amplifiers
• Other items to bring will be listed in mailed camp information.

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EXPENSES
The University of Oregon Summer Jazz Improvisation Camp offers three payment plan alternatives:

- Plan 1: $499 Tuition, room, all meals.
- Plan 2: $424 Tuition, two meals per day (lunch and dinner) Designed for commuting students who wish to eat lunch and dinner each day in the dorm cafeteria.
- Plan 3: $339 Tuition only. This plan is for commuting students wishing to pay for tuition only.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND DISCOUNTS
A limited number of merit-based scholarships and discounts are available. These include All-State Band scholarships, past camper awards, and a multi-camp bonus, among others. Complete details are provided on the application form for each camp.

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CURRENT CAMPER INFORMATION
If you have already been accepted to attend the 2008 camp, you should receive a packet of information in the mail about one month before camp begins. For your convenience, you may download this information here:
General Camp Information
Rules and Regulations
Medical Release Form

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Questions? Email bandadm@uoregon.edu.

For an application form or more information on this camp contact:
Oregon Summer Music Camps
School of Music
1225 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1225
(541) 346-2138 or (541) 346-5670