April 13th 2021 at 10:30 AM
Location: Sound Studios Olympia (SSO)
1211 4th Ave. E. Suite 100, Olympia, WA
If you prefer to attend remotely join us on Zoom
Our meeting program for April is Dr. Cassio Vianna, director of jazz studies at Pacific Lutheran University. His program is entitled: "Basic Improvisation Strategies for Your Lessons"
From Dr. Vianna: "I tell my students at PLU that they must take at least an introductory improvisation class, but unfortunately, many of them think it is out of their field ("I'm not a jazz musician"), even though they don't know what their field will be in the future ("what do we know in college, right?).
"Especially those involved in music education should at least have a little experience with it, but I feel that academia has boxed people up over the years, and that doesn't help them reach their full potential. PLU is aware of this problem, and we are trying to make a difference and talk our students into embracing it. I am pleased to be bringing this program and vision to the Olympia Music Teachers! "
BIOGRAPHY
Cassio Vianna is a jazz pianist, educator, and award-winning composer. A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Vianna’s work reflects his broad range of musical and cultural influences. His compositional styles range from popular music and Brazilian jazz to classical chamber pieces and works for jazz big band. His jazz big band charts are published by UNC Jazz Press.
Over the past fifteen years, Vianna has been featured as a lecturer, adjudicator, and performer at festivals and conferences in the U.S., South America, and China; his compositions for jazz ensemble have received national recognition, including awards from the National Band Association, Jazz Education Network, and the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers (ISJAC).
Vianna holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Brazilian Popular Music from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, a Master of Music degree in Contemporary Music from Western Oregon University, and a Doctor of Arts degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Northern Colorado.
Cassio Vianna is the Director of Jazz Studies at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA, where he teaches jazz theory and history, jazz piano, improvisation, and jazz composition and arranging; he also directs the Pacific Lutheran University Jazz Ensemble.