HOW DOES
PLAYTHEGROOVE ACTUALLY
WORK TO HELP STUDENTS?
PlayTheGroove helps students PlayBetterFaster.
PlayTheGroove starts with a roster of dynamic and original music from around the
globe — Africa, South America, Northern Europe, Asia, and of course, the United
States.
Musicians are encouraged to select and work through one original tune at a time, from
first listen to final performance. They control their own process throughout: they vote
on which songs to learn; arrive together at their own interpretation; and finish by
staging a performance for an audience they invite.
Our content is highly flexible to address a wide range of situations, from “everyone
reads” to “everyone plays by ear;” from full instrumentations to partial and mixed groups (having a rhythm section is preferred). ALSO, PTG works equally well in remote, blended/hybrid, or in-class environments.
With PTG’s student-centric arrangements, we emphasize student voice and choice. Reading and listening skills go together from the jump. The PTG method generates fast, tangible results that are fun! (Students build facility on their instrument, and their playing-by-ear skills improve).
Teachers guide this process through inquiry-based instruction. They’re always welcome to add “traditional” rehearsal methods if they choose — they can even empower the musicians to create their own rehearsal methods and experiment individually or as a group. This combines formal and informal processes––the left and right of a continuum––to achieve blended outcomes, encouraging movement and flexibility in each student’s personalized continuum.
PlayTheGroove is completely customizable. PTG’s frameworks include flexible step instructions and guidelines–because we know every ensemble is different. All of our procedures are designed to help you pinpoint and actuate the exact blend of All-Student to All-Teacher direction that’s right for you and your students. That’s central to our value, and a cool factor to share with your administrators.
PROGRAM DETAILS
A PlayTheGroove unit consists of the time it takes to engage with one PTG tune as you want to.
For one song, that’s about 3-4 weeks start to finish if you do 2-3 short sessions a week. If sight reading is the goal, this could also be a few days. Learning several PTG songs at once will naturally take longer.
Here’s the usual PTG sequence for ensemble participants:
- Listen to tunes.
- Vote which tune(s) to learn.
- Download.
- Play individually and as a group.
- Practice their parts–or multiple parts–by playing along with the master recordings.
- Collaborate to create solutions to address improvisation, arranging and other musical skills.
- Perform the song.
PTG content includes
At PlayTheGroove, we strive for the highest standards of educational efficiencies that address the needs of both teachers and aspiring musicians.
- Select current jazz and global jams from living and active artists.
- Sheet music for ALL Western Instruments.
- Original and authentic mp3.
- Teacher guidelines, pedagogy and lesson plan frameworks.
- Student activities including small group breakouts (different and broader than “sectionals”), and many other tools.
Teacher prep is minimal -- and coaching is available
Whatever your teaching style, PlayTheGroove works with you. We offer you the chance to get some new and enjoyable content into your day. Plus we provide direct guidance to get the ball rolling.
