Monika Herzig Jazz Pedagogy/Performance/Composition Workshops
- What is Jazz?
(Secondary Schools/ Adult Learners)
This fun and interactive introduction to the ingredients and history of jazz includes time travel to New Orleans, learning to count choruses, and Q&A improv with body percussion on the C-Jam Blues – best suited for Grades 3-8 and Adult Classes.
- Jazz Improvisation
(All Levels of Jazz Students)
This workshop is designed to include all levels of improvisers by starting from basic blues patterns and materials that can be immediately accessed by beginners , quickly progressing to communal playing that challenges everyone. The pace follows students’ levels and readiness.
- Jazz Composition/ Arranging
(All Levels of Jazz Students)
Herzig’s compositions have won awards from DownBeat, Billboard, Chamber Music America and more and her arrangements are available from Alfred Publishing. In this workshop, students will systematically explore techniques for composition, reharmonization, and combo arranging. A comprehensive handout will help them expand on these techniques following the workshop. This workshop can be accessed as part of the virtual workshop series for the Women in Jazz Festival Halle.
- Rhythm Section and Combo Leadership
(All Levels of Jazz Students)
In this workshop, students benefit from 30+ years of Herzig’s experience as leader of her own groups and performing as leader and side(wo)man around the world. Leadership styles vary from strict (Benny Goodman) to respect (Duke Ellington) to encouraging (Miles Davis) or collaborative (Yellowjackets), similar to interactions in combos. Various leadership and interactive styles will be explored in this workshops, ideally with student combo participation.
- Building a Music Career
(All Levels of Jazz Students)
Building a career as a musician can be difficult in this very competitive and small market. It takes an entrepreneurial mindset and knowledge to achieve sustainability. The fundamental building block is defining success, setting goals and objectives, and formulating a mission and vision. This workshop will guide students through those steps and everyone will leave with defined goals and strategies to move towards achieving those goals.
- Jazz on a Mission
(All Levels of Jazz Students)
Jazz has a long history of democracy and social justice. Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, John Coltrane, and Charles Mingus expressed racial injustice in their music. Fred Hersh brought attention to LGBTQ+ rights with his rendition of The Man I Love. Similarly, Herzig’s projects Sheroes and Transparent take a very personal perspective on lingering glass ceilings for female jazz instrumentalists and parenting a transgender child. This workshop inspires students to formulate the mission of their music and careers and formulate a vision for their musical pathways.
- Improvisation and Creativity
(All Levels)
Improvisation and creativity are life skills and essential for entrepreneurship, team development, research, business management, leadership, and community building. The workshop starts with principles of creativity accompanied by team exercises. The seven factors of the jazz jam session model (developed by Herzig & Baker, 2011) with practical applications are introduced followed by exercises and discussions for applications for each participant. The workshop is based on the TedX Talk by Monika Herzig “How to Reclaim Your Genius Level of Creativity” (2021).
Forthcoming Book Publication 2027
- Talking Jazz Live
(All Levels)
The beloved Marian McPartland NPR Show “Piano Jazz” was broadcast for over 30 years featuring interactions and conversations by the host with her guests. Similarly, during Talking Jazz Live Monika Herzig takes the lead in conversations and performs live with the guest(s). Ideally, the show is recorded to be broadcast on WICR and WETF in Indiana and shared as part of the Talking Jazz with Monika Herzig podcast series. Guests can be resident faculty and touring artists and live streaming is encouraged. See samples with Peter Erskine and Danny Grissett. Talking Jazz is a weekly radio show/ podcast hosted by Monika Herzig since 2020.
- New Standards
(All Levels)
What would jazz sound like without patriarchy? asks the mission statement of the Berklee Institute for Jazz and Gender Justice. Spearheaded by Grammy award winning drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, the New Standards publication (Berklee Press, 2022) features 101 compositions by female jazz composers, including Just Another Day in the Office by Monika Herzig. Inspired by this mission, the Creative EU funded project New Standards from Europe, led by Monika Herzig at Jam Music Lab, Vienna in Partnership with Schott Publishers and MIDJ Italy will be released April 30. 2027 with 101 compositions by female jazz composers from all European countries. During this interactive workshop participants explore the music in those two publications, the featured composers, historical and cultural gender barriers, and ways to diversify the jazz repertoire.
- Jazz Girls Day
(Secondary Schools)
Initiated by Sarah Kline, band director at Berkley High School, these one-day combo workshops are open for Girls ages 10-18. Ideally led by a group of female mentors, students rehearse in combos with a focus on interaction and improvisation, and share their work in a public final concert. The mission of Jazz Girls Day is to experience a day without peer pressure, get inspired by strong role models, and find the joy of improvisation and collaborative music making. Herzig has led Jazz Girls Days in the US and Europe over the past decades with documented positive results. The initiative was nominated for the 2026 German Jazz Prize. This Blog for Alfred Publishing provides all details on organizing a Jazz Girls Day.