Improvising: Level Up! (2021 program)

Jonathan Hostottle
Music 2
Instruments & misc. / 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Real-time event on festival day with pre-registration required. You can find the registration link near the top of the program page when the link is ready.

Often, musicians find themselves mystified by improvisation: creating sensible melodies on the spot can seem out of reach and hard to describe. In this workshop, Jonathan helps musicians “level up” their improvising by sharing tips that he has learned from studying some of the greatest improvisers in history, including Jerry Garcia, Charlie Parker, Tony Rice, and Bach. Participants will be guided through the process of creating musical structure and making statements through music. This workshop is for beginning and intermediate musicians, and while attendees would get more out of the workshop if they brought their instruments, they need not bring them to learn.

A relatively new Bay Area transplant, Jonathan Hostottle is a multi-instrumentalist and educator. He is an active performer and has a kaleidoscopic musical life. His interests so far include classical, jazz, folk, bluegrass, and rock music. Jonathan currently teaches middle school band and general music in Atherton, CA.