“I wish I’d started this a long time ago. I feel my playing has grown more in the last 6 months than it did over the previous two years. There’s just no substitute for playing with other people, especially the same other people, on a regular basis. When I joined JazzLabNY, I didn’t realize what it would mean to be to working under the watchful eye (and ear) of a mentor like Russ Nolan. On paper, JazzLabNY offers a lot of good stuff like convenience, regularity, and the chance to dig in deeply on various tunes. All that turns out to be true, BUT what you discover is the real growth comes from doing it with Russ. It’s amazing how he can lead a room full of players with varying skills and backgrounds, most of them on instruments he doesn’t play himself, and keep everything moving forward and interesting. Russ is a high level sax player and a veteran in the NY jazz scene, but he also has a gift for teaching in the ensemble setting. I think a large part of it comes from his positivity. He just goes out of his way to connect with each student personally and I’ve yet to see him be anything but supportive” — Jimmy M.
Verified Google Business Review 

PRACTICING AND TAKING PRIVATE LESSONS IS THE ‘HOW’–
PLAYING IN A BAND IS THE ‘WHY’!

JazzLabNY fills a void that has existed in jazz education and the adult music community for years. Many adult jazz musicians making their living outside of music have asked, ‘Where can I go to play in a Band setting? With my busy schedule, how can I reconnect with something that I truly love? Why am I practicing if I don’t get to play with other musicians?

Let’s face it–putting a band together–and keeping them together–is incredibly hard work for a full-time professional, let alone for a part-time musician. Finding the right band members, preparing the music, and scheduling rehearsals that everyone can make is very time consuming. And, just about every adult educational setting today is either a group class with uneven instrumentation, a semester-based Jazz Workshop/Academy program that disbands every 6 to 8 weeks, or it’s a Jazz Meetup Group without a qualified instructor to move the group forward musically.

If you’ve had this experience, then JazzLabNY is your answer. We are in partnership with Jazz Band Masterclass in Washington DC, a community which over the last 15 years has helped hundreds of adult students just like you play Jazz as it is MEANT to be played – within the context of a regular, ongoing small group made up of players with similar levels of accomplishment– not just playing 2-3 solos all night at a poorly-run public jam session or sitting home alone with a book and YouTube videos.