Curriculum Design
Through developing programs for students of all ages, and from all parts of the world, Jeremy Noller has become adept at designing curricula that bring music to life. Always mindful of connecting with and engaging students, Jeremy has developed a wide array of classes and workshops that help students explore jazz music and enrich their cultural understanding.
From 2014-2019, Jeremy developed and implemented a jazz workshop curriculum on behalf of The Juilliard School for The Chapin School. Through this program Jeremy and his quartet worked with the entire lower, middle, and upper schools, presenting a unique program of assemblies and classroom workshops each year. With a focus on collaborating across the curriculum, students explored the fundamentals of jazz and some of the music’s most important voices. Connecting the workshops to related studies in history, literature, dance, drama and other subjects, offered students an opportunity to understand the importance of music as a reflection of society and driver of social change.
Testimonials
Underground & Invisible - Jazz in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man
The Chapin School, March 2018
One recent Juilliard presentation took place in Russell Silvermanʼs Upper School English class and gorgeously illuminated the profound ways in which literature and music are linked. In this class, “Underground and Invisible,” Class 12 students explore the concepts of invisibility and hidden existences.
Adding to the conversation, Mr. Noller, the drummer, shared fascinating material about Ralph Ellison, particularly around his relationship to jazz. Thanks to his scholarly expertise and the trioʼs musical talents, “we were able to discuss more deeply this section of the novel by using a musical lens to examine the writing,” remarked Mr. Silverman.
Jazz & The Great Migration
The Chapin School, January 2016
Last week, Middle School students continued their foray into jazz education with the help of a few graduate students from The Juilliard School. This same quartet visited Chapin last year to teach the girls about the origins of jazz in New Orleans. Their focus this year, was the music's "migration" north from New Orleans to cities like Chicago and New York.
To illustrate this "Great Migration," the Juilliard performers treated the students to live performances of several important jazz songs. The musician went on to explain that segregation in the South during the Jim Crow era drove many musicians, like Armstrong and King Oliver, to participate in the Great Migration. "Louis Armstrong's journey from New Orleans to Chicago represented so much of what the Great Migration was about," he said.
Jazz Film Scoring
The Chapin School, September 2016
What happens when a pianist, a bassist, and a drummer visit Chapin? If the musicians are members of a distinguished jazz trio from Juilliard and the room is filled with enthusiastic Class 8 students, then the answer is magic.
While composing their own film scores, Ms. Norchi's Class 8 students gained valuable knowledge about the connection between music and film, while they bolstered their confidence and ingenuity. The process was collaborative, inventive and eye-opening for the students, who may not have realized how much thoughtful effort goes into a seemingly simple two- minute piece of music.
"It was really interesting to see how the compositions related to the characters and how the mood changed with the music," said one student at the conclusion of the workshop. "We learned to use our imaginations."