Jazz Course Offerings
At Lexington High School, the jazz courses offered include Beginning Jazz Improvisation, Seminar in Jazz Improvisation and the honors-level Jazz Combo. In addition to these classes, there are two jazz ensembles and a varying number of student-directed extracurricular small ensembles.

The Jazz Improvisation classes serve to introduce players to the jazz idiom and train them in the art of spontaneous musical creation. While the Beginning Jazz Improvisation course may be taken only once, the continuation of this course, Seminar in Jazz Improvisation, may be taken several times. These courses are taught by Mr. Jeffrey Leonard and Mr. Justin Aramati.

The LHS Jazz Combo is a small jazz combo that performs on the highest level and puts emphasis on individual jazz improvisation and composition. It is taught by Mr. Leonard.

The LHS Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Mr. Leonard, is the school's top-level big band. Its members study and perform classic and contemporary big band arrangements by such composers as Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Charles Mingus, among many others.

The LHS Big Band, under the direction of Mr. Aramati, is an ensemble for students newer to the jazz style. It serves to introduce many horn and rhythm section players to the jazz big band vocabulary through a variety of repertoire.

Student-led ensembles rehearse after school and tend to focus on original compositions as well as forming their own arrangements of standard songs.

LHS Jazz Faculty
Jeff Leonard
Justin Aramati

jazz program introduction- page 1

jazz course offerings and faculty- page 2

jazz performance schedule - page 3

jazz improvisation - page 4

jazz ensemble and big band - page 5