Jazz Composition Class with Donna Wickham
Saturdays 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm:: Taught in person in Donna Wickham’s studio at Denver University.

How do you break out of your compositional comfort zones, but still write music that is true to your own voice? In this course, we’ll be examining this question and more!

In this semester, students will learn how to craft an entire composition out of one small idea and get to the essence of the musical idea into the whole piece. Students will study how to write melodic and lyrical phrases that work musically and feel honest. Donna will be sharing different ways to write satisfying yet functional chord progressions in ways students might not have thought of before. All of these concepts will help students break out of their compositional comfort zones.

DONNA WICKHAM holds a BM in vocal performance and an MM in conducting from the University of Denver. She is the head of the vocal jazz program at the Lamont School of Music and designs and teaches music courses for Colorado Community Colleges Online. Her diverse professional activities include work as a jazz composer, arranger and performer, conductor, and keyboardist in genres that range from early music to rock, jazz, and avant-garde. Wickham’s performance credits include work with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, The Playground, Colorado Music Festival, Santa Fe New Music, the Denver Concert Band, and the Colorado Art Rock Society. She has produced three albums: Her vocal quartet named Firesign released an album featuring the world premiere recording of Terry Schlenker’s Mass for Four Voices along with William Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices and a Christmas album titled Follow We This Joyful Birth. She also released a jazz album featuring her own compositions, entitled Myth and Memory. To learn more about Donna, visit her website at donnawickham.com

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