LETS MAKE SOME NOISE
Let’s Make Some Noise is a participatory workshop and concert experience centered around big band music where the audience aren’t just observers— they are active contributors to the music and the performance. The workshops trace the evolution of big band music — from swing-era dance music to modern jazz orchestras to contemporary, avant-garde and even atonal music— with participation built in at every step.
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February 24, 2026 2-5pm
March 24, 2026 2-5pm
April 28, 2026 (Lefrak Concert Hall)
Room 264 (Workshops #1 and 2)
Location:Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College
65-50 Kissena Blvd
Flushing, NY
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1. Audience Participation: Audience members will become active participants in the performance—singing, clapping, playing percussion, and interacting directly with the big band through compositions specifically written to involve them in the music-making process.
2. Performer Participation QC student performers will have the opportunity to sit in with my professional big band. Since QC currently does not have a large jazz ensemble, this provides students with valuable hands-on experience performing alongside professional musicians
3. Composer Involvement: Student composers will create modular sections of music that I will curate and assemble during the workshop into complete arrangements. These works will incorporate the audience as performers, further connecting composition, performance, and community engagement.
Students can participate in any or all of the three ways listed above.
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Evolution of the Big Band
Workshop #1 - Swing Era to Bebop
Workshop #2 - Post-bop, Modern Jazz Orchestra
Workshop #3 - Contemporary, Avant-garde, 12-tone and Atonal Approaches
