Click Play icon in upper right corner for excerpt of pianist Eric Vaughn and Joyce exchanging "fours," while vocalist Rick Gordon listens.
Announcing the release of "Guitar Love," a selection of "Short & Sweet Gems" of
classical guitar mixed-genre orginals.
Song list: Lute Prelude by J.S. Bach (with Joyce's melody layered above), Sunny Dog Walk; May We Live in Poetry; Love, Just Love; Sweetness; How I Love Thee; Animal Eyes; Two Lizards in the Sun. To receive an MP3 version via email, please Inquire at JoyceJazz@gmail.com
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Joyce Kouffman is a musician whose life-long in-depth studies include immersions with Leonard Bernstein and the master drummers of Senegal, plus college performances with Yo-Yo Ma. She coaches all levels on many instruments and strongly supports adult novices, as well as mature students seeking greater understanding. Drawing from in-depth composing/recording collaborations with award-winning poets, film makers, dancers, visual artists, classical and jazz masters, healers, and more, she also offers (pro bono or by-donation) focused listening sessions and guidance for individuals & groups who wish to add or increase creative activities each day.
New offerings for individuals and groups! (pro bono & by donation)
Focused listening and guidance session for novices and actively creative people who wish to add or increase creative activities and momentum to each day. Special topics: "I Wish I Could Play..." (a song or an instrument); Time Designing for Accomplishing Small and Large Projects; Delving into Recording My Own Work; Songwriting - fitting lyrics and music together well; Combining Music with Dance, Art, Film, Spoken Word, and more...
Write to JoyceJazz@gmail for online link or phone contact.
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2024-2025 Private Coaching and Lessons!
Choose among two options!
Weekly private sessions
or a
Mix of Weekly and Four Day Music Weeks!
Students report major progress from our Four Day Music Weeks!
Ages 12 -92! All levels welcome!
Piano/keyboard fun, Guitars, Cellos, Hand Percussion, Drum Set, Music Theory and Composition, Ear Training, and Jazz & "Free" Improvisation.
In-depth Student Comments...
"Joyce K is a truly extraordinary teacher. After childhood piano lessons and always “sort of” playing the piano, I’ve been an adult student of Joyce’s for several years. She’s a very accomplished musician on many instruments, who records, composes, and performs. One of the gifts of learning with her is taking in her rich musical mind and experience. So much has opened up for me musically just by working on scales with her, as well as the pieces from Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, jazz. With her guidance, I’ve internalized rhythm in ways that I used to think I couldn’t do. How great to work on rhythm with a teacher who’s also a professional drummer. Touch, phrasing, how to make the music swing, how to practice: our work opening up all of these has been so much fun. I’ve always wanted to be able to improvise. With Joyce, I’m finding how to listen and hear my way into that desire. Joyce meets a student where we are and listens for where we need to go next. She has helped me to connect more deeply than ever before to my own musicality and to great and endless joy in exploring the music for myself, and to share with my loved ones and the fun musical community that Joyce creates among her students. One of my all-time best decisions was to choose to study with Joyce." - An Adult Student in Joyce's Life-Long Learning Music Community
"I cannot recommend Joyce more highly. She is a wonderful, wonderful
person, and an incredible multi-instrumentalist and music teacher. I
have been blessed to work with Joyce for the past several years. Initially
our focus was rhythm development through playing djembe, and then to
learn to notate the rhythms. Next we were playing the hand pan, also
known as the Hang drum, which allowed for interval training, pitch
matching and notating melodies. I have recently joined a choir, so now
we are on to voice training.
I have improved so much as a musician since working with Joyce. I
attribute a recent very successful choir performance to specific practices
we’ve put in place, and to having an overall improved sense of rhythm.
It’s so satisfying, and I am so grateful.
Two examples that show how Joyce has met me right where I’m at:
(1) When I told her I was working on a math music project, she suggested
readings, introduced me to her mentor Professor Jeanne Bamburger
(M.I.T./U.C. Berkeley), and focused on the details such that the project is
(finally) coming to fruition. With gentle kindness, Joyce revealed some
important misunderstandings I’ve carried about how music works—these
were hindering the project development. Joyce believes in building
community, and so I recently introduced the project to a gathering of her
students, where it was well received. Her guidance and encouragement
have helped bring out my creativity. Again, very grateful.
(2) Joyce was so intrigued when I showed her my hand pan (which is like
an inside-out steel drum, played with your hands), that she purchased
one and learned to play it, then taught me. Incredible. Witnessing her
process was fascinating. She made personal contact with the folks that
created the drum (hand pans are handcrafted), named her drum, played
it right side up, sideways, and upside down to discover how to make it
sing, and improvised original music on it. She directed me to improvise
on mine, and to play jazz melodies on it, something that's pretty unusual.
It sounded, sounds, great. All the while Joyce’s emphasis is on how to
touch the drum “just so” to bring out its essence. Did I mention grateful?
Here’s the deep thing I’m learning: when Joyce says, “Pause. Slow it down.
Ready yourself.”, she’s not really talking about tempo. She’s saying: sense
how the music resonates inside you, how it makes you feel. In Joyce’s
world, slower means deeper inside, more in touch with what’s in you.
Bring that out, everything changes. I really appreciate that.
Thanks Joyce." - An Adult Student in Joyce's Life-long Learning Community
Listen to "Dog Love" here