JAZZ CAMP FACULTY MEMBER

Stephanie Bruce

Stephanie came to San Francisco in 1976 from Seattle where she began her musical life as a singer/songwriter in the local coffeehouses, and as a member of the cast of Hair. The Bay Area provided many influences that led to her current involvement in the jazz scene, including her association with Bill Douglass. She has traveled to Europe and the Far East numerous times as a singer/pianist, performed in most of the Bay Area's finest venues, and has recorded two CDs of her own compositions and arrangements, The Postcard and April in Dogtown. She has been teaching for over fifteen years and is currently on the faculty of the Jazzschool in Berkeley.

On teaching Stephanie says:

In my classes I try to offer information about vocabulary, practical skills, stylistic options, and the cause and effect nature of disciplined practice. Most importantly, I encourage the students to ask themselves what their intention is with each song they choose and the way they choose to present it. Each student has a unique next step in the development of a creative voice that transcends the imitation of a favorite artist. My role as teacher is to listen carefully for what that next step might be, and then offer suggestions that will move the student in the direction of discovery.

Stephanie has this to say about jazz:

I think of jazz as a conversation. In many other styles of music a soloist is the centerpiece accompanied by musicians playing written parts in the background. A jazz performance is more like being at a dinner party where everyone is engaged in the lively discourse. One person may have the spotlight temporarily, but everyone is listening as they play, improvising and contributing to the conversation. Each player in the ensemble is of equal importance, and even though we have forms and structures (our language) that we more or less adhere to, no one knows exactly how the conversation will unfold. That's the fun and the risk - the spontaneity. Even when I sing all by myself with no accompaniment, I'm having a conversation with the song, my voice, my mood, the space I'm singing in, and anything can happen.

Click here to email Stephanie.