The Knights of Jazz String Band introduces developing string players to the diverse musical streams that fed the Jazz Age: New Orleans marches, ragtime, blues, early popular songs, and klezmer.
Mission:
- Provide a string-centric environment for violin, viola, cello and bass students to explore the music of the Jazz Age.
- Teach sequenced concepts of string playing through Jazz Age standards, and enable students to immediately apply new skills in an ensemble setting.
- Inspire and motivate both beginning and advancing string students through public performance, sharing the joy of jazz with the community.
- Provide a supportive yet disciplined environment where students are encouraged to take musical risks and make mistakes, and expected to practice to achieve excellence. Allow students to express themselves and “feel seen” through their musical contributions.
- Use professional arrangements designed to incorporate both beginning and advancing string players, and facilitate mentorship within the ensemble — veteran band members mentor new arrivals.
- Implement best practices for hybrid and remote participation to include string players with diverse cultural backgrounds and geographic locations.
- Give Chicago students a sense of their time and place in the social history of jazz, America’s first popular music.
About The Director:
Brendan Finucane grew up in Washington DC, where he received a broad music education, studying with cellists David Gibson, David Hardy, and John Kaboff, learning blues guitar, and singing under gospel choir director Stephen Gibson. At the University of Illinois, he studied cello with Laurien Laufman and earned degrees in cello performance and music education. Brendan co-founded Soapbox Music in 2010 with a mission to build high quality resources for musicians. Soapbox Music runs a cooperative music studio in Chicago, publishes the Field Guide To Music and is prototyping The Chromawheel, an innovative hands-on technology for exploring music concepts. In his 15+ years of teaching, Brendan has taught public and private school music at all levels. He currently directs orchestras at the Chicago Waldorf School, teaches general music, music history, and electronic music. In 2019, Brendan discovered early jazz when his brother urged him to listen to DC hometown hero Duke Ellington. Since then, he has pursued early jazz however he can, studying with NYC jazz cellist Akua Dixon, jazz violinist Nora Germain, and jazz clarinetist Chloe Feoranzo. Brendan was recently excited to share the stage with Chicago blues stalwart Ariyo of Billy Branch and The Sons of Blues. Brendan founded Knights of Jazz String Band in 2019 with his cello students, with the mission to make early jazz more accessible to string players. He maintains a private cello teaching studio in Chicago.
Knights of Jazz String Band 