Using A Jazz Musician With Dancin' On The Rooftop

Submitted by Mary Jane Zorn, Texas

Idea posted March 25, 2002

I use "Dancin' On The Rooftop" (from Music K-8, Vol. 2, No. 4) almost every year for our fall concert - I have the STM text and it's on page one. The kids love it.

I like to snazz it up by using a jazz musician to do the scat - you know, where it goes kids, then instruments. I use the musician, then the kids respond. I started out doing this when my son was a high school trombone player - now I just call the high school or junior college and get a recommendation. After the scat, they (the horn players) like to ad lib on the repeat of the verse. I've used saxes, trumpets and trombones - I think the trombones work best, because they can smear and wah-wah so well. Also, they carry over the choir.