New music teacher starting at LR

"Music is part of human nature," according to new Lake Roosevelt Music Teacher Gabriel James, who moved to Coulee Dam recently for the gig. 

James, who grew up in Spokane, received his undergraduate degree in jazz performance from Whitworth University, then a master's degree in teaching in June of this year. 

Saxophone is his main instrument, and he also plays flute and clarinet.

While in high school, James played in the Spokane Area Wind Ensemble, and Spokane Area Jazz Ensemble, both of which give young musicians the opportunity to play with older musicians and to perform in theaters in the Spokane area.

While at Whitworth, James performed in a wind symphony and a jazz ensemble, "what would be considered a big band," with 17-plus musicians playing music in the tradition of people like Duke Ellington or Gordon Goodwin, he explained. 

The experiences included playing by reading sheet music, as well as playing by ear where you "memorize chord changes, but make up your own melodies," James explained. 

"Improvisation is super cool because it allows more freedom of expression," he said. 

James has played old jazz and newer music, as well, and being a musician has taken him near and far.

"I've had the chance to play overseas in Italy with a big band," he explained. 

While with the Whitworth Jazz Ensemble One group, James played with professional Italian saxophonist Rosario Giuliani.

"We performed in a club over in Rome, a little more into the hillsides, which was cool," he explained. "We got to have dinner with him, a three-course meal, which was super fun. We played for three hours with him. He's written some music and we played that, and we also played some tunes we'd been preparing."

James hopes to teach LR students not just the fundamentals of music, but its importance culturally, as well.

"I could give you the preamble that music helps you in every subject, that music improves your math scores, and in reading, writing, and foreign language, and sometimes that's how you have to sell it," James joked before settling on how he really sees music: "I fundamentally think that music is really part of human nature. Within music, you find culture, you find that music transcends barriers at every sect of life. Without music, you're going to be hard pressed to find anything meaningful in any culture.

"Think back to J.S. Bach where everything he wrote was a commentary on what the church was doing. Fast forward a little bit to Debussy, you found impressionism and cubism, and that worked its way into music. You think about the old work songs and hymns that they'd sing, a lot of the slaves before that. That is entirely its own culture, its own response to the times and its own way of life. I think kids need to learn about music because it's not just a way to express yourself, but it's also a way of life."

James will be teaching elementary students for a good part of the day, he explained, as well as a middle school band, a high school band, and a choir of students in seventh through 12th grades. 

"My vision is to build a program that not only supports the community but is supported by the community," he said. "I'd like to establish something that the kids really buy into and that the families see value in. I believe that comes down to teaching relationships. And on top of that, there is so much music to cover. Dipping our toe into every facet is going to be important. With band, I want them to develop a set of skills - scales, how to practice, how to listen to each other - and from there building ensemble skills, playing together."

"Some of it is going to be traditional," he said about the music they'll play. "It seems like you're a criminal if you don't put a march in a band concert. But at the same time I think there should be a programmatic piece where the kids feel like 'hey, I'm telling a story here.' I think something like "Arabesque," a piece that was written to kind of emulate the Egyptian aspect of music where it's playing in a specific mode. Even more so, something like "Dragonship," where kids are thinking about playing on a ship as it's going through the fog and the ship's going through and it's pillaging and maybe we're not going to talk about violence but they might think 'oh they're going to steal our phones.' 

"I feel like we should touch on the heart of where bands came from," James continued. "We should also look at what's moving forward, what's being put out today, what's important and how is it culturally responsive. I want to offer chances to dip into jazz, chances to dip into music through the ages, so to speak. I'd really like to give the students the chance to really get a little bit of everything."