Zoromak

Zoromak is a collective of musicians and educators endeavouring to make Australian artists and their music more accessible to teachers and students. We are doing this by creating easy to use teaching aids and lesson plans which relate to artists’ CD’s.The first of these packages has been produced for the Australian music group known as Exotica to be used as a study tool for their album Turkish IV. Exotica draw from many different styles of music to create their own unique brand. There is a mixture of Art music, Jazz, World and Dance styles. The commonality is that all the music is fresh, young and Australian. A demo of four pieces from the CD has been edited together to give the listener an idea of the pieces covered in the package (listen to Exotica Demo above). There are 10 pieces on the CD but only four are dealt with at length in the Zoromak package.The second package is designed around Beautiful Open Spaces by Ashley Turner.“ Beautiful Open Spaces became an amalgamation of my experiences as a musician living in two worlds; the fast-paced, chaotic vibrancy of New York and the relaxed tranquillity of the Australian lifestyle – both countries vastly different but equally inspiring.”Jazz bassist / composer Ashley Turner has created something quite special and unique with his release of Beautiful Open Spaces. This CD combines some of Australia’s most innovative and inspiring musicians within exciting instrumentation and improvisation boundaries. There is the classic Jazz trio of saxophone, bass and drums and other tracks combining guitar, electric piano, saxophones, drums and bass.Like all Jazz CD’s improvisation is a major part with everything from the rigid framework of form improvisations to the abstract of free improvisations to be heard.The lesson plans and exercises in both packages are suitable for students within the range of 12 to 18 years of age. There are class and individual exercises throughout the packages. Regular music educators for the above ages should find the material easy to understand. All of the material is intended to enhance appreciation for different musical styles and concepts through listening, performing, moving, composing and improvising.The packages includes two CD's and one teachers Book. Purchasers will find listening exercises and ready to use worksheets with answers. There are movement exercises and ensemble pieces. There are recorded loops to be given to students to work with on their own and arranging and composition exercises with easy to follow instructions. There is also an interview with Dave Symes (artistic director for Exotica) outlining his musical approaches and thoughts in the Exotica package.For a free demo of the material email Zoromak or check out our blog section. Try the play along mp3. This is an example of one of the loops found in the Exotica package for students to experiment with improvising.The package has a written melody to go along with the loop but students could try improvising or composing their own melody over the loop using the C mixolydian b2 mode:C Db E F G A Bb.Price per package is Au$99.00 plus postageCheck out our Blogs section for some workshop ideas to use. You could use them yourself or if in Australia email us if you would like to know more about getting a Zoromak artist in your school.