More than 70 high school musicians from across Central and West Texas recently gathered at Howard Payne University in Brownwood for a day focused on jazz performance, improvisation and collaboration. The High School Combo Jazz Clinic and Workshop brought students and their teachers from 10 high schools to the HPU campus for instruction from university music professors, professional musicians and educators.
Students attended from Electra High School, San Angelo Central High School, San Angelo’s Emmanuel School for the Arts, Brady, Eastland, Dublin, Mineral Wells, Sweetwater, Brownwood and Early. The participating students had the opportunity to experience a college-level music environment while working directly with instructors and performers who brought experience from universities, schools, churches and professional music settings.
Workshop connected students with college musicians
Stephen Goacher, HPU professor of music, and James Bode, artist-in-residence in HPU’s School of Education and Fine Arts, presented the workshop. Their instruction was supported by several professional musicians and educators: HPU alumnus Dr. John Kennedy, a trumpet player from South Plains College in Lubbock; Dr. Jeffrey Cottrell, a trombone player and professor at Hardin-Simmons University; Stacey Nash, a bass player from Lubbock ISD; the Rev. Henry Smith, a pianist, associate pastor and music minister at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Abilene; and Dan Andersen, a guitarist and professor at Temple College and Texas A&M University-Central Texas.
The range of instructors allowed students to work with musicians connected to higher education, public schools, professional performance and church music. The workshop was structured not only as a performance event but also as an opportunity for high school students to learn how musicians develop their own ideas and respond creatively during a performance.
Goacher said many young musicians become skilled at accurately reproducing music written on the page, but that improvisation can help them discover a more personal form of musical expression.
“Young musicians are well-trained in accurately reproducing music from the printed page,” said Stephen Goacher, HPU professor of music. “However, finding that secret song that expresses part of your soul — creating music, improvising — stimulates and develops new areas of the brain. Through creativity, students experience discovery. Through discovery, students explore the world of possibilities.”
Students prepared for auditions and performed in combos
The day began at 10 a.m. with a performance by HPU’s Faculty Jazz Combo. After the concert, students attended clinics designed to help them prepare for upcoming auditions for the Texas All-State Jazz Band.
Improvisation formed a central part of the instruction. Students explored the process of creating music in the moment, an essential element of jazz that asks performers to make musical decisions as they play rather than relying solely on a predetermined written part. The workshop gave students time to apply that approach in a group setting while receiving guidance from teachers and visiting musicians.
For the final workshop activity, students who had not previously met were placed into nine-member jazz combos. Working with their teachers, each group had one hour to learn a standard jazz selection and prepare its own improvisations. The groups then performed during a 5 p.m. concert featuring all of the student combos.
That final assignment required the students to combine preparation with flexibility. They had to learn a selection quickly, coordinate with classmates they had not previously worked with and develop improvisations before presenting the result in concert. The performance concluded a day that moved from listening and instruction to small-group rehearsal and public performance.
Program emphasizes rural and small-school music education
Howard Payne described the workshop as part of its continuing commitment to providing music education opportunities for students in rural and small school communities. The university’s Department of Music serves as the Center for Rural and Small School Music Education TEA County/District 025501.
For participating students, the event offered more than a single day of clinics. It introduced them to university faculty and professional musicians, provided practice connected to Texas All-State Jazz Band auditions and gave them an opportunity to perform in a college setting. The workshop also connected students from communities including Brady, Eastland, Dublin, Mineral Wells, Sweetwater and Early with peers from larger school programs in Brownwood, San Angelo and elsewhere in Central and West Texas.
Howard Payne said the program is intended to help high school musicians learn, perform and grow alongside college faculty and professional musicians. The university’s broader educational profile includes more than 100 majors, minors and pre-professional programs across six schools and three locations. Founded in 1889, HPU describes itself as a Christ-centered liberal arts university dedicated to faith, leadership and service.
Next workshop planned for January
Goacher and Bode will present the second annual High School Big-Band Jazz Workshop on Jan. 30, 2027. The planned workshop will extend Howard Payne’s music education opportunities for high school musicians and continue the university’s effort to bring students into contact with college faculty and professional performers.
The announcement did not provide registration details, a schedule or a list of participating schools for the January workshop. It identified the date and the event’s planned presenters but did not state whether attendance will be limited or whether the format will exactly match the September program.