Saturday 4th April saw another in the series of 1-day Jazz Experience workshops, hosted by Birmingham Music Service in the Birmingham Conservatoire's Adrian Boult Hall. Leading the workshop, Julian Joseph and Richard Michael gave teachers from Birmingham and surrounding areas lots of ideas for developing their own jazz improvising, as well as some exciting ways to engage young people, when they take the Jazz Experience legacy back into their schools and form their own improvisation ensembles.

Richard Michael led some superb rhythm warm-ups, which involved everyone in stamping, clapping and whooping - all in the name of creating a great jazz groove that was to lay the foundations for the improvising that was to come later in the day.

Richard's mantra of 'mistakes are cool' put everyone at their ease and we had some excellent impros from the various sessions we ran.

A highlight for many was when Richard - himself a very experienced and able jazz pianist - joined Julian at the Yamaha digital piano for a couple of impromptu duets. Richard's teaching is inspiring. There's no other word for it! Combine it with the power, sensitivity and craft of Julian's piano playing and you have a winning formula. Ask anyone who came to the workshop!