The Inner Circle has a variety of courses to help with ear training, jazz basics, etc. There is a good balance of theory and playing. I really enjoy the Jazz Standards Club, where we really focus on one standard a month. What is great, since this is my passion, not my career, is that I can do it at my own pace, when I have time and still have all of the resources at my fingertips. The Community Forums provide a great opportunity to interact and share experiences with others that share similar challenges, as well as provide other learning opportunities. I highly recommend joining the Inner Circle, it provides great learning opportunities for players at all levels!

After a 50 year hiatus, I took up playing again three years ago. I alway wanted to learn to improvise so that is what I'm concentrating on. Since I have no harmonic background and play a melodic instrument I have always struggled with chord changes. Here is where the LJS Inner Circle comes in, which is a perfect tool to really getting to understand jazz harmony and how to apply the changes. Brent has done an incredible job and the peer support through different community discussion blogs is excellent. I highly recommend the Inner Circle. You won't regret it.

I am a classically trained musician and like many of my kind, the goal of being able to play jazz and improvise seemed like the impossible dream. I have tried self help books, online videos, private teachers, but was not able to stick with it. What I've come to consider is that jazz, being an aural tradition, is not easy to teach and some are better at teaching it than others. Eight months ago I enrolled in my first course at Learn Jazz Standards and have found Brent Vaarstra to be an experienced, brilliant teacher who has designed a very accessible web site to teach jazz improvisation on many levels. When the opportunity arose to join his newest concept, The Inner Circle, I didn't hesitate. Now I feel part of an international jazz community and it is all very exciting and inspirational.

I began immersing myself within the Inner Circle program approximately 3 weeks ago. One of the biggest benefits to me, has been the course structure. It has forced me to focus on the process and helps me with clear, step by step achievable goals. Beginner, intermediate or advanced, it doesn't matter, there is something for everyone.

I have felt for a very long time that my improvisational skills were not improving beyond a certain point and I was looking for ways to develop these further. I was delighted to read about the introduction of the LJS Inner Circle and decided to apply to join without any hesitation whatsoever. There are an amazing number of resources available through the LJS Inner Circle membership. I have been working on this month's jazz standard and already feel that my improvisation has improved tremendously and know it will continue to do so. Also, the interaction amongst the members is fantastic. This is mainly done through the various discussion forums where you can ask those burning questions that have been bothering you for a long time and be certain to get responses. I have no regrets about joining and very much look forward to developing my skills further through my membership of the LJS Inner Circle.

Brent’s LJS platform which I’ve followed since a few years, and especially the Inner Circle, offers a great opportunity not only to take different courses, getting resource material with an analytic approach and backing tracks, but most important to be musically active by posting audio-or video files of your playing and having a discussion forum where you can exchange ideas and tips with other members. So you actually have feedback on what you and others are doing. After being just a few weeks in the Inner Circle I feel that I am becoming already a more open minded player. I can highly recommend joining the Inner Circle!

I have started playing Saxophone in July 2019, with the clear aim to get a better understanding of playing jazz music, but the theory behind it was a big mystery. I made good progress on the instrument, but only when I found Brent's Learn Jazz Standards site and subscribed to courses the jazz mystery began to unveil. Now, I am deep in the "30 Steps to Better Jazz Playing" course and am able to do things, which I never thought possible. The big difference of Brent's courses compared to classical text books on the market, is that in addition to excellent teaching material provided, Brent guides me through the learning process by providing clear aims that should be achieved. I also have a sax teacher who is a University trained jazz musician and she too finds Brent's courses excellent, not more to say I guess, but that I wholeheartedly recommend the Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle, this is true value for money!

I've always struggled with how to connect chords together melodically when soloing over a jazz standard. Part of the reason why is that I really did not "know" the harmonic structure of the tune. Brent provides guide tone exercises, chord exercises, some contrafacts, and a video walk-through of each jazz standard. Directed, structured practice is the key to learning anything, especially how to play jazz. Brent's courses, with their emphasis on recording yourself, have really helped me. They'll help anyone willing to dedicate a bit of focused practice time. It's fun to see improvement, and this enjoyment makes me look forward to my daily practice time. Thank you, Brent.