AARON PARKS

ELITE MUSIC MENTOR PRESENTS

AARON PARKS
Aaron Parks is one of the most influencial contemporary jazz pianists. At age 15, he was chosen
to participate in the Grammy High School Jazz Ensemble which led him to move to New York
and transfer from the Univeristy of Washington to the Manhattan School of Music. During his
final year at the Manhattan School of Music, he was touring with Terrence Blanchard and
recorded three albums with him for Blue Note. Aaron has also toured with acclaimed artists
such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Joshua Redman, and Eric Harland. In this masterclass, Aaron will
take us into his thought process behind composition and how to create a physical, mental, and
ta
spiritual connection with your music and improvisation.

Elite Music Mentor Mike Moreno 2

 ASK YOUR MENTOR

As a member of Elite Music

Mentor, you’re not only paying for
the incredible content but also for
a complete interactive experience
with our community. Do not
hesitate to post your questions
on our “Ask Your Mentor” section.
There are no stupid questions!

The best and most active user will

be chosen every month to recieve
one free masterclass of their choice.
Our mentors will periodically
answer all of your questions
directly and guide you through the
learning process. Together, we can
tackle and conquer all of our music
goals and aspirations.

STAY UP TO DATE

Join us on your musical journey. Follow us on social media to stay up to date with new
masterclasses releases, live music footage of our artists, and much more. Let us know how we’re
doing or if there is anything you’d like us to improve about our platform. Our mission is to
create a flourishing community of mentors and students who are as passionate about music as
we are and dedicated to nurture the live music scene and elevate the quality of music education.

@EliteMusicMentor @EliteMusicMentor @E_MusicMentor Elite Music Mentor

Elite Music Mentor Mike Moreno 3

AARON PARKS
Contents
Chapter I
Heart & Melody
Aaron explains his core philosophy about music - rhythm to the
body, melody to the heart, and harmony to the mind. He
then speaks more in-depths about the connection between heart
and melody.

Heart
&
Melody
“The one thing that
matters the most is
that the music feels alive.”
Elite Music Mentor
Heart & Melody - Overview Ch. 1, pg.6
In this chapter, Aaron reveals that he prefers an intuitive
approach to learning music than an intellectual one. He
breaks down music into its fundamental parts - rhythm,
melody, and harmony. Rhythm for him relates to the body,
melody relates to the heart, and harmony relates to the
mind. He believes that great music comes when there is a
balance and of
o all those three elements.
Aaron likes to use a powerful exercise to get his heart, body,
and mind closer to the music he wants to perform. In this
exercise, Aaron sets up a drone in the left hand with just the
root, fifth, and maybe an octave. He will then improvise over
modes from the lightest or “sunniest” side of the harmonic
spectrum into increasingly darker ones. In the beginning of
his demonstration of
o this exercise, Aaron plays melodies
using the lydian scale, which is on the brightest side of the
emotional spectrum for him.
Aaron gets darker first by going to the ionian mode, then
mixolydian. From the sun he goes to the moon, singing his
ideas over the pedal in the in the left hand the entire time.
The aim of the exercise is to open up your ears and also
get them to connect to your fingers and body so that there
is a constant connection between what you’re hearing and
playing.
 Heart | Body | Mind Ch. 1, pg.7

Heart
&
Melody
HEART | BODY | MIND

• Start on the sun, the “light” modes

• Sing through all your ideas

• Connect your ear to your body
• Singing your ideas makes your them melodic

• Continue to the dark side of the modes, the “moon”

No transcriptions for this section.

Elite Music Mentor

 Heart | Body | Mind Ch. 1, pg.8

Heart
&
Melody
HEART | BODY | MIND

• Emulate Aaron’s exercise in this chapter

• Focus on creating the connection between heart,

body, and mind.

ASK YOUR MENTOR

Interact with other users on the website and ask questions!

Our mentors will answer all your questions and help you
through your musical journey. The best student will be
selected each month to recieve one free masterclass of
their choice.

Elite Music Mentor

 The Art of Melody Ch. 1, pg.9

Heart
&
Melody
THE ART OF MELODY

• Continue going through the modes of increasing

“darkness,”
• Follow this from light to dark: Lydian, Ionian, Mixolydian,
Dorian, Aolian, Phrygian, Locrian

Refer to the next section for trancriptions. No homework

for this section.

Elite Music Mentor

 The Art of Melody Ch. 1, pg.10

The Art of Melody - Transcriptions I

Elite Music Mentor

 The Art of Melody Ch. 1, pg.11

The Art of Melody - Transcriptions II

Elite Music Mentor

 The Art of Melody Ch. 1, pg.12

The Art of Melody - Transcriptions III

Elite Music Mentor