Four Sundays · 21 Fleet Street · All instruments
A jazz ensemble in the City of London, led by saxophonist Harris. Four Sunday sessions from January to April 2027, in two small groups — Beginner and Developing, five players each. £160 for all four.
The new block starts on Sunday 31 January 2027 at 12:00.
Everything you work on in a lesson — tone, technique, reading, phrasing — you can do on your own. Playing with other people is different, and it is the one thing a practice room cannot give you.
You have to hold your line while someone else plays something that cuts across it. You have to count rests that feel twice as long as they are. You have to come in on the beat that matters, not the one you were expecting, and keep going when you don't. You have to listen while you play, which is a genuinely separate skill from listening, or from playing.
Musicians who have only ever played alone discover this the first time they sit in a room with others, and it is usually a shock. Musicians who play in ensembles regularly stop noticing they are doing it at all. The gap between those two states is not talent. It is hours in a room with other players — and it closes faster than most people expect.
That is what these four Sundays are for.
The ensemble meets on the last Sunday of each month.
| Time | 12:00 – 13:30. Ninety minutes, with a short break in the middle. |
|---|---|
| Groups | Two groups, Beginner and Developing, each limited to five players. |
| Venue | 21 Fleet Street, City of London, EC4Y 1AA |
| Instruments | All of them. Horns, strings, piano, guitar, bass, drums, voice. |
| Led by | Harris — saxophonist, jazz diplomas ALCM and DipLCM |
| Price | £160 for all four sessions — £40 a session |
| Run by | London Music Teachers Ltd |
Harris is a professional saxophonist and flautist based in London, with more than twelve years of professional performance experience across jazz, classical and contemporary music.
He has performed at venues and festivals in the UK and internationally, directed a big band on tour in New York, recorded for major media organisations, and worked alongside orchestras and leading professional musicians.
At LMT Music Academy in Fitzrovia, Harris works with players at a wide range of levels — from developing musicians to those preparing for graded examinations, jazz auditions and professional performance.
You play.
That is the short answer, and it is deliberate. Ninety minutes goes quickly, and the value of an ensemble is in making music rather than spending most of the session talking about it.
Harris brings the material and arranges the ensemble so that every instrument in the room has something meaningful to do. You will work on a small number of tunes rather than racing through a long list. The first run tells you what the music sounds like. The second starts to reveal what needs work. By the third, things begin to come together.
Expect to be counted in, stopped, given a clear direction and counted in again. You will work on the melody, the form, rhythm, dynamics, listening, and how your part fits around everyone else's.
There is also space for improvisation. If you want to take a chorus, you can. Nobody is made to solo — and most people eventually want to.
There are two groups, and each is limited to five players, so everyone plays a real part.
Beginner group — for players who are newer to their instrument, or who have
never played with other musicians before.
Developing group — for players who can already hold a simple part on their
own and want to go further.
You do not need to have played jazz before.
You do not need to know how to improvise.
You do not need to be a fluent sight-reader.
The ensemble can include saxophone, trumpet, guitar, bass, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, drums and voice.
If you are unsure which group suits you, ask us. Harris will place you in the group where you will enjoy it most.
£160 for four 90-minute Sunday sessions.
That works out at £40 per session.
The programme is booked as a complete block of four sessions so that the group can develop together from one week to the next.
You play, with a short break in the middle. Harris brings the material and sets the parts so that every instrument in the room has something to do, then works a small number of tunes rather than many — the melody, the form, rhythm, dynamics, and how your line sits inside everyone else's.
Expect to be counted in, stopped, given a clear direction and counted in again. There is space to take a chorus if you want one; nobody is made to solo.
No. Bring the playing experience you already have and Harris will find the right place for you within the ensemble. Previous jazz experience is not required.
That is absolutely fine. You can begin with the written material and listen to how improvisation works around it — how other musicians approach a solo — and start experimenting when you feel ready.
There is no requirement to improvise on your first session, or to solo at all.
Jazz has room for considerably more than saxophone and trumpet. Guitar, bass, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, drums and voice can all bring something distinctive to an ensemble.
What matters is not whether your instrument looks like a traditional jazz instrument. It is whether you can listen, respond and make music with the people around you.
Your instrument, and anything you normally need in order to play it — including your own amplifier if you use one. Music is provided on the day.
One of the four sessions can be made up. Let us know in advance and we will arrange for you to attend the catch-up group class.
The catch-up option covers one missed Sunday during the four-session programme.
No. The ensemble is booked as a four-session programme, and that is intentional.
The point is not simply what happens during one Sunday. It is what happens as the same group plays together, listens more closely, grows comfortable with the material, and develops from the first session to the fourth.
No. There is no upper age limit. If you can play your instrument and want to make music with other people, you are welcome.
Each group is limited to five players. Register below and tell us which group you think suits you. We will confirm your group and send you a payment link for £160. Your place is confirmed once payment has been successfully processed.
Any questions, email contact@lmtmusicacademy.co.uk and we will answer promptly.