Downbeat, a major Jazz magazine, named Howes one of the most promising up and coming Jazz violinists of the era. During his performance, Christian Howes started out with a simple musical line, and recorded it on a device. He then added another line so that what soon started out as a simple tune was transformed into a complicated melody. Howes then led the crowd of students through an instrument based theory exercise.
He started out by asking students to project emotions through a specific set of notes, ranging from amazed to sad. He made sure to use every kind of instrument in this exercise, from trumpets to bass.
“I felt like I learned a lot,” says freshmen Jeffrey Ohl. Ohl is a freshman in Jazz 1 and plays the Alto Saxophone. He didn’t really know who Howes was prior to the clinic, but was excited about him nonetheless. “I hope to learn improvisation techniques,” he says. Ohl took notes on the program and afterward said that it was an enjoyable experience.
Although Wagner was “delighted” with the workshop, he was unhappy with the turnout of the students. Approximately 30 students showed up, a far cry from the 90 that are in the Jazz program. Howes cost about $250 an hour and Wagner wants that money to educate as many students as possible. Almost everybody from the older classes attended, but in Jazz 1 and 2 it was a different story. About five people from block six jazz were there. Of those, only three or yfour stayed for the whole time.
Howes continues to tour the world, inspiring young musicians. His next major concert is on October 12 in St. Louis, Missouri. He will also appear in Denmark, Germany, Sweden and France before the year is out.