Jazz Workshop “Classic Jazz & Bossa Nova” from Monday 9.03. to Saturday 14.03.2026 (6th edition)

Welcome! On this page you will find the most important information about our annual jazz workshop: the location, the team, the goals, the daily schedule, registration, workshop fee and more. Please scroll through this page:

Location: Hotel Apollo Terme, Montegrotto (near Padua and Venice), Italy (see also: GoogleMaps)
Relax-, SPA-, Therme- and Wellness-Hotel (Therme-Pools); as well as: medical treatments.
Information on how to get here by car, train or plane can be found on this page: scroll down to “How to reach us”.

Accompanying persons: excursions and relax program are available for participants as well as for accompanying persons.

Style: Classic Jazz and Latin Jazz in mainstream style, i.e.: a) swing and mainstream style for Great American Songbook songs, b) bossa and jazz samba in mainstream or Jobim style, etc. (this is discussed as well on our Workshop-Facebook-Site)

Fotos of earlier workshops and of hotel: see picture gallery

Main feature of the workshop: Combo training: Participants have the opportunity to play in a combo in order to learn the typical jazz interaction and to develop their improvisation skills.

Docents / coaches / the team:

Participants:

  • Musicians of all instruments and all vocalists are welcome!
  • Combos are organised in jazz-typical formations as trios, quartets or quintets.
  • The workshop is designed for jazz amateurs up to semi professionals. But you can also participate and profit from the workshop if you are a beginner in jazz in case that you already are practicing your instrument for a few years in other music styles (e.g., classical music).
  • Vocalists: if possible: Please bring your own microphone and cable; Bass/Guitar: Please bring your own cable; Horns: purely acoustic

… drum-set, double bass, e-bass, … are available on site (no extra costs)

Workshop goals: 

  • Combo training: Participants have the opportunity to play in a combo in order to learn the typical jazz interaction and to develop their improvisation skills.
  • Theory and ear training: topics: chord progressions, scales etc.; improving the recognition of chords, intervals, and scales. Improving the recognition of form or structure of typical jazz songs (AB, AABA, blues, …) 
  • Rhythm training: basics, rhythmical patterns for improvisation (licks) and for accompaniment (comping) in swing and Latin.
  • Main goal: to have fun making music: in the combo, at the jam sessions, but also while learning and improving your skills in class.

Schedule: (changes may be possible) 

  • First meeting: Monday, 9.03.2026, 18.30 in lobby of Hotel Apollo; first jam session is starting at 21.00 (evening jam sessions always following dinner)
  • daily teaching:
    • 09.00-10.00: Theory, ear, and/or improvisation training (plenary session); basics skills like: intervals, chord progressions, scales, etc.
    • 10.15-12.00 and 15.00-17.00: Band training / Combo training (parallel sessions): combos will be reorganised each day or each second day in order to allow an interaction between all docents / combo coaches and all participants with each other.
  • daily JamSession: 21.00-00.30: advantage os a small workshop: everyone gets a comfortable chance to play here 🙂
  • last morning (Saturday): 9.00-10.00: Meeting: What was great and what could be arranged better next year; farewell.

Workshop fee / registration fee: 590 Euros. Please book as early as possible to secure a place in the workshop. Our workshop is often fully booked in September of the previous year. In the event of a compelling reason for cancellation: We guarantee a full refund if you cancel before October 1st of the previous year and a partial refund if you cancel before February 1st of the workshop year; for more details see TermsAndConditionsOfParticipation.pdf.

Application for workshop participation:

Please use this registration form or write an email to Bernd J. Kröger ( bjkroeger AT gmail DOT com ). Please give the following information:

  • Last name, first name
  • Street, house number, postal code, name of city, name of country
  • your instrument
  • number of years of instrument training (not necessarily jazz)


We will answering your email within 2 days.

Booking of hotel room: directly via email to Hotel Apollo (apollo@termeapollo.it), in order to get the workshop room flat rate … (to get an impression about rooms go to hotel web page: Hotel Apollo Terme)
Workshop room flat rate for hotel stay: 5 nights including full board: single/double-room without/with accompanying person: about 605/1130 Euros (rates 2025)

Meals (lunch and dinner) are served in a sequence of four courses and take about 60 minutes. It is possible to skip lunch and/or dinner if you want or if you need more time for yourself. Breakfast is self service.

Teaching handouts (for participants only): H01 H02 H03  
Lists of many songs reflecting the workshop genres: W01 W02 W03 W04 W05 Songs. Select and prepare two of these songs; Or: just prepare your personal most favourite songs.

Foto of Hotel Apollo Terme (terme pools):

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