An advanced performance course designed to immerse students in the subtleties of how to “play slow.” The instructor will coach students on their ballad performance and accompaniment skills throughout the semester. Ballads from the American songbook repertoire will be learned in class by ear emphasizing lyric memorization, harmonic retention, relaxation, and focus on phrasing and personal sound as a way of informing how to approach more contemporary ballad performance. The course culminates in a recording of each students’ arrangement and performance of a ballad of their choice. By audition, at the instructor's discretion.