Jazz Performance, Minor

Courses include playing in large or small-group combos, instrumental or vocal jazz performance, and jazz arranging or pedagogy.

Administered by faculty from the College of Arts and Architecture’s School of Music, the Jazz Performance minor is designed to give Music majors and non-Music majors experience in the performance, theory, and history of jazz and contemporary music.

Students will perform in a variety of the jazz ensembles offered by the School of Music, take private instruction in jazz improvisation with a designated jazz instructor on the School of Music faculty, and take courses in jazz history, improvisation and pedagogy.

For non-Music majors, an audition is required for admission to the Jazz Performance minor. Because all tracks of the Music major require an audition for admission, current Music majors will not need to audition for the Jazz Performance minor. Music majors may complete their Jazz Performance minor along with their Music major with careful selection of ensembles, electives, and additional courses.

While prior experience and competence in jazz performance is not a prerequisite, students who are non-Music majors must, in their audition for the minor, demonstrate competence on their instrument equivalent to that needed to be accepted into either the existing Music Performance minor or one of the School of Music jazz ensembles.

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