Julliard Offers Jazz Degree

While the Juilliard School of Music has long been known as one of the top institutions for the study of classical music, it has never had much in the way of a jazz department. Young jazz musicians typically headed to Berklee or the Manhattan School of Music for their studies. Starting in fall 2003, however, Juilliard will offer its first undergraduate degree in jazz studies. This follows on the heels of the school’s 2001 addition of the Juilliard Institute for Jazz Studies, which came about as a collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center and offered a more advanced Artist Diploma track.

The new undergraduate degree is open to any musician with a high school diploma, and will offer courses in music history, literature and materials of music, ear training and keyboard skills, jazz history, improvisation, jazz composition and arranging, the business of jazz, as well as weekly private lessons. Students will have the opportunity to perform in and around New York City as part of the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, to appear with members of the Artist Diploma program, and to take part in master classes, as well as a chance to participate in Juilliard’s inter-arts program with student actors, dancers, and singers.

Faculty will include Victor Goines (artistic director of jazz studies, and a member of both the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and the Wynton Marsalis Septet), Dr. Laurie A Carter (executive director of jazz studies), drummers Carl Allen and Lewis Nash, saxophonists Wess Anderson and Joe Temperley, pianist Kenny Barron, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, trumpeters Terell Stafford and Warren Vaché and bassist Ben Wolfe.

Auditions for the Fall, 2003 semester will take place Mar. 16-18 and Mar. 20 and 21, 2003, at the Juilliard School. For more information, visit www.juilliard.edu.

Originally Published August 5, 2002