Jazz Studies & Contemporary Media

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The jazz studies and contemporary media department gives students the flexibility to meet the varying demands of today’s musical world by developing their performance and writing skills through rehearsals, concerts, recordings, performances of student works, participation in Eastman’s innovative “Jazz Performance Workshops” (performance classrooms), and courses in improvisation, composition/arranging, theory, history, and pedagogy.

The quality of jazz ensemble performances at Eastman has resulted in first place and other top prizes in Down Beat’s annual recording competition, won by theEastman Jazz Ensemble, the Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, Saxology, the Eastman Studio Orchestra, small groups, and individual students competing in composition, arranging, and solo performance.

The Eastman Jazz Ensemble has appeared at the Music Educators National Conference, the Montreux Jazz Festival, and the International Association of Jazz Educators Conference. The 70-piece Eastman Studio Orchestra performs jazz and contemporary arrangements with strings, harp, winds, percussion, and with jazz ensemble brass, saxophones, and rhythm instruments.

The four large jazz ensembles, select small groups, and many jazz courses are open to students majoring in other disciplines. One of every five Eastman undergraduates participates in some aspect of jazz studies.

Visiting musicians in recent years have included Bob Brookmeyer, Benny Carter, Ron Carter, John Clayton Jr., Jack DeJohnette, Eliane Elias, Peter Erskine, Clare Fischer, Benny Golson, Tim Hagans, Jim Hall, Joe Henderson, Dave Holland, Bill Holman, Lee Konitz, Joe Lovano, Teo Macero, Bobby McFerrin, Jim McNeely, Marian McPartland, Vince Mendoza, Ben Monder, Rich Perry, Maria Schneider, Toots Thielemans, McCoy Tyner, Kenny Wheeler, and Phil Woods.