2.0

credits

Average Course Rating

This course has two main areas of focus: 1) The People—a survey of the chronological history of jazz through the use of texts, recordings, videos, and guest lecturers. The development of jazz as an art form will be traced from the acculturation of Africans in America to the present day by learning about its major instrumentalists, ensembles, composers, arrangers, innovators, revivalists, and revisionists. 2) The Methods—a survey of the techniques and processes that have been employed by jazz musicians to help make it into the highly structured and evolved art form that it is today. Students will have experience with first-hand performance, arranging, and composing, along with lectures, demonstrations, and extensive discussion.