BMus(Hons) Jazz
Full-time: 5 years with integrated PGCE
CUKAS Course Code: 310F Download Audition Requirements
The BMus (Hons) Jazz is a highly specialised course specifically designed to meet the needs of the modern jazz performer. The course is heavily weighted toward practical work with the majority of time dedicated to one-to-one lessons, small group coaching and private practice. All academic classes support different aspects of jazz performance and include Jazz History, Transcription and Analysis, Contemporary Issues and Composition.
The individual lesson is at the heart of a conservatoire education and your 40 hours per year of individual tuition will cover several different areas of musicianship. In the early years of the course your tutor will concentrate on helping you to establish a productive practice regime and build a foundation of fundamental technical skills, with an emphasis on improvisatory processes. As you mature, your tutor’s role will increasingly become one of mentor and guide, overseeing your artistic and conceptual development and providing the space for you to find a personal voice.
Small group coaching follows a similar pattern: in Years 1 & 2 you will be assigned to a small group, typically of two to three frontline instruments plus rhythm section, which will receive intensive weekly coaching on core repertoire. In Years 3 & 4, you will run your own small group, in which you will have you own choice of repertoire and personnel, and be able to apply for mentoring and coaching as you see necessary for the band’s development. Senior small groups receive coaching from Visiting Artist in Residence Dave Holland and other international guests.
For jazz musicians, the relationship between improvisation and composition is central to developing an individual voice and personal approach, so a significant strand of composition modules runs through all four years of the course. All student compositions feed into performance, from being included in small group programming to being performed by our Jazz Composers‘ Ensemble.
One of the central aims of the course is to launch jazz performers into the music profession. You will have a chance to document your work as a jazz musician through a Studio Project in the third year. You will also design a Major Project
The individual lesson is at the heart of a conservatoire education and your 40 hours per year of individual tuition will cover several different areas of musicianship. In the early years of the course your tutor will concentrate on helping you to establish a productive practice regime and build a foundation of fundamental technical skills, with an emphasis on improvisatory processes. As you mature, your tutor’s role will increasingly become one of mentor and guide, overseeing your artistic and conceptual development and providing the space for you to find a personal voice.
Small group coaching follows a similar pattern: in Years 1 & 2 you will be assigned to a small group, typically of two to three frontline instruments plus rhythm section, which will receive intensive weekly coaching on core repertoire. In Years 3 & 4, you will run your own small group, in which you will have you own choice of repertoire and personnel, and be able to apply for mentoring and coaching as you see necessary for the band’s development. Senior small groups receive coaching from Visiting Artist in Residence Dave Holland and other international guests.
For jazz musicians, the relationship between improvisation and composition is central to developing an individual voice and personal approach, so a significant strand of composition modules runs through all four years of the course. All student compositions feed into performance, from being included in small group programming to being performed by our Jazz Composers‘ Ensemble.
One of the central aims of the course is to launch jazz performers into the music profession. You will have a chance to document your work as a jazz musician through a Studio Project in the third year. You will also design a Major Project
“My time on the jazz course has been great. The
tutors are world class and their broad range of
interests has meant that I’ve been exposed to
an incredibly diverse spectrum of influences.
The course has a strong community feel to it
and I think everyone would agree that we have a
developing jazz scene to be proud of. Contact with
visiting tutors and outside promoters has kept us
all more in touch with the wider jazz community.
Two defining highlights for me were meeting my hero Joey Baron and playing with the legendary Dave Holland. Overall, I feel that my time here has been extremely beneficial in setting me up with the resources with which to continue my journey as a musician.”
Two defining highlights for me were meeting my hero Joey Baron and playing with the legendary Dave Holland. Overall, I feel that my time here has been extremely beneficial in setting me up with the resources with which to continue my journey as a musician.”
Tom Chapman, drums
Tutors: Gene Calderazzo, Jeff Williams, Andrew Bain
Tutors: Gene Calderazzo, Jeff Williams, Andrew Bain
in the fourth year around an area of professional practice of your choice. As further professional development, you will look at contemporary role models in jazz performance, undertaking in-depth case studies of their careers. There are also classes providing advice on how to manage a freelance portfolio career in music, covering topics such as personal finance and tax, publicity and events promotion, applications to funding bodies and bidding for commissions.
If you’re interested in teaching, it’s now possible to split your fourth year of study to accommodate part-time study of a PGCE, achieving Qualified Teacher Status, as well as your BMus (Hons) by the end of the course. The PGCE aspects of the course are taught at the University's Faculty of Education.
Practical
Designed to develop improvisation skills in small and large group playing, regular practical activities include:
The academic content provides the skills and contextual knowledge necessary for a career in jazz:
If you’re interested in teaching, it’s now possible to split your fourth year of study to accommodate part-time study of a PGCE, achieving Qualified Teacher Status, as well as your BMus (Hons) by the end of the course. The PGCE aspects of the course are taught at the University's Faculty of Education.
Practical
Designed to develop improvisation skills in small and large group playing, regular practical activities include:
- 40 hours of individual specialist tuition per year
- Masterclasses
- Vocabulary and Studies (Technical Module)
- Small Group Coaching
- Performance and Composition Workshops
- Rhythm Workshop
- Jazz Orchestra, Big Band and Jazz Composers’ Ensemble
- Option of 2 years additional Second Study tuition
The academic content provides the skills and contextual knowledge necessary for a career in jazz:
- Jazz Musicianship (Harmony, Aural, Improvisatory processes)
- Composition
- Jazz History
- Transcription and Analysis
- Jazz in Context
- Professional Development