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From the Club to the Classroom: Jazz Education Through the Ages

Pre-Historical Period

The first period was from the beginning of jazz until the 1930s, which is often referred as the “pre-historic era”, due to the lack of documentation and records of learning activities. During this period, jazz education continued the oral tradition of jazz, which “reflected the African American music history of passing songs from generation to generation.” (McDaniel, 1993) Thus, it was more difficult for jazz artists and musicians to teach jazz in a classroom setting than having a mentor relationship with their students. No formal or official jazz program was introduced to college curricula during this period, but there does exist pioneers that tried to teach a few classes during the 1920s and 1930s. Educator and Bandleader Len Bowden was a perfect example. He started directing jazz ensembles and taught classes at predominately black colleges. At the same time, Bowden attempted to develop a basic curriculum for further jazz education. His work during that period is still fundamental to jazz educators nowadays. As a result, the attempts to teach jazz in the pre-historic era are considered as prototypical, and treated as forerunners for the development of jazz history.

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4. Growth Period Lastly, the third period was from the 1960s to the 1970s, when there were a huge growth in the number of schools that have jazz programs and the number of students who majored in jazz. During this time period, jazz programs were not only available in colleges and universities, but were established in elementary schools and high schools. There was “an increase in the amount of educationally oriented big band arrangements, and an increase in stage bands at the high school level.” (Prouty, 2005) For example, in the 1960s, high schools in large cities arranged programs that invited jazz bands and groups to visit and perform. Founded in 1964, Jazzmobile was the one of the initiative programs in New York City.
5. Pre-Historical Period The first period was from the beginning of jazz until the 1930s, which is often referred as the “pre-historic era”, due to the lack of documentation and records of learning activities. During this period, jazz education continued the oral tradition of jazz, which “reflected the African American music history of passing songs from generation to generation.” (McDaniel, 1993) Thus, it was more difficult for jazz artists and musicians to teach jazz in a classroom setting than having a mentor relationship with their students. No formal or official jazz program was introduced to college curricula during this period, but there does exist pioneers that tried to teach a few classes during the 1920s and 1930s. Educator and Bandleader Len Bowden was a perfect example. He started directing jazz ensembles and taught classes at predominately black colleges. At the same time, Bowden attempted to develop a basic curriculum for further jazz education. His work during that period is still fundamental to jazz educators nowadays. As a result, the attempts to teach jazz in the pre-historic era are considered as prototypical, and treated as forerunners for the development of jazz history.
6. The Establishment of Schillinger House The second period that has been pointed out by jazz historians is the 1940s. Formal jazz education programs and institutions were founded in the 1940s. The establishments of jazz programs in North Texas State College and Schillinger House in Boston (Berklee) in the 1940s marked the beginning of jazz education. In this time period, jazz started to transform from a oral tradition to a written and recorded one. Since more jazz musicians got familiar with writing and reading music notations, jazz education programs started to use written and recorded forms of music as a staple of their teaching system. More importantly, this change symbolizes that jazz was being transformed into a more accessible and convenient academic practice.
7. Nowadays As a result, after the third period of rapid growth of jazz education, there are more than 75 jazz education programs in higher education. Over 500 colleges offer jazz-related course for credit and there are more than 300 summer camp programs that included jazz. Therefore, during the past 10 decades, jazz has perfectly embedded itself in an academia setting that has a larger group of audience and students.
8. Introduction