Jazz Studies
It’s not hard to find your groove in UIUC’s jazz program. Near the top of the charts in Downbeat’s 1960s rankings, the U of I Jazz Band has since performed in Russia and Scandinavia, the Newport Jazz Festival, and many other U.S. cities and conventions. Jazz greats Louis Bellson, Pete Christlieb, Clark Terry, Bill Watrous, and Joe Williams have been guest headliners for us, and we’ve sent out our graduates, including Cecil Bridgewater, Ron Dewar, Joe Farrell, Jim McNeeley, and Kim Richmond. We have big bands and small combos just waiting for you to join. Headed by "Chip" McNeill, the faculty was recently augmented with the hiring of pianist John "Chip" Stephens and drummer/ethnomusicologist Dana Hall, and in Fall 2005, the fabulous jazz trombonist/composer/arranger Jim Pugh will join the faculty! Together with saxophonist Ron Bridgewater, jazz musicologist Gabriel Solis, vocalist Barrington Coleman, percussionist Ricardo Flores, and pianist Joan Hickey, they offer numerous courses and ensembles for music majors and non-majors as well. They’ll help acquaint you with traditional and edgy jazz literature. You can use MIDI instruments as resources for your own compositions and work in a specially designed multimedia jazz practice room. The program takes proficient instrumentalists and makes them better, geared to promote your stylistic and technical competence as a performer and creator.
New jazz curricula at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels are currently under consideration, and we hope to have these "on the books" by Fall 2006. Until then, numerous jazz courses are presently available on a rotating basis under the titles course titles Undergraduate Open Seminar (MUS 199) and Proseminar in Music (MUS 499).
- Class Improvisation I-II
- Improv: Theory and Practice I-IV
- Improvisation: Jazz Pedagogy I-II
- Improvisation Forum
- Introduction to Jazz Saxophone
- Jazz Arranging I-IV
- Jazz Composition I-II
- Jazz History I-II
- Jazz Improvisation Styles I-II
- Jazz Keyboard I-IV
- Jazz Listening Seminar I-II
- Rhythm Section Seminar I-II
- Theory of Improvisation I-II
Proposed Jazz Performance Curriculum
The following course outline shows the proposed sequence of classes that will, upon appropriate approvals, be in effect Fall 2006 or possibly earlier. Until that time, students may apply for admission to the B.M. in Open Studies program, with a focus in jazz studies, in which the same or similar jazz classes as those listed below will be chosen from jazz courses listed under MUS 199 (Undergraduate Open Seminar) and/or MUS 499 (Proseminar in Music). For more information, please contact Professor Charles "Chip" McNeill, Chair of the Jazz Division, or Dr. Edward Rath, Associate Director and Advisor to Open Studies music majors.
| First Year – Fall |
| Courses |
Hours |
| Applied Music1 | 2 |
| Secondary Applied Instrument or Jazz Keyboard I2 |
2 |
| Keyboard Studies (pianists may take a different instrument)
| 2 |
| MUS 101-Music Theory and Practice I |
2 |
| MUS 110-Introd Art Music: Intl Perspect |
2 |
| MUS 107-Aural Skills I |
2 |
| Improvisation ensemble |
1 |
| Improvisational Performance Forum |
0 |
| Composition I, or SPCM 111 |
3–4 |
| Total |
16–17 |
| First Year – Spring |
| Courses |
Hours |
| Applied Improvisation1,2 |
2/td>
|
| Class Improvisation |
2 |
| Keyboard studies (pianists may take another instrument)
| 2 |
| MUS 102-Music Theory and Practice II |
2 |
| MUS 108-Aural Skills II |
2 |
| Improvation Ensemble |
1 |
| Improvational Performance Forum |
0 |
| Advanced Composition, SPCOM 112, or Electives |
5–6 |
| Total |
16–17 |
| Second Year – Fall |
| Courses |
Hours |
| Major applied music subject1,2 |
4 |
| Minor applied music subject |
2 |
| MUS 103-Music Theory and Practice III |
2 |
| MUS 201-Aural Skills III |
2 |
| MUS 313-History of Music I |
3 |
| Music ensemble |
1 |
| Foreign language |
4 |
| Total |
18 |
| Second Year – Spring |
| Courses |
Hours |
| Major applied music subject1,2 |
4 |
| Minor applied music subject |
2 |
| MUS 104-Music Theory and Practice IV |
2 |
| MUS 208-Aural Skills IV |
1 |
| MUS 314-History of Music, II |
3 |
| Music ensemble |
1 |
| Foreign language |
4 |
| Total |
17 |
| Third Year – Fall |
| Courses |
Hours |
| Major applied music subject1,2 |
4 |
| Music theory3 |
3 |
| Music history4 |
3 |
| Music ensemble |
1 |
| Foreign language |
4 |
| Electives |
1 |
| Total |
16 |
| Third Year – Spring |
| Courses |
Hours |
| Major applied music subject1,2 |
4 |
| Music theory3 |
3 |
| Music history4 |
3 |
| Music ensemble |
1 |
| MUS 242-Conducting |
2 |
| Electives |
3 |
| Total |
16 |
| Fourth Year – Fall |
| Courses |
Hours |
| Major applied music subject1,2 |
4 |
| MUS 430-Applied Music Pedagogy, or MUS 431-Piano Pedagogy I5 |
2 |
| Music ensemble |
1 |
| Electives |
9 |
| Total |
16 |
| Fourth Year – Spring |
| Courses |
Hours |
| Major applied music subject1,2 |
4 |
| MUS 430-Applied Music Pedagogy, or MUS 432-Piano Pedagogy II5 |
2 |
| Music ensemble |
1 |
| Electives |
8 |
| Total |
15 |
For more information, please see the electronic Timetable for the pertinent semester.
