Project MUSE®: Jazz Education in Research and Practice - Latest Articles
https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/831
Project MUSE®: Latest articles in Jazz Education in Research and Practice.daily12026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00text/htmlen-USVol. 1 (2020) through current issue
Latest Articles: Jazz Education in Research and PracticeTWOProject MUSE®Jazz Education in Research and Practice2639-76762639-7668Latest articles in Jazz Education in Research and Practice. Feed provided by Project MUSE®A Message from the JEN President
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/983923
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It is an honor to greet you on behalf of the Jazz Education Network (JEN) as we celebrate the continued success of JAZZ: The Journal of Jazz Education in Research and Practice. Now in its seventh edition, this publication stands as an indispensable resource for educators, researchers, and artists dedicated to the study and advancement of jazz.JEN’s partnership with Editor Martin Norgaard, the International Editorial Board, and Indiana University Press continues to demonstrate the shared commitment to preserving and expanding jazz scholarship at the highest level. Together, we ensure that JAZZ remains a trusted forum for new ideas, cultural perspectives, and innovative educational research that inspire our global
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/831/image/coversmallA Message from the JEN President2026-02-24text/htmlen-USA Message from the JEN President2026-02-242026TWOProject MUSE®30272026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-02-24Editorial
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/983924
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Welcome to the seventh edition of Jazz Education in Research and Practice (JAZZ), an annual journal supported by the Jazz Education Network (JEN) and published through IU Press. The mission of JAZZ is to serve teachers, practitioners, and researchers alike and support the worldwide jazz community. Of course, the Jazz Education Network provides a wide variety of support and resources with the annual conference in January, teaching materials, membership benefits and opportunities, scholarships and awards, webinars, and so much more. More information is available at www.jazzednet.org.While the change to rolling submissions resulted in a smaller volume six, it also has resulted in a large number of papers in volume
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/831/image/coversmallEditorial2026-02-24text/htmlen-USEditorial2026-02-242026TWOProject MUSE®65422026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-02-24Music Is for Life: The Spiritual Side of Jamey Aebersold
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/983925
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“Anyone can improvise.” Jazz musician, educator, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Jamey Aebersold released a video with this title in the 1990s, and it became his de facto motto. In that video masterclass, Aebersold spent nearly two hours explaining basic improvisation strategies, including keeping the form, playing the changes, and training one’s ear. Surprisingly, at the end of the video, he broke character, pulled out a notebook, and read from it the following quotation:I feel that jazz is a way to remind us that we don’t really die. Our bodies die, but whatever we are really made of is eternal. I feel that jazz, and music in general, creative musical expression is nature’s universal way of reminding us that
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/831/image/coversmallMusic Is for Life: The Spiritual Side of Jamey Aebersold2026-02-24text/htmlen-USMusic Is for Life: The Spiritual Side of Jamey Aebersold2026-02-242026TWOProject MUSE®1005142026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-02-24Deconstructing Bebop: Statistical and Pedagogical Insights into Four Core Musical Elements
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/983926
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The advent of modern jazz is prominently associated with the emergence of the bebop style. Originating in the 1940s as a response to the prevailing swing genres of the 1930s, bebop materialized as a deliberate departure from the established musical norms. This evolution was driven by a younger cohort of musicians who sought to move beyond the commercial and dance-oriented priorities of the swing era, prioritizing musical exploration, rhythmic complexity, and personal expression.In stark contrast to swing’s danceability, the new generation created a musical paradigm characterized by intricate harmony, rapid tempo, and an emphasis on individual artistry. This shift not only redefined jazz performance practices but
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/831/image/coversmallDeconstructing Bebop: Statistical and Pedagogical Insights into Four Core Musical Elements2026-02-24text/htmlen-USDeconstructing Bebop: Statistical and Pedagogical Insights into Four Core Musical Elements2026-02-242026TWOProject MUSE®670242026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-02-24The Origins and Foundations of Instrumental Jazz Music in Azerbaijan (1920–2024)
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/983927
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The country of Azerbaijan is situated, both geographically and culturally, as a bridge between Europe and Asia. The country’s rich, colorful, and culturally diverse history is influenced by its location in the Caucasus region, bound by the Caspian Sea, Georgia, Turkey, Armenia, Iran, and Dagestan-Russia (Altstadt, 1992; Cornell, 2011; Howe et al., 2024). Today, Turkish, Russian, Soviet, Western European, and American influences have created an incredible diversity of cultural practices that are reflected in music education and performance practices within Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani music mirrors the state policy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, which aims to bring all accomplishments of Western civilization into
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/831/image/coversmallThe Origins and Foundations of Instrumental Jazz Music in Azerbaijan (1920–2024)2026-02-24text/htmlen-USThe Origins and Foundations of Instrumental Jazz Music in Azerbaijan (1920–2024)2026-02-242026TWOProject MUSE®914152026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-02-24Undergraduate Jazz Pedagogy: Investigating Student and Recent Graduate Perceptions
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/983928
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To date, most literature analyzing undergraduate jazz programs has focused on curricular content and organizational structure. Less attention has been devoted to student attitudes regarding the perceived value and support their institutions provide. This project seeks to examine current jazz students’ opinions on their college experience with the aim of understanding student perspectives toward their educational institution and the contributions or deficiencies their institution exhibits in facilitating their artistic development, as well as address implications for future research.Though there is literature analyzing professional musician evaluations of their previous institutional studies, We have not found a
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/831/image/coversmallUndergraduate Jazz Pedagogy: Investigating Student and Recent Graduate Perceptions2026-02-24text/htmlen-USUndergraduate Jazz Pedagogy: Investigating Student and Recent Graduate Perceptions2026-02-242026TWOProject MUSE®607032026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-02-24Jazz as a Metaphor for Democracy: Considering Dialecticism and Agonism in Jazz Pedagogy
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/983929
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Jazz music is the perfect metaphor for democracy. We improvise, which is our individual rights and freedoms; we swing, which means we are responsible to nurture the common good, with everyone in fine balance; and we play the blues, which means no matter how bad things get, we remain optimistic while still mindful of problems.Marsalis’s (2020) definition of democracy through the vivid metaphor of jazz is indeed romantic. At Federal Hall, an American landmark rife with paradox and historical conflict as the birthplace of our first Congresses’ Bill of Rights, the Jazz at Lincoln Center director opines on the virtues bestowed by the jazz medium: creation, freedom, equality, balance, responsibility, and a
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/831/image/coversmallJazz as a Metaphor for Democracy: Considering Dialecticism and Agonism in Jazz Pedagogy2026-02-24text/htmlen-USJazz as a Metaphor for Democracy: Considering Dialecticism and Agonism in Jazz Pedagogy2026-02-242026TWOProject MUSE®1104922026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-02-24The Intentional Pocket Project: A Jazz-Informed Workshop Series for Emerging Ensemble Musicians
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/983930
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Why do many skilled young musicians struggle to “find the pocket” and play together with a cohesive groove? This question has garnered increasing attention in music education research (e.g., Butterfield, 2010; Monson, 1996). While formal training often emphasizes individual technique, theory, and solo repertoire, it may be insufficient to develop the ensemble instinct and groove-based skills required in real-time group performance. Classically trained players frequently excel in reading and solo work, yet often falter in spontaneous rhythmic interplay. Researchers note that jazz education is still relatively young in academic institutions (Koch, 2020) and that ensemble pedagogy has historically been
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/831/image/coversmallThe Intentional Pocket Project: A Jazz-Informed Workshop Series for Emerging Ensemble Musicians2026-02-24text/htmlen-USThe Intentional Pocket Project: A Jazz-Informed Workshop Series for Emerging Ensemble Musicians2026-02-242026TWOProject MUSE®927012026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-02-24More Than Just the Music: A Consideration of Embodied, Imaginal Musical Engagement in Jazz
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/983931
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It is well documented that humans can conceptualize in terms of other phenomena in their experience (Holyoak & Stamenković, 2018; Faucionner & Turner, 2002), and furthermore, this ability might be fundamental to how human cognition operates (Hofstadter, 2001; Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). Musical thought and action are also known to be linked to other phenomena in human experience, in terms of metaphor (Schaerlaeken et al., 2022; Spitzer, 2003), analogy, (Zbikowski, 2017a; Kielan-Gilbert, 1990), and schematic thought (Brower, 2000; see also Johnson, 1987).Metaphors, analogies, schemata, and similar ways of thinking can be all be linked to the metaphysical idea of the imaginal, a level of reality believed to exist in
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/831/image/coversmallMore Than Just the Music: A Consideration of Embodied, Imaginal Musical Engagement in Jazz2026-02-24text/htmlen-USMore Than Just the Music: A Consideration of Embodied, Imaginal Musical Engagement in Jazz2026-02-242026TWOProject MUSE®1273502026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-02-24Unique Notes in Common Scores: Developing Improvisational Fluency in Jazz Standards through Historical Approaches
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/983932
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In contemporary discussion, improvisation is often regarded as an integral element of only a select few fields such as jazz (Hamilton, 2008, p. 45; Solis, 2016, p. 96; Szwed, 2000, p. 43), as it is evident that jazz musicians—and the genre itself— have significantly shaped and advanced the practice of improvisation in their own distinctive way. In jazz performance, improvisation functions as a versatile tool for artists to convey their inner voices, making individuality a central quality. To fully understand improvised contexts and develop improvisational skills, it is crucial to recognize that improvisation is characterized by freedom and spontaneity, while simultaneously relying on well-trained musical
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/831/image/coversmallUnique Notes in Common Scores: Developing Improvisational Fluency in Jazz Standards through Historical Approaches2026-02-24text/htmlen-USUnique Notes in Common Scores: Developing Improvisational Fluency in Jazz Standards through Historical Approaches2026-02-242026TWOProject MUSE®1116252026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-02-24Breaking from Strict Chronology: Thematic Organization for Teaching Jazz History
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/983933
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In his 1991 article on jazz historiography, DeVeaux explores the challenges of conventional jazz history narratives as an oversimplification and calls on educators and historians to be “more responsive to issues of historical particularity” (p. 553), which will bring richer meaning to the role of jazz in American culture. I first teased thematic instruction at a previous institution where the undergraduate jazz history class was open to all majors and taught in a single semester. While the majority of the semester was taught chronologically, I experimented with two themes that transcended a single timeline: politics, protest, and peace and sex, gender, and jazz and found the thematic organization a more practical
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/831/image/coversmallBreaking from Strict Chronology: Thematic Organization for Teaching Jazz History2026-02-24text/htmlen-USBreaking from Strict Chronology: Thematic Organization for Teaching Jazz History2026-02-242026TWOProject MUSE®224092026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-02-24Recorded Scat Tests for Jazz Bands: A Rehearsal Timesaver!
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/983934
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My choral-directing colleague required the members of her chorale to take their phones and briefly record themselves singing their own part as the ensemble collectively rehearsed a given passage. The students then uploaded their videos to the class’s archive in the cloud, where she could later evaluate each student’s work and provide individual feedback as to how to improve.I wondered how I might create a similar evaluative experience for the jazz band I directed. Knowing that too many of my big band students were hiding behind the others when it came to accuracy and commitment to rhythmic phrasing, I took action. No other single innovation in my big band made a more positive impact on the ensemble than the
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/831/image/coversmallRecorded Scat Tests for Jazz Bands: A Rehearsal Timesaver!2026-02-24text/htmlen-USRecorded Scat Tests for Jazz Bands: A Rehearsal Timesaver!2026-02-242026TWOProject MUSE®199542026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-02-24Contemporary Latin Jazz Guitar by Neff Irizarry (review)
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/983935
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Irizarry’s Contemporary Latin Jazz Guitar offers a novel perspective on the subject, diverging significantly from the conventional approaches found in many existing guitar instructional texts. In addition to comprehensively addressing key concepts such as clave, cascara, tumbao, guajeos, montunos, and traditional styles from Cuba and Puerto Rico, Irizarry effectively integrates historical context throughout his work.Irizarry is a composer, guitarist, author, and educator specializing in Latin and contemporary jazz, obtaining his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the Berklee College of Music. Featured in The European Real Book (Sher Music Co., 2007), Irizarry has joined the ranks of the most esteemed European
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/831/image/coversmallContemporary Latin Jazz Guitar by Neff Irizarry (review)2026-02-24text/htmlen-USContemporary Latin Jazz Guitar by Neff Irizarry (review)2026-02-242026TWOProject MUSE®121522026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-02-24Quick Reference Guide for Band Directors Who Teach Jazz by Ronald E. Kearns (review)
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/983936
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Despite its artistic significance and educational value—now widely recognized as being on par with Western classical music—jazz still has a marginal position in music education training, particularly in the preparation of future educators. In contemporary schools, music teachers are increasingly expected not only to teach Western classical music but also to direct jazz ensembles, often with little or no formal training in jazz pedagogy. In Quick Reference Guide for Band Directors Who Teach Jazz Ronald E. Kearns addresses this issue, noting that “most colleges and universities only provide a cursory look at teaching jazz or developing a jazz program. Because of this, most band directors are woefully unprepared to
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/831/image/coversmallQuick Reference Guide for Band Directors Who Teach Jazz by Ronald E. Kearns (review)2026-02-24text/htmlen-USQuick Reference Guide for Band Directors Who Teach Jazz by Ronald E. Kearns (review)2026-02-242026TWOProject MUSE®281472026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-02-24Erratum
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/983937
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Juan Fernando Perez Ossa, Microrhythmic measurements in the Count Basie Band: An analysis of the eighth-note division in “Basie-Straight Ahead,” Jazz Education in Research and Practice, 6(1), https://doi.org/10.2979/jerp.00004.The author has requested the following error be noted. On page 21, the following sentence contains an error: “The second measure in Example 1b, which shares the same eighth-note division as the one present in Example 1a, has a UBR value of .5 since the duration of the upbeat is half that of the upbeat.” It should read, “The second measure in Example 1b, which shares the same eighth-note division as the one present in Example 1a, has a UBR value of .5 since the duration of the upbeat is half
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-12T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/831/image/coversmallErratum2026-02-24text/htmlen-USErratum2026-02-242026TWOProject MUSE®20612026-05-12T00:00:00-05:002026-02-24