Undergraduate

Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance

The Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance degree is appropriate for students who wish to prepare for a career in music performance and related fields. The Bachelor of Music degree with an Emphasis in Jazz Performance is intended to prepare students with the skills needed to perform, compose and arrange within the jazz idiom. Among the goals of the degree are to prepare students to be skilled in the art of jazz improvisation, be well versed in a variety of performance techniques, be able to compose and arrange within the jazz idiom, and to have an understanding and appreciation of the jazz tradition through the study of and performance with jazz masters. Among the particular career emphases for which the BM in Jazz Performance is an appropriate preparation are professional performer, music arranger or composer, or teacher. Since it is unlikely that graduates of the program will have developed all the requisite skills to enter the professional ranks of performers or university teachers, most graduates will continue to develop their skills through additional study.

Jazz Studies Undergraduate Audition Requirements
Requirements for Emphasis in Jazz Performance
Emphasis in Music Therapy with optional concentration in Jazz Studies

Bachelor of Arts with Emphasis in Jazz Studies

The Bachelor of Arts with Emphasis in Jazz Studies degree is aimed at introducing students to elements of jazz within the context of a liberal arts program. The outcome of the degree is to prepare students to develop skills in performing and improvising music in a variety of jazz styles on primary and secondary instruments, and to have an understanding of a variety of performance techniques in jazz, and an appreciation of the jazz tradition through the study of and performance with jazz masters.  
Students in the Bachelor of Arts with Emphasis in Jazz program:

  • Develop musical skills and knowledge through music performance experiences on a principal instrument and on secondary instruments. Students perform in a stylistically appropriate manner in both traditional and jazz performance settings.
  • Develop musical skills and knowledge through the study of music theory and jazz theory, music history and literature, composition and improvisation, and the development of aural skills appropriate to traditional and jazz styles.
  • Develop knowledge of cultural perspectives through the study of music from a variety of styles, locations, and periods.
  • Develop the ability to improvise in an appropriate jazz style

Requirements for Emphasis in Jazz Studies

Every University of Louisville School of Music student must complete the following degree requirements:

  • 2-4 semesters of Piano (individual to major)
  • 4 semesters of Theory
  • 4 semesters of Music Literature
  • Private Lessons
  • Principal Ensemble Performance
  • Recital Attendance (15 per semester for 6 semesters)
  • General Education Requirements (hours vary)

The liberal arts degree in music affords the student the opportunity to pursue the study of music at the collegiate level and also to combine the study of music with an outside field. In some cases, we have developed some specific areas of emphasis but the Bachelor of Arts in Music degree offers the student a wide array of choices, limited only to his imagination. This degree is popular with students who want to eventually earn an advanced degree in medicine, law, or some other area.
A professional degree in music is a highly concentrated degree with approximately 85 of the 131 hours in music. There is a solid general studies core of subjects included in this degree as well. Most of the students who pursue this degree will go on to graduate school and to more advanced study in music.