Even though there is no jazz major, students have many opportunities to study and perform jazz.
We currently offer a Certificate in Jazz Studies for undergraduates.
Contact Alex Parker directly if you have any questions about the Jazz program here at Baylor.
The Baylor Jazz Program Goals
- To provide young performers of jazz music with the knowledge and skills to begin and sustain a long and successful jazz career.
- To provide the teachers of tomorrow with the knowledge and skills to start, run and teach a successful jazz program.
- To provide playing and performing opportunities in both large and small jazz ensembles.
- To encourage and guide students to find their own voice in performing, writing and arranging music.
- To provide students with a good understanding of this improvisational music so that they can be the successful and inspirational musicians, writers and performers of tomorrow.
- To describe the importance, complexity and beauty of Jazz so that our students will become the listeners, consumers and fans of the next generation of jazz musicians.
Jazz Courses
In addition to providing an opportunity to perform in various jazz ensembles, Baylor also provides courses in: Jazz Improvisation, Jazz Theory, Jazz Pedagogy, Jazz Arranging, and Jazz History. Course descriptions are located in the undergraduate and graduate catalogs.
Jazz Ensembles
The Baylor Jazz Ensemble provides students with the opportunity to play and perform music from a wide range of styles and musical eras, from the classic selections of the Swing Era to the cutting-edge big band compositions of today.
The Concert Jazz Ensemble provides students with the opportunity to play and perform music from a wide range of styles and musical eras, from the classic selections of the Swing Era to the cutting-edge big band compositions of today.
These small-group settings of between four and nine musicians provide the students with the opportunity to learn and apply the techniques and skills of interactive, improvisatory playing that is the hallmark of jazz music.
Jazz Faculty
Lecturer of Jazz Studies
Lecturer of Jazz Studies
McCrary Music Building 241
Professor of Saxophone Associate Dean of Operations
Professor of Saxophone Associate Dean of Operations
McCrary Music Building 119
Professor of Percussion Associate Dean for Graduate Studies
Professor of Percussion Associate Dean for Graduate Studies
McCrary Music Building 124
Professor of Double Bass String Area Coordinator
Professor of Double Bass String Area Coordinator
McCrary Music Building 123
Director of the Wayne Fisher Jazz Program Senior Lecturer of Jazz Studies Ensembles Division Director
Director of the Wayne Fisher Jazz Program Senior Lecturer of Jazz Studies Ensembles Division Director
McCrary Music Building 113
Senior Lecturer in Music Theory