Wells School of Music

The Jazz Studies Program at the Wells School of Music focuses intensely on creativity and improvisation. An expert faculty guides our students through intensive musical experiences by way of large ensemble performance, small ensemble performance, lessons, and classroom work. The Jazz Studies Program offers more than eight performing ensembles including: The Criterions, The Statesmen, Latin Jazz Ensemble, three combos and more. Classes are offered in arranging, theory, improvisation, creativity, history and technology. Degree tracks offered:

B.M. Instrumental Performance, Jazz
Minor in Jazz & Contemporary Improvisation Studies

Students enrolled are charged with developing:

• performance and ensemble skills through participation in a professional rehearsal environment
• a familiarity with representative works from the repertoire under the wide canopy of jazz, popular, experimental, and futuristic music that emerged from the Black American musical traditions and beyond.
• effective ensemble skills, concentrated on reaction and response in an instinctive improvisatory manner
• a personal understanding of the subtle rhythmic nuance in creative and popular music from 1900 to present, facilitating wider knowledge of the historic and cultural contributions of the complex history of jazz in America.
• an understanding of how musical analysis, score preparation, study of recordings contribute to outstanding rehearsal planning and performances.

Beyond this the program hosts a wide variety of guest artists each year to work and perform with students. Recent artists have included: Orrin Evans, Nicholas Payton, David Liebman, Bob Curnow, Steve Wilson, Maria Schneider, and many more. Each year the Wells School of Music hosts an annual festival dedicated to jazz and improvisation, for more information visit: https://www.wcupa.edu/jazzfest

In the world of scholarship, the Jazz Studies Program is the proud home of the Bob & Darlene Curnow Jazz Library. In 2022, legendary composer, arranger and WCU alum Bob Curnow gave his second of two large gifts encompassing his personal papers, all non-published artifacts and published music from Sierra Music Publications. For more information visit: https://www.wcupa.edu/music/criterions/jazz-library.aspx