The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music - Overview
Jazz Artistry in Tune with Solid Liberal Arts Program
The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music (New School Jazz) has been training young musicians for more than two decades in one of the world's great capitals of jazz and contemporary music -- New York City. New School Jazz is part of The New School, a progressive urban university dedicated to preparing and inspiring its students to bring positive change to the world.
Located in lower Manhattan's Greenwich Village, New School Jazz was founded in 1986 to establish a faculty of active, professional musicians teaching their art as part of a degree program.
Since then, the integration of the music and educational communities has helped develop a new breed of musician, one whose musical artistry is paired with a solid liberal arts academic foundation. Current enrollment at New School Jazz totals just under 300 students.
Degree Program with Dual-Degree Option
New School Jazz offers Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degrees in Jazz and Contemporary Music, with concentrations in vocal and instrumental performance.
Students may also enroll in a dual-degree track to earn both a bachelor's degree in liberal arts and a BFA in Jazz Performance.
A Collaborative Core Curriculum
The New School Jazz core curriculum includes courses in performance, analysis, composition, music history, and liberal arts. Students may select or audition for a wide range of elective courses and narrow their focus as they advance toward graduation.
Learning takes place in three environments: in the classroom, with instruction in ensemble playing, instrumental music, music history, music theory, and related topics; in one-on-one tutorials with renowned musicians who live and work in New York City; and in master classes featuring top artists and industry leaders.
Students at New School Jazz are also encouraged to collaborate with students in other divisions of The New School and take classes in other divisions of the university, in addition to university-wide courses in arts and humanities.
Professional Experience and Networking Opportunities
Performance and professional experiences are integral to the core curriculum. The school provides activities that enable students to get to know the people and venues that define excellence in the performing arts.
To support students along the way, the school's outreach office helps students obtain professional industry internships and provides gig services.
Faculty, students, and affiliated artists appear weekly on stages and in clubs throughout the city and the greater metropolitan area. Students give more than 150 recitals and concert performances each year, including weekly professional sessions at Fat Cat.
The Jazz Presents concert series features jazz faculty performing with alumni or current students at high-visibility venues, such as Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club.
Facilities and Equipment Perform for Students
The New School Jazz's 20,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility was designed to help young artists realize their goal of becoming successful music professionals. Constructed to the highest standards with attention to acoustics, soundproofing, and aesthetics, it offers classroom, practice, and rehearsal space, all open 7 days a week.
All classrooms are equipped with Yamaha grand pianos, drum kits, amplifiers, vocal PA systems, and full component stereo systems. Specialized instrumental practice and teaching rooms, a listening library, and piano/MIDI labs are offered.
Performance and recording needs are served in an intimate and beautiful performance space seating 120, with full capacity for professional sound, lighting, and recording. A second studio is available for supplemental recording and engineering.
Additional university performance facilities within a 2-block radius of the campus include a 170-seat performance auditorium and an excellent, acoustically balanced concert hall that seats 500.
Faculty and Master Classes
The New School Jazz core faculty features top-ranked New York professional musicians, including Reggie Workman, Jane Ira Bloom, George Cables, Andrew Cyrille, Vic Juris, Adam Holzman, Andy Milne, Jimmy Owens, and Doug Weiss. Students can choose from hundreds of private lesson instructors, all of whom are working musicians in New York City.
Notable artists who have conducted master classes or guest-lectured at the school include Joe Williams, Randy Brecker, Ray Brown, Dewey Redman, Dave Frishberg, Bill Cosby, Dizzy Gillespie, Etta James, Donald Byrd, and many others.
Over the years, the school's artist-as-mentor philosophy has produced enduring collaborations between faculty and students who have gone on to perform together and create new music.
The New School University Living Experience
The New School's enrollment totals more than 10,500 students from all 8 divisions of the university. Of these, about 1,680 reside in one of the on-campus residence halls or graduate student apartments.
All new undergraduate students, particularly first-time freshmen, are encouraged to live in a university residence hall during the first year.
Activities, Recreation, and Sports on Campus
The New School is home to 25 recognized organizations and clubs supporting a variety of student interests. In addition, all degree students of The New School are eligible for free weekly recreation classes, which may include meditation, salsa, yoga, Tai Chi, and karate.
Co-ed intramural programs are also offered during the academic year and include basketball, volleyball, and indoor soccer.
Tuition, Financial Aid, and Scholarships
The New School Jazz offers an extended tuition payment plan, which allows families to pay for tuition, fees, and campus housing over the course of the semester.
Financial aid is awarded on the basis of financial need and talent. Students may receive a merit scholarship award, determined at the initial audition as part of the acceptance package. All students are encouraged to file the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to determine eligibility for aid.
Location Harmonious with the City
The New School Jazz is located in New York City, at the center of the music industry. Its Greenwich Village locale is home to many of the city's fabled jazz nightclubs, such as the Village Vanguard, Blue Note, Smalls, and Jazz Standard.
The campus is just a short subway ride from world-famous performance venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the theaters of Broadway, making for an unparalleled cultural, artistic, and intellectual environment that offers outstanding opportunities for creative and professional development.