A Degree in Jazz Performance

American Jazz  is a reflection of America’s history. As American culture evolves, people from all over the world come here, carrying with them their musical traditions, styles, instruments, and the cultural and spiritual expression within their music. 

One of our main goals is to nurture these young musicians ability to express themselves through music, incorporating their ethnic and cultural traditions within the creative  framework of American Jazz. While instilling a high level of proficiency within the existing American Jazz idiom, our emphasis on self-expression and experimentation fuels innovation and originality in instrumental performance, composition, and improvisation. This process is the essence of American Jazz.

FIU Jazz ensembles perform on-campus concerts and events, as well as jazz festivals and clubs. Guest artists such as Adam Nussbaum, Ingrid Jensen, Jim Snidero, Paquito D’Rivera, Johnathan Blake, Marco Marcinco, John Fedchock, Randy Brecker, and others are often featured in concerts as well as workshops and clinics.

B.M. in Jazz Performance

Audition Requirements

Pre-Screening videos should include the melody and at least one chorus of improvisation on each of the following:

  • One medium or up tempo jazz standard
  • One jazz standard ballad
  • One free selection that contrasts the above two (Latin, fusion, etc.)
  • Rhythm section instruments (piano, guitar, bass & drums) include – comping chord changes, walking bass lines, stylistically appropriate drum rhythmic patterns.

Your materials will be reviewed based on the following:

  • Instrumental tone quality, technique – clarity, idiomatic articulation, rhythmic feel, etc.
  • Maturity of musical interpretation and fidelity to the piece.
  •  Level of the pieces performed

Audition Dates

Qualified candidates will be invited to audition in person at FIU. Organized auditions are held three times per year, but can be scheduled at other times throughout the year upon request. Applicants who wish to be considered for University merit-based scholarships should attend the November audition date. Theory and history placement tests will be given during organized audition days.

Upcoming audition dates include: November 18, 2023 | February 17, 2024 | and March 16, 2024.

 

Do You Have Questions?

Contact Our Coordinator of Jazz Performance

Jaime Ousley

Tel: 305.348.1605

lousley@fiu.edu

WPAC 144C

 

M.M. in Jazz Performance

Audition Requirements

A 5-7 minute, high quality video or audio recording(s). Include a brief description of your experience in the Jazz idiom (in school or otherwise) and with whom you have studied. Graduate prospects add information of where you earned your undergraduate degree.

Pre-Screening videos should include the melody and at least one chorus of improvisation on each of the following:

  • One medium or up tempo jazz standard
  • One jazz standard ballad
  • One free selection that contrasts the above two (Latin, fusion, etc.)
  • Rhythm section instruments (piano, guitar, bass & drums) include – comping chord changes, walking bass lines, stylistically appropriate drum rhythmic patterns.

Your materials will be reviewed based on the following:

  • Instrumental tone quality, technique – clarity, idiomatic articulation, rhythmic feel, etc.
  • Maturity of musical interpretation and fidelity to the piece.
  •  Level of the pieces performed

Audition Dates

Qualified candidates will be invited to audition in person at FIU. Organized auditions are held three times per year, but can be scheduled at other times throughout the year upon request. Applicants who wish to be considered for University merit-based scholarships should attend the November audition date. Theory and history placement tests will be given during organized audition days.

Upcoming audition dates include: November 18, 2023 | February 17, 2024 | and March 16, 2024.

 

Do You Have Questions?

Contact Our Coordinator of Jazz Studies

Jaime Ousley

Tel: 305.348.1605

lousley@fiu.edu

WPAC 144C