The Bachelor of Arts in Global Jazz Studies encourages students to think globally about the capacity of jazz to transform the musical and political worlds it engages, while building upon UCLA’s strong jazz studies and world music foundation. Designed for students seeking careers as jazz performers, producers, teachers, and/or jazz scholars, coursework includes scholarly courses on the history and culture of jazz, studio instruction, participation in jazz and world music ensembles, and courses in music theory, musical structure and instrumentation, improvisation, expression, composition, and arranging. The major is interdisciplinary, drawing from various areas across the school of music as well as UCLA’s African American Studies department.
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Global Jazz Studies Faculty
Duane Benjamin
Lecturer
Clayton Cameron
Continuing Lecturer
Alison Deane
Associate Adjunct Professor
Charley Harrison
Continuing Lecturer
Tamir Hendelman
Continuing Lecturer
Cheryl L. Keyes
Professor
Jacques Lesure
Lecturer
Steven Loza
Director of the UCLA Center for Latino Arts; Professor and Chair of Global Jazz Studies
Roberto Miranda
Adjunct Assoc. Professor
Arturo O’Farrill
Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion; Professor
Hitomi Oba
Director of Contemporary Jazz Ensemble, Lecturer
Ruth Price
Adjunct Assoc. Professor
Daniel Rosenboom
Lecturer
Otmaro Ruiz
Lecturer
Luciana Souza
Lecturer
Arturo Stable
Lecturer
Loren Stillman
Saxophone Lecturer
Salim Washington
Professor
Michele Weir
Adjunct Professor
Guest Artists Offer Students Unique Insights
The Global Jazz Studies program provides significant opportunities for students to engage with a wide range of distinguished jazz artists, including visiting artists and faculty brought by the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA. By offering meaningful interactions with jazz greats, we help students master their instruments and prepare for professional performance careers. Recent opportunities to participate in masterclasses have included such esteemed artists as Jimmy Heath, Terri Lyne Carrington, Billy Childs, Steve Coleman, Benny Golson, Vijay Iyer, Nicole Mitchell, Danilo Pérez, and Jen Shyu.
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May
20
Mon
7:00pm
Free
Free
jazz
UCLA Jazz Combos and Ensembles Concert 1
UCLA student combos and ensembles directed by world-class jazz artists will be performing well-known jazz standards, contemporary works, and pop songs, as well as compositions by the faculty directors and the students.
Schoenberg Hall
May
21
Tue
7:00pm
Free
Free
jazz
UCLA Jazz Combos and Ensembles Concert 2
UCLA student combos and ensembles directed by world-class jazz artists will be performing well-known jazz standards, contemporary works, and pop songs, as well as compositions by the faculty directors and the students.
Schoenberg Hall
May
22
Wed
7:00pm
Free
Free
jazz
UCLA Jazz Combos and Ensembles Concert 3
UCLA student combos and ensembles directed by world-class jazz artists will be performing well-known jazz standards, contemporary works, and pop songs, as well as compositions by the faculty directors and the students.
Schoenberg Hall
Explore Our Degrees
Conducting
Graduate study and training in choral, orchestral, or wind conducting
Ethnomusicology
The study of global musical traditions through performance training, research, and field work
Global Jazz Studies
Jazz performance and musicianship courses are paired with African American Studies
Music Composition
Mentorship in the creation and realization of music for concerts, opera, and visual media
Music Education
Preparation for music educators leading to a BA and teaching credential in just four years
Music Industry
A leadership-focused professional degree which prepares students to transform the creative, entrepreneurial, and executive structures of the music industry
Musicology
The scholarly study of the histories, cultures, and critical interpretations of music and music-making
Music Performance
Study and training towards professional performance careers in Western classical music