COURSE CURRICULUM

The graduate Jazz Studies program at DePaul University offers rigorous coursework and extensive performance opportunities designed to prepare students for successful careers as professional musicians, composers, arrangers, and educators. The program emphasizes the development of creative artistry while also building the comprehensive technical and theoretical skills required of a versatile, well-rounded musician. Students refine their craft through private instruction, allowing for personalized mentorship and focused skill development tailored to individual artistic goals. In addition, they gain practical performance experience by participating in both large and small ensembles, which helps them develop collaboration, improvisation, and stage performance skills essential to professional jazz careers. The curriculum includes focused study in key areas such as jazz improvisation, music theory, ear training, arranging, composition, jazz history, and pedagogy, ensuring that students receive a deep and well-rounded musical education. Faculty in the Jazz Studies program are highly accomplished educators and internationally recognized performers, composers, and arrangers who are actively engaged in Chicago’s vibrant jazz scene and the global music community. Their professional experience enriches the learning environment and provides students with valuable industry insight and mentorship. Student ensembles and performers within the program have achieved recognition through awards and critical acclaim for their performances and original compositions, reflecting the program’s strong emphasis on artistic excellence. Graduates of the Jazz Studies program have gone on to build successful careers worldwide as performers, recording artists, composers, and educators, contributing significantly to the continued evolution and vitality of jazz music.