Jazz and American Music Course

Jazz Education, the heart of all American music

Jazz is the most versatile musical style in American music, that has influenced the musicians in almost all the musical genre. With its highly improvisational freedom, Jazz musicians has kept exploring the new possibilities in music and now it has even come to the point where the clear definitions of “Jazz” is nearly undefinable as its influences spreading all over the musical world. With keeping this significance of Jazz music in mind, the Senzoku Jazz Course is designed in a fashion that it can accept students who want to express themselves in all musical genre. While emphasizing strongly on the mainstream Jazz Study, the curriculum is made to bridge between many different musical styles. Over 60 different ensemble classes, Jazz Harmony, Ear Training, Arranging Classes as well as Private Instrumental Study are weekly taught by the faculties who are professional musicians acclaimed both domestically and internationally. Since this Jazz Course was established in 1996 as a first Japanese institution for the professional Jazz education, our strive has been for the better and more creative music and It continues to grow.

  • Direct instructions provided by about 50 top musicians with abundant teaching experience at universities.
  • Development of the subject with depth and a large number of selections benefiting about 130 students enrolled in the jazz program.
  • Attractive overseas training plan consisting of an academic credit transfer arrangement with the Berklee College of Music as a “Berklee Global Academic Partner”, and strong connections with institutions overseas.
     

Curriculum

Required Courses
Jazz Performance Research I to IV
Elective Courses for Specialization
  • [Harmony Courses]
  • Jazz Harmony I & II
  • Hybrid Code/Harmony
  • Advanced Modal Harmony
  • [Solfège Courses]
  • Solfège I & II
  • Basic Solfège
  • [Arrangement Courses]
  • Musical Instrumentation and Notation for Rhythmic Instruments and Wind Instruments
  • Fundamentals of Arrangement
  • Horn Arrangement I to III
  • Fundamentals of Big Band Arrangement
  • Studio Arrangement
  • Style Study A & B
  • [Composition and Improvisation Courses]
  • How to Improvise
  • How to Compose
  • Improvisation Technique
  • Introduction to Jazz Phrasing
  • Jazz Composition
  • [Vocal Courses]
  • Voice Training (Jazz) 1 & 2
  • Music in Lyrics 1
  • [Research Courses]
  • Research on Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock
  • Research on Myles Davis
  • Rhythmic Training I & II
  • Survey of Jazz 1 & 2
  • Research on Jazz Special Performance Methods 1 to 4
  • Latest State of Jazz I
  • English for Jazz
  • [Ensemble Courses]
  • Ensemble/Laboratory 1 to 4
    (Selected from among approx. 30 classes)
Elective Courses for Specialization & Liberal Arts Courses (common for all programs)
Access here for details.