Jazz

Jazz is one of the most demanding and most rewarding musical traditions in the world, requiring not only technical mastery of an instrument or voice but a deep understanding of harmonic language, an ear trained to respond in real time to other musicians, and a creative intelligence that can improvise meaningfully within and beyond established conventions. Jazz has its roots in African American musical culture and has drawn on, transformed, and been transformed by blues, classical music, Latin music, and a range of other traditions over more than a century. Studying it seriously means engaging with that history and those relationships, not just learning to play.

At the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, part of Birmingham City University, this four-year full-time programme takes place in a major UK city with an established and thriving jazz scene, and the Conservatoire's own Eastside Jazz Club provides a bespoke professional venue as part of your learning environment. You will develop your performance skills to a high level, studying improvisation, ensemble playing, jazz harmony, ear training, and the history and repertoire of the tradition, as well as developing your understanding of how to make an artistic career in contemporary music. The Conservatoire environment gives you access to outstanding facilities and professional musicians as tutors and collaborators.

Graduates from jazz programmes build careers as performing musicians, whether as band leaders, sidemen, session musicians, or composers. Many also work as music educators, whether in schools, universities, community settings, or private teaching. The musicianship skills developed in jazz training, particularly in improvisation and ensemble performance, are also highly transferable across musical genres, and many graduates work across jazz, popular music, and classical contexts.

Further study at postgraduate level is an option for those wishing to develop their performance practice or move into music education or research.