The Well-Rounded Musician: A New Degree Path for Horn in Jazz

The following document will examine the question of whether horn players should be trained in jazz at the collegiate level. Should research prove that teaching horn players to play jazz is a viable degree, how should it be done? How should it be taught? Should classical training be dropped from the curriculum for these students? A brief history of jazz and horn players who were well known for their performance and study of jazz are discussed. The main research portion contains a survey of current jazz professors and performers. The survey looks into the formal training of these professors and performers and what future they see for a jazz horn player. The third chapter discusses a possible route forward for horn players who study both classical and jazz. A new degree path is presented that has been designed based on an analysis of current classical and jazz degree paths from Eastman School of Music, Juilliard School, Louisiana State University, University of Miami, and University of Southern California. The broad results of the survey find that while it is somewhat unconventional, with the right tools and hard work, closing the gap between classical and jazz will make for better horn players and musicians. The document finds that horn players should be given the opportunity to study jazz while also receiving the classical training needed to work in both genres. My recommendation is that horn players interested in this training follow an integrated degree path and that professors integrate their curriculum into one syllabus