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How Jazz Musicians Develop a Unique Voice Within Academia

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THE SHAPE OF JAZZ EDUCATION TO COME: HOW JAZZ MUSICIANS DEVELOP A UNIQUE VOICE WITHIN ACADEMIA by Jonathan I. Goldman Department of Music Research, Music Education McGill University, Montreal April 2010 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF ARTS © Jonathan Goldman 2010 Library and Archives Bibliothèque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l’édition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-68369-9 Our file Notre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-68369-9 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L’auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant à la Bibliothèque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par télécommunication ou par l’Internet, prêter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des thèses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, à des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, électronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L’auteur conserve la propriété du droit d’auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protège cette thèse. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la thèse ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent être imprimés ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author’s permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformément à la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privée, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont été enlevés de thesis. cette thèse. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n’y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. II Abstract This study examined the ways in which exceptional jazz musicians develop a unique voice within academia. The perceptions of unique musicians with respect to the current call for change in jazz education was also investigated. Ten subjects, considered ‗exceptional jazz musicians‘ with a ‗unique voice‘, participated in a semi-structured interview to gain insight into these issues. Results revealed a consistency in responses relating to the current status of jazz education and call for change, learning experiences in jazz, and the development of a unique voice. Results indicated that (a) the jazz discourse overstates the gravity of the call for change; (b) exceptional jazz musicians engage in additional learning experiences based on the jazz tradition; (c) a unique voice develops concurrently with learning about jazz music generally; (d) institutions provide a viable option for learning about jazz and developing an individual style if students supplement their formal education with self-directed learning. III Abstrait Le but de cette étude est d‘examiner comment les musiciens jazz exceptionnels peuvent démontrer leur voix unique au milieu académique. L‘étude vise à recueillir les perceptions de dix musiciens jazz exceptionnels face aux réformes envisagées dans l‘enseignement du jazz. Ces musiciens jazz exceptionnels, ayant chacun une voix unique, ont participé à une entrevue semi-structurée afin de mieux comprendre la situation. Les résultats ont révélé une uniformité dans les réponses concernant l‘état actuel de l‘enseignement du jazz, des réformes envisagées, de l‘apprentissage du jazz et de l‘évolution d‘une voix unique. Les résultats ont démontré que (a) les discussions exagèrent l‘importance des réformes; (b) les musiciens jazz exceptionnels perfectionnent volontairement leurs connaissances comme le veut la tradition jazz; (c) une voix unique se développe simultanément à l‘étude de la musique de jazz; (d) les établissements d‘enseignement procurent une option viable à l‘étude du jazz et au développement d‘un style individuel si les étudiants complémentent leur éducation officielle par un apprentissage indépendant. IV Acknowledgements I would like to extend special thanks to all subjects for participating in the interview process (in order of appearance): Julian Lage, Donny McCaslin, Miguel Zenón, Adam Benjamin, Anat Cohen, Randy Brecker, Eric Alexander, Ingrid Jensen, Mary Halvorson, and Ben Wendel. Without your valued participation this study would not have been possible; it was truly an honor to solicit your input. I would also like to thank all subjects who participated in a pilot interview or contributed their expertise otherwise: Christine Jensen, Chet Doxas, Terence Blanchard, Jodi Proznick, and Darcy James Argue. I offer my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. Lisa Lorenzino, for her assistance, continued encouragement, and most of all patience throughout the course of the project. I acknowledge that responding to my seemingly endless inquiries is not an easy feat. Having worked under her supervision for a number of projects, I was the beneficiary of her expertise in the field of music education on several occasions. I am extremely grateful for her indispensible insight and recommendations. Further thanks are extended to Prof. Barg, Prof. Brackett, Prof. Cossette, and Prof. Wapnick for their guidance and advice. I would like to note in particular the emotional support of my immediate family and friends who both shared in my successes and tolerated the occasional rant. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your viewpoint), this was only the first of many such endeavours. Lastly, my sincere acknowledgement to the artists, both ―schooled‖ and ―unschooled,‖ who have dedicated their lives to jazz music. You are the reason for this undertaking and a continual source inspiration. This document is my way of saying ‗thanks‘. V Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................II Abstrait ................................................................................................................................ III Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ IV Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ................................................................................... 1 Purpose ................................................................................................................................ 1 Subproblems ....................................................................................................................... 1 Need for the Study .............................................................................................................. 2 Limitations .......................................................................................................................... 3 Definition of Terms ............................................................................................................. 4 Summary ............................................................................................................................. 6 Chapter 2: Review of Literature ......................................................................................... 7 The Jazz Tradition ............................................................................................................... 7 The Oral/Aural Tradition of Africa ................................................................................. 8 Aural Modeling ............................................................................................................... 9 The Jazz Community as Enculturation .......................................................................... 11 Informal Apprenticeships .............................................................................................. 12 Self-Directed Learning .................................................................................................. 13 VI Transition to Academia ..................................................................................................... 15 A Historical Survey of Formal Jazz Education in the United States............................. 15 Resistance to Formal Jazz Education ............................................................................ 18 From Orality to Literacy: Accounts of Improvisation versus the Score ....................... 20 Jazz Pedagogical Materials ........................................................................................... 24 The Jazz Curriculum Today .............................................................................................. 27 Nationally Sanctioned Jazz Curriculums ...................................................................... 27 Descriptive Studies of Jazz Curricula in Tertiary Institutions ...................................... 30 The Current Call for Change ............................................................................................. 33 Institutional Pedagogy and Sonic Homogeneity ........................................................... 34 The New ‗Written‘ Tradition of
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