Jazz has enriched the quality of American life, inspired cultural change, and served as a catalyst for removing racial barriers across social lines. It brings people together, fostering relationships between professional and amateur musicians from all lifestyles. The images of jazz mirror American society and have established its position within our musical traditions, reflecting our values while embracing diverse ethnic and cultural contributions from around the world.

Jazz continues to capture global interest. We hear it flourishing in clubs, churches, infomercials, movies, sporting events, radio, concert halls, performing arts centers, educational institutions, and across the internet. As its popularity heightens, educational institutions have provided opportunities for the development of jazz ensembles, vocal jazz groups, jazz combos, related jazz courses, and degree programs, nationally and internationally.

With the inclusion of jazz education into academia, students can experience musical independence and personal expression that may not be emphasized or encouraged in other forms of music. Jazz teaches the importance of individual responsibility, teamwork, and communication through performance and participation while its rich inherent qualities provide an in-depth understanding of current American musical culture.

Comparing the traditions of classical literature to jazz literature reveals how jazz has its own standards of dialogue and complexities. There are a number of sizable catalogues of published jazz masterworks by American composers such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Stan Kenton, Charles Mingus, Cole Porter, Nelson Riddle, Gil Evans, Thad Jones, Billy Strayhorn, Sammy Nestico, Hoagy Carmichael, and Thelonious Monk. In general, these catalogues are not studied or used as curricular resources in many secondary or higher education institutions. The standards for which classical genres require musical literacy of performers, listeners, and educators are also required of jazz. However, the fact that many colleges and universities do not include jazz requirements as part of the music education curricula suggests that not all college music faculties understand the educational and aesthetic value of jazz.

Today, music education students in this country spend the majority of their college careers studying traditional Western European literature, which has been emphasized in higher education music curricula for decades. The curricular design for most teacher-training programs in the United States encourages or requires music education students to participate in university jazzrelated courses during their undergraduate programs; however, such participation is typically limited. Knox (1996) states, "If jazz is to be a justifiable major component of music education, then suitable curricula should emerge at the undergraduate institutions." Furthermore, if college faculties continue to disregard the specialty and legitimacy of jazz in the teacher education curriculum, music teacher-training programs will continue to perpetuate a cycle of poorly trained music educators into the job market. Without the proper skills and training to teach the genre, jazz programs are more likely to be badly taught and at increased risk for being reduced or eliminated. Therefore, there is a need for instructional-based method courses that contain information pertaining to the teaching of jazz in various ensemble settings.

Instructional-based courses like jazz pedagogy and jazz improvisation should reflect the practical skills and competencies needed for teaching jazz in public schools. Hennessy (1995) notes that music education majors should focus on jazz ensemble performance, rehearsal set-ups, rehearsal techniques, reading a jazz score, score preparation, jazz phrasing and interpretation, instructional methods for jazz improvisation, the process for selecting jazz literature for concerts and festivals, jazz publishers, jazz arrangers, and composers.

Skill-based instruction used in performance courses such as jazz ensemble, jazz combo, applied jazz lessons, and jazz improvisation should consist of methods relating to all performance practices of jazz. The knowledge-based instruction of jazz education should include various types of strategies conducive to current job requirements associated with most secondary music programs. Music educators who have acquired the necessary knowledge and skills for teaching jazz are able to impart insight into the past, present, and future trends of American music. So what is the solution? How can music educators improve their teaching abilities and knowledge of the jazz idiom? Here are several suggestions.

First, begin by obtaining a chronological knowledge of the history of jazz and those artists whose musical contributions influenced each periodic development. Today, there are a number of resources available including jazz history books, jazz theory texts, improvisational guides, jazz pedagogical texts, biographies, and jazz videos that can simplify the process and assist your teaching of the jazz idiom. For example, several pedagogical texts and improvisation guides I recommend for all secondary instrumental music educators include: The Jazz Ensemble Directors Manual, by Richard Lawn; Jazz Educators Handbook, by Jeff Jarvis and Doug Beach; Jazz Pedagogy: A Complete Comprehensive Method of Jazz Education for Teacher and Student, by David Baker; and Teaching Jazz: A Course of Study, by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). There are also several other resources I recommend that deal with improvisational techniques and practices: Jamey Aebersolds - a series of play-a-longs that contain over 120 volumes of standard jazz literature for both vocalist and instrumentalist; Scales for Jazz Improvisation and The Jazz Language, by Dan Haerle; and Patterns for Jazz, by Jerry Coker. These materials are commonly used among jazz educators.

Second, start listening! Everything you need to know about jazz can be learned from within the music itself. Listen to various big band recordings of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Buddy Rich, Sammy Nestico, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, etc. Focus on the music as a whole then listen intently to each section (saxes, trumpets, trombones, and rhythm), sing and imitate the various instruments. This process will allow you to aurally communicate various styles and articulations, as well as all the different jazz elements specific to each composer's writing style. Remember, without understanding the sounds of a big band, it is difficult to direct one or play in one (Mintzer, 1988).

Third, begin developing a personal library of essential jazz recordings. You should play these recordings at the beginning of each rehearsal, especially recordings of arrangements you are currently preparing. When trying to locate specific recordings, look in any local used CD store or other retail resources. Search online music websites such as UTube, Spotify, Amazon, eMusic, Djangos, Blue Note, CD Baby, and ITunes. Many of these websites contain selections of rare jazz videos, mp3's and new and used recordings of just about any artist for whom you are searching. Finally, contact your local public library and see if the catalogue is online, if not, make a visit, you may be surprised at what you find.

Fourth, it is very important that you attend various types of live jazz performances. Whether it's a small or large jazz group, instrumental or vocal, a live performance can introduce you to a variety of unspoken artistic characteristics. Characteristics such as ensemble communication, artists' playing style, sound, musical approach, and appearance can only be recognized and appreciated through active participation. Attending jazz concerts is a great way to develop personal relationships with local and nationally recognized jazz educators and artists. You will find that the vast majority of jazz experts are willing to help anyone requesting assistance. Their expertise is vital to any music program, and many of them look forward to opportunities to provide clinics or assist the learning of jazz music in any way.

Fifth, participate in your local college or university's jazz festival. These types of events provide an educational setting where your program can receive input either through performance evaluations or clinics usually presented by jazz experts or featured jazz artists. Jazz festivals are great resources for novice and experienced music educators who can hear other jazz programs and obtain feedback and suggestions for improvement.

If you prefer more of a classroom type of setting you may want to look at participating in summer jazz camp. Today, there are a number of jazz camps available for both educators and students of all ages and abilities. These camps cover a variety of teaching and performance topics for both the instrumentalist and vocalist. Colleges, universities, and jazz education organizations host the majorities of these jazz camps. To find out where and when they are available check the following websites for: Jamey Aebersold, the American Jazz Museum, and the Jazz Educators Network. You can also look at the websites of various colleges and universities or Google search jazz camps or jazz workshops.

And finally, contact your local college or university and invite the director of the jazz studies program to come out and work with your ensemble. Many of these educators are willing to assist you and provide guidance for your program. Take an independent study jazz pedagogical course for recertification hours. Don't be afraid to email them or ask them for advice. Remember, they are here for you!

As you can see there are plenty of resources available to you. Teaching a jazz ensemble can intimidate even the most seasoned music educator. Don't be afraid to reach out to your colleagues, they can advise you and suggest materials. It's up to you to acquire these skills and remember, you are not alone.

Jazz education should be a valuable component of any secondary or higher education music program. As one of our country's greatest gifts to the arts, jazz has become a universal musical language spoken throughout the world. Therefore, it is the responsibility of music educators to encourage the study of jazz because every student should know and enjoy this truly American genre.

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