Creativity. Teamwork. Personal Voice.
With a storied tradition and a teaching faculty made up of some of New York City’s most innovative and respected jazz musicians, the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s Jazz Program offers classes and ensembles for kids, teens and adults. In a joyful and rigorous learning environment, students are immersed in the technique, history, theory and vibrant present of diverse jazz genres and traditions, learning core improvisational skills and developing their musicianship.
Jazz Classes & Ensembles
JAZZ TRAVELERS
GRADES 6-10
Jazz Travelers is BKCM’s premier jazz program for students in grades 6 to 10. Students are introduced to the rich cultural history and musical practices of jazz music in a joyful and rigorous learning environment, anchored by a faculty of singularly gifted jazz musicians and educators who share their talents with audiences across New York City and the world.
ADULT JAZZ ENSEMBLES
ADULTS (18+)
With a Jazz Foundations class for musicians who are newer to jazz and a Jazz Lab for more experienced players, our Adult Jazz Ensembles offer adult students the opportunity to learn a broad range of jazz repertoire, highlighting various musical forms and selections from the Great American Songbook while digging deeper into the world of improvisation. BKCM faculty perform and improvise alongside the students in a mentorship model experience.
JAZZ VOCAL LAB
ADULTS (18+)
Working with acclaimed jazz vocalist Annie Chen and a piano accompanist, students in this workshop hone their vocal technique and their craft as jazz singers, developing a sensibility to jazz rhythms and an understanding of the stylistic intricacies of swing, jazz and blues through scat singing and lyric interpretation. This course also explores and analyzes the vocal stylings of leaders in the jazz vocal world such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and modern singers such as Betty Carter and Samara Joy.
Summer Jazz Programs
BKCM SUMMER JAZZ CAMP
AGES 10-16
This weeklong summer jazz camp is all about playing. Each day of camp is filled with ensemble rehearsals, masterclasses, workshops, jazz theory and performances. Students advance their skills playing several hours each day and working with our incredible jazz faculty in practice and performance. Students who are new to jazz will build tools for improvising over simple chord changes, grooves and forms. Advanced students dive into challenging repertoire from the jazz canon and beyond.
JAZZ LAB SUMMER INTENSIVE
ADULTS (18+)
This invigorating weeklong summer session is open to adult string, woodwind, brass, piano and drum/percussion players and vocalists who are looking to expand their jazz knowledge and improvisational skills. In a small-ensemble setting, participants collaborate, improvise, rehearse and jam with BKCM’s talented jazz faculty. They learn learn new jazz repertoire, develop their improvisational skills and musicality, and develop confidence in their ability to perform in public.
The BKCM Jazz Leaders Fellowship (JLF)
Established in 2021, the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s Jazz Leaders Fellowship connects Black women and Black non-binary jazz musicians with resources to further develop their craft and pursue projects that advance their careers, including:
- A $12,500 unrestricted grant
- Teaching and performance opportunities
- Free rehearsal space at BKCM
The JLF program was conceived by BKCM Board member Daniel DiPietro and developed by the Jazz Leaders Fellowship Committee, led by musician and educator Fay Victor. The fellowship is made possible by the generous support of DiPietro and his wife Alexis, as well as support from the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, Inc.
Applications for the fellowship are open each year from April to May. If you are interested in learning more about the Jazz Leaders Fellowship or applying in the future, please visit the page below.