Bachelor of Arts (BA), Ohio University, 2019, Music

The purpose of this study was to present non-playing practice techniques for the development of the melodic vocabulary for jazz improvisation. Specific research questions included: 1) What non-playing practice techniques have shown to be effective in cultivate music performance skills? 2) What are the most commonly recommended practice techniques for developing the melodic vocabulary for jazz improvisation? Why are these important? 3) What, if any, non-playing practice techniques have been recommended for developing the melodic vocabulary for jazz improvisation? Why are these important? Relevant literature was reviewed from the following 7 categories: (a) studies of non-playing practice techniques within instrumental music education, (b) historical accounts of top improvisers; (c) mainstream printed jazz pedagogy; (d) recently-published alternative jazz pedagogy; (e) online jazz pedagogical resources; (f) dissertations/theses relating to jazz pedagogy; and (g) Music education research related to jazz pedagogy. Semi- formal interviews were also conducted with pedagogues Jamey Aebersold and Hal Crook. The study concludes with a presentation of a 5-step method for the development of melodic vocabulary which includes: 1) Engage in immersive listening, 2) Develop an intellectual understanding, 3) Internalize the language, 4) Connect theoretical and aural understanding to fingering technique, and 5) Apply ideas in context.

Committee: Matthew James (Advisor) Subjects: Music

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, Music

This dissertation aims to explore and describe, in ethnographic terms, some of the principal formal and non-formal environments in which jazz music is learned today. By elucidating the broad aesthetic, stylistic, and social landscapes of present-day jazz pedagogy, it seeks to encourage the revitalization and reorientation of jazz education, and of the cultural spaces in which it takes place. Although formal learning environments have increasingly supported the activities of the jazz community, I argue that this development has also entailed a number of problems, notably a renewal of racial tensions spurred on by 1) the under-representation of non-white students and faculty, especially black Americans; 2) the widespread adoption of 'color-blind' methodologies in formal music-learning environments, which serve to perpetuate ambivalence or apathy in the addressing of racial problems; 3) a failure adequately to address cultural studies related to the black heritage of jazz music; and 4) the perpetuation of a narrow vision of jazz music that privileges certain jazz styles, neglects others, and fails to acknowledge the representative intersections between jazz and related forms of black music. The study seeks to answer two main questions: What is the nature of the twenty-first-century learning environment? Moreover, how do cultural and racial dynamics affect the ways in which jazz is taught and understood in formal and non-formal settings? My proposition is that teaching jazz as a part of a broad spectrum of black musical styles and cultural traditions, which I shall call the black musical continuum, provides solutions for the dearth of cultural competency and narrow vision of jazz found in many learning environments. Through a continuum theory, I seek to provide a framework for viewing, teaching, learning, and performing jazz that situates it within the larger socio-cultural context of black American music. I argue that such a reorientation toward African-American cu (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Graeme Boone (Committee Chair); Ryan Skinner (Committee Member); William McDaniel (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; American Studies; Black History; Black Studies; Cultural Anthropology; Fine Arts; Folklore; Music; Music Education; Performing Arts

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2014, African-American and African Studies

This thesis examines the complex sociocultural dynamics that surround the concept of jazz theory from two broad perspectives: formalized or academic jazz theory, which emerged as a result of the formal institutionalization of jazz in the academy, and organic or intrinsic jazz theory, which first arose from African American music-making practices. This dichotomy does not suggest that the majority of jazz community members exist at the extremes of either of these two poles. Contrarily, most musicians tend to occupy the grey area somewhere in between. The aim of this study was to shed light on the complex and elusive intersection between formalized and organic approaches to jazz theory. Through an analysis of informal, formal, and virtual (internet-based) jazz music-learning environments, the results offer a thick description of the way in which notions of "jazz theory" affected the social lives of musicians, fostered racialized jazz identities, defined community boundaries, and influenced music-making practices. The paper includes a variety of case studies, such as Miles Davis' experience studying music at Julliard, an analysis of the first methodological theory books published for jazz students and educators, online forums where jazz students discuss music theory, and ethnographic data related to modern day jazz theory that I collected from nonacademic and academic jazz learning environments. Two theory-related books examined included George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept and David Baker's Jazz Pedagogy: A Comprehensive Method of Jazz Education for Teacher and Student. In both, the cultural contexts in which the works were created and how many students and educators misinterpreted or omitted elements that reflect the tabooed subject of race were considered. The study also relied on original ethnographic content collected during a field study at a Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop, a racially charged debate between two Aebersold camp attendees, a meeting wi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: William McDaniel PhD (Advisor); Ryan Skinner PhD (Committee Member); Horace Newsum DA (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; Music; Music Education

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2006, College-Conservatory of Music : Trumpet

What Ya Want Me To Do?: A Guide to Playing Jazz Trumpet/Cornet in the New Orleans Style is a pedagogical treatise written for the beginning New Orleans jazz stylist, especially focused on the role of trumpet and/or cornet. The body of the document comprises four main topics: ensemble skills, playing the lead, stylistic attributes, and getting started. Analysis of “ensemble skills” and “playing the lead” are drawn through many comparative examples; while “stylistic attributes” and “getting started” use some of the author's own personal experiences and discoveries in the New Orleans style to describe the learning process. There is a recording anthology appended to the document that offers many listening examples of the topics discussed. Also included is a survey of approximately twenty New Orleans stylists from across the globe. The survey probes many philosophical, stylistic, and pedagogical issues concerning New Orleans style jazz.

Committee: Dr. Alan Seibert (Advisor) Subjects: Music