Why is The Jazz Drama Program important?
“Deemed a national treasure by the U.S. Congress, jazz is a unique American art form, and its musicians are recognized the world over as America’s cultural ambassadors. Despite high-profile activities, jazz music does not fare as well as other music forms, making it challenging to maintain and continue this treasure.” (National Endowment for the Arts Research Report #43) Though the field of jazz education has grown steadily in the past 50 years, its primary focus has been on instrumental instruction and the creation of jazz bands in schools. Though these programs are important, they have failed to bring widespread acceptance of jazz as America’s art form at the heart of our culture. Many schools don’t have band programs and many students are not touched by current jazz education efforts. The Jazz Drama Program meets a need that has been sorely lacking in the field of jazz education. Various programs exist to date that teach jazz from an instrumental instruction perspective, but practic
