Bachelor of Music: Jazz Composition

Course Requirements

For course requirements for the Bachelor of Music: Jazz Composition, please see here .

Jazz Forum

Student-formed small ensembles perform each week for one another and offer critical, constructive feedback. Event is open to the public. Attendance is required of all jazz majors.

Jazz Ensembles

All jazz majors must audition for jazz ensembles at the start of each academic year. Students will be placed in large ensembles, and/or permitted to enroll in small ensembles, at the discretion of the jazz faculty.

All jazz majors must complete at least four credits (two semesters) in either the Oberlin Jazz Ensemble (JAZZ 700) or the Oberlin Jazz Lab Band (JAZZ 701) . The remaining ten jazz ensemble credits required for jazz composition majors may be fulfilled by participation in either the Oberlin Jazz Ensemble (JAZZ 700) , the Oberlin Jazz Lab Band (JAZZ 701) , or jazz small-group ensembles (JAZZ 803) .

Music Theory and Aural Skills Requirement

Students are expected to register for Music Theory and Aural Skills courses each semester until they have completed the requirements. Part or all of these requirements may be waived by placement examinations.

Normally, students will take Music Theory I-IV and Aural Skills I-IV concurrently. That is, a student will register for Music Theory I (MUTH 130 or 131) and Aural Skills I (MUTH 101) in the same semester, Theory II and Aural Skills II in the next semester, and so on. Under certain circumstances, with the permission of the student’s division director and the Music Theory division director, a student will be permitted to move forward in the Music Theory sequence beyond the corresponding Aural Skills course.

A student’s Aural Skills requirement must be completed before the senior recital can be scheduled. Double-degree students will resolve any conflicts with these expectations in consultation with their advisors.

Committee Examinations

The examining committee for the First and Second Major Committee Examinations for jazz composition majors is composed of the Jazz Studies faculty.

Freshman/Sophomore Composition Requirement

This consists of four pieces, three of which must be original. The fourth may be an arrangement of a pre-existing piece for large jazz ensemble. All pieces must be performed publicly.

Conservatory Writing Requirement

All entering Conservatory and Double-Degree students must complete a writing assessment, administered by the Conservatory Writing Committee. Generally, this assessment takes place during Orientation week. Students who enter the Conservatory midway through the academic year must complete this assessment by the end of the second week of classes of the Spring semester.

This assessment is graded on a Pass/No Pass basis. Students who receive a passing grade on this initial assessment will have satisfied the Writing Requirement. Students who receive a No Pass on this initial assessment must successfully complete a second writing assessment by the end of their second year. For this second assessment, students must compile and submit to the Conservatory Writing Committee a portfolio comprising two pieces of persuasive writing and one reflective piece. Types of writing that might be submitted include (but are not limited to) essays submitted for Oberlin courses (College or Conservatory), artistic statements, program notes, personal statements, and grant proposals. The Conservatory Writing Committee will award each portfolio a grade of Pass or No Pass. Students who receive a Passing grade will have successfully completed the Writing Requirement. Students who receive a No Pass on this second assessment may revise and resubmit their portfolio one more time. Students must receive a Pass upon resubmission in order to satisfy the Writing Requirement.

Students are expected to complete the Conservatory Writing Requirement by the end of their second year of study at Oberlin. Students may not schedule their Junior Recitals until they have completed the Writing Requirement. Conservatory students enrolled in degree programs that do not require Junior Recitals will not be permitted to enroll in upper-division courses (taken during the Junior year or later, according to the advising grids) until they have successfully completed the Writing Requirement.

Numerous campus resources are available to help students develop their writing skills and fulfill the Conservatory Writing Requirement. These include Oberlin’s Writing Center and writing-oriented courses offered through the College of Arts & Sciences. Additionally, it is expected that Conservatory students develop as writers as they progress through the first years of the Conservatory curriculum, in particular their musicology and music theory coursework. To this end, students are encouraged to work closely with their Conservatory teachers (during office hours and the like) to hone their writing skills as they progress through these courses. Students enrolled in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) sequence will prepare to fulfill the Conservatory Writing Requirement as part of their ESOL coursework.