The California Jazz Conservatory is the only independent, accredited music school in America completely devoted to the study and performance of jazz.

We offer two distinct education programs:

• Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies and Associate of Arts in Jazz Studies degrees are awarded by The California Jazz Conservatory.
• Classes, Workshops, Camps and Intensives are offered by our non-degree granting Jazzschool.

The California Jazz Conservatory also offers more than 200 performances a year, featuring visiting artists, CJC faculty and students.

“The most successful jazz education startup in the United States: the California Jazz Conservatory”

–Ted Gioia
Jazz historian and author

Overview

The California Jazz Conservatory offers a 100% jazz-relevant curriculum taught by teaching artists who turn students into professionals, musicians into artists.

If you are an aspiring artist with singular professional ambitions in jazz, we invite you to consider the California Jazz Conservatory for your degree in Jazz Studies.

• Our faculty of experienced teaching artists and academics share a proven track record of success in transforming musicians into artists.
• We support and promote individual creativity and enjoy widespread recognition as a hotbed for cutting edge new work.
• Our Jazz Studies curriculum is 100% jazz-relevant, from the core music courses to the general studies requirements.
• We have a small student body by design, with students receiving an abundance of individual attention.
• Our Vocal Track offers a performance-focused foundation in jazz, a program unique to the California Jazz Conservatory.
• Our recently expanded campus––located in Downtown Berkeley’s Arts District––offers new classrooms and practice rooms; a new music library, student lounge and performance venue.

The California Jazz Conservatory will help you become the artist you aspire to be, with a program that celebrates and promotes individual expression on all fronts and for all students.

“The California Jazz Conservatory is an exceptional institution, fostering the next generation of artists and educators …many on the cutting edge…performing, composing, teaching, touring throughout the world.”

Dr. Jeff Denson
CJC Faculty

Degree Programs

The California Jazz Conservatory offers 4-year Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Studies and 2-year Associate of Arts in Jazz Studies degree programs.

The Bachelor of Arts Degree in Jazz Studies:

The California Jazz Conservatory awards the Bachelor of Arts degree in Jazz Studies to instrumental and vocal students who satisfactorily complete CJC’s program of study of core music courses, electives and general studies courses.

The Associate of Arts Degree in Jazz Studies:

The California Jazz Conservatory awards the Associate of Arts degree in Jazz Studies to instrumental and vocal students who satisfactorily complete CJC’s program of study of core music courses, electives and general studies courses.

Opportunities

The California Jazz Conservatory offers students many benefits beyond the classroom that contribute to an exceptional education in jazz, including year-round opportunities to perform, record and tour.

• Performance opportunities, including end-of-semester concerts, our Rising Stars Summer Series, as well as regularly scheduled performances and jam sessions at CJC and throughout the Bay Area;
• Blue and Green Ensembles, providing advanced musicians an opportunity to strengthen musicianship skills, develop artistic sensibility, and serve as our jazz ambassadors;
• Tour and competition opportunities in various jazz festivals across the country and around the world, including domestic stops at festivals in Monterey, Reno, El Cerrito and the Next Generation Jazz Festival; and international performances in Montreux and Singapore;
• Recording opportunities with access to some of the world’s foremost recording facilities;
• Concerts and workshops presented throughout the week by visiting artists, faculty and students;
• An active and lively campus scene, housed in two buildings on Addison Street and located in the heart of Berkeley’s vibrant Downtown Arts District, with a convenient Jazzcaffe and a newly renovated CJC Bookstore located on campus

“The California Jazz Conservatory is a community where musicians flourish…developing your own gifts and creativity into something that expresses your own uniqueness.”

Autumn Salvo
CJC First Year Student

History / Campus

Founded in 1997 as The Jazzschool, a community music school teaching musicians of all ages and abilities and still an integral part of CJC today, the institution was granted accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) in 2013, making the California Jazz Conservatory the only independent, accredited, stand-alone music conservatory in the United States completely devoted to the study and performance of jazz.

Located in the heart of Downtown Berkeley’s vibrant Arts District, CJC’s campus consists of two buildings on opposite sides of Addison Street: 2087 Addison houses Hardymon Hall, a 100-seat performance venue, along with multiple classrooms and practice rooms; and 2040 Addison, CJC’s Fiddler Annex, housing Rendon Hall, a 100-seat performance venue, along with the Jennifer A. Maxwell Music Library, practice rooms, classrooms, a student lounge and offices.

The CJC campus is close to public transportation offering a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area’s renowned dining and entertainment opportunities, with multiple housing options located close by our campus.