Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives

DEGREE PROGRAMS

Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives

VISION

The California Jazz Conservatory admits musicians and graduates artists.

MISSION

The California Jazz Conservatory educates future generations to sustain the jazz art form. Positioned as the only independent, accredited music conservatory in the country devoted solely to the study and performance of jazz and related styles of music from throughout the world, the California Jazz Conservatory provides a dynamic community of students, artists, educators, scholars and audiences with a forum to study, perform, teach, research, appreciate and enjoy jazz and related styles of music from throughout the world.

Comprising two distinct education programs, the California Jazz Conservatory (CJC), a postsecondary degree-granting program, and the Jazzschool Community Music School (Jazzschool), a non-degree-granting community education program, the institution honors the contributions of past masters and promotes artistic innovation, bringing together a diverse music community to develop practical skills, acquire artistic sensibility, realize creative potential and find artistic voice.

The California Jazz Conservatory The CJC is dedicated to fostering the development of the aspiring professional jazz musician and building audiences to sustain the jazz art form. With world-class teaching artists, the CJC integrates progressive education programs with public performance opportunities to prepare future generations for a fulfilling life in jazz.
The Jazzschool The Jazzschool is dedicated to fostering the development of the aspiring jazz musician of all ages and levels and builds audiences to sustain the jazz art form through a non-degree-granting community education program, integrating classes, short-term workshops, artists-in-residency, and public performance opportunities.

VALUES

Excellence in Education
High Ethical Standards
Historical and Cultural Heritage
Diversity in All of its Forms
Collaborations

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The following five goals and corresponding objectives serve to guide the CJC:

1. Promoting Excellence in Education
The CJC strives to promote excellence in music scholarship and performance by:

Establishing and maintaining the highest artistic and academic standards and promoting a strong work ethic.
Providing an educational forum on par with nationally-ranked institutions offering programs in jazz studies.
Attracting and retaining a world-class faculty and inspired student body.
Providing a comprehensive curriculum and supportive environment to develop artistic sensibility and musicological insight relevant to the aspiring jazz professional and the jazz enthusiast.
Providing a forum to exercise freedom of expression both individually and as a member of a group in the democratically-structured paradigm of the jazz ensemble.
Maintaining a state-of-the-art, aesthetically pleasing, one-stop-shopping-for-jazz facility, housing classrooms, practice rooms, intimate performance space, book and record store, and cafè.

2. Fostering High Ethical Standards
The CJC strives to foster high ethical standards by:

Providing an environment that promotes the development of well-balanced, conscientious, compassionate, forward-looking individuals who will contribute to a just society.

3. Honoring Historical and Cultural Heritage
The CJC strives to honor the historical and cultural heritage of the jazz canon by:

Recognizing the historical and multicultural origins of jazz.
Highlighting the prominent role the jazz art form has played in shaping American history and culture.
Offering curricula designed to inform and develop an appreciation of the relationship between jazz and American culture and the global jazz diaspora.

4. Nurturing Diversity in All of its Forms
The CJC strives to create a diverse, all-inclusive, close-knit community by:

Seeking and embracing the cultural richness of a diverse constituency of students, faculty, staff and greater music community.
Implementing targeted community outreach efforts and providing scholarship opportunities to deserving students in need of financial assistance.
Providing a nurturing environment for students, teachers, scholars and artists in the jazz field.
Providing an inviting setting for family, friends, and the greater music community to celebrate students’ accomplishments and enjoy listening to jazz in its many forms.

5. Developing Collaborations
The CJC strives to build relationships and create collaborations with artistic and educational constituencies by:

Providing access to local, national and global perspectives and new and meaningful educational and artistic resources.
Creating opportunities for student and faculty exchanges with music education programs locally, nationally and internationally