What you will study
Regardless of whether you want to focus on avant garde, traditional or contemporary
jazz, rock or even country music, the harmonic language of the Bebop era will be the
foundation of your undergraduate studies.
From there, you’ll gain a background in all aspects of jazz-commercial music. Though
the program curriculum will focus on both performance and musical composition and
arranging, you can choose to emphasize one or the other according to your career goals.
You’ll also study the history and development of jazz, form and analysis, computer
music notation, fundamentals of conducting and other courses such as these:
- Jazz Improvisation
- Jazz-Commercial Arranging
- Jazz-Rock Combo
- Senior Jazz Recital
In your core Bachelor of Music courses, you’ll also learn theory, attend recitals,
complete aural training and learn the music history of the Baroque, Classical and
Romantic eras.
Excellence in Music
- UCM has been accredited by the National Schools of Music (NASM) since 1947.
- The University of Central Missouri is one of the largest music schools in the state
of Missouri and the state’s first to be designated an All-Steinway School.
- UCM is a Conn-Selmer School, with a large collection of the company’s band and orchestra
instruments.
- Top 15%: Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Music (College Factual, 2022)
- Top 15%: Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for General Music (College Factual, 2022)
- Top 8%: Most Popular Colleges for General Music (College Factual, 2022)
Unique learning opportunities in jazz-commercial music
Whether you want to perform, compose, arrange or teach jazz-commercial music, real-world
experiences will be central to UCM’s Jazz degree program.
- Working with guest artists: Regional and national touring musicians offer clinics and perform concerts with UCM
jazz ensembles. You’ll rehearse their music and perform a concert with them, then
interact directly in small clinic settings. These opportunities help you learn to
interpret and present a composer’s music while interacting professionally with working
musicians.
- Recording experience: Each semester, students in UCM Jazz Ensembles work with Music Technology majors in
our state-of-the-art recording studios. Learn how to prepare for and get the most
out of sessions, including logistical set up such as microphone and speaker placement
and track editing. Then collaborate with peers during recording sessions in a professional
studio.
- Performing on and off campus: Students in the UCM Jazz degree program are encouraged to book gigs at regional venues
to get on-stage experience as performers and arrangers. As a student composer, you
may choose to include original works in your UCM junior and senior year recitals.
At the conclusion of the Jazz-Commercial Arranging class, you’ll experience an exciting
live performance of your final project on campus or at locations such as the Kauffman
Center of Performing Arts in Kansas City.
What can you do with a Jazz degree from UCM?
Your Jazz degree will prepare you to work as a composer, arranger, conductor or solopreneur.
UCM alumni with a Music degree in the Jazz-Commercial option play music at events,
clubs and other venues in Kansas City and St. Louis, across the United States and
throughout the world. Many students teach privately, earn their teaching certification
or continue their studies in jazz-commercial music at the graduate level. You can
also pursue other career opportunities, such as working for arts-related nonprofit
organizations or corporations, military bands, cruise lines and live event producers.
Explore your music career options in Missouri and globally
Use the interactive tool below to learn more about potential salaries and career pathways
with a Bachelor of Music degree focused on Jazz-Commercial Music.
Financial assistance options for your Jazz-Commercial degree
The University of Central Missouri offers numerous resources for financing your undergraduate education to help keep your college costs and student debt low.
Beyond general awards and scholarships available through UCM, scholarships specifically
designated for students in UCM’s Jazz degree program are available, including:
- Music Merit Scholarships
- Instrument-specific Scholarships
Explore more about program-specific scholarships with the UCM Scholarship Finder.
UCM Service Awards
As a major in Jazz-Commercial Music, you may also qualify for UCM Service Awards.
These awards recognize service for such activities as tutoring music students or playing
in the UCM Marching Mules, Jazz Big Bands or Choirs.
Small Classes, Exceptional Facilities
Direct access to faculty and equipment
Undergraduate students earning a Jazz degree from the University of Central Missouri
benefit from a very low student-to-faculty ratio and use of our fully renovated facilities.
You’ll work directly with faculty and peers to record your own original music, develop
skills in professional studio settings and use state-of-the-art equipment for personal
and class projects.
Meet Our Faculty
Professional connections, regionally and beyond
The combined experience of your UCM professors includes percussion studies in Brazil
and Ghana, gigs with touring Broadway companies and extensive performing, composing
and arranging credits throughout the country, working with groups such as the Kansas
City Jazz Orchestra.
Performing: Variety and Excellence
150+ UCM music performances annually
Audition for UCM ensembles to perform with your Jazz degree peers. You may choose
to join our Chamber Winds and Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Big Band or Marching
Mules. Other options include performing with our choirs, a jazz combo or ensembles
focused on percussion, guitar or even technology-based instruments.
UCM Performance Venues
Perform with others or showcase your own work
Our 385-seat Hart Recital Hall is outfitted with a pipe organ, two Steinway D Concert
Grand pianos, a 20-foot video screen with 4K laser projector and an 11.4-channel Meyer
Sound Labs speaker diffusion system. Hendricks Hall is a 1,300-seat concert hall.
Both settings provide multiple opportunities to record performances and hone your
skills before a live audience.
UCM Performances/Venues
leftright
