Jazz Studies: Instrumental Performance

Band leader, music instructor, session player, soloist, arranger, entertainment lawyer, recording engineer, DJ, conductor, concert promoter, accompanist: these are just a few of the careers you can pursue with a Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Performance from the University of the Arts.

What makes us different: a focus on jazz and contemporary music
Our four-year bachelor’s degree program provides a practical hands-on education for students interested in studying jazz and contemporary music. You’ll perfect your skills and develop your own personal style through weekly private lessons with award-winning faculty who are professional performing and recording artists.

Choose your area of study from more than 15 majors, including Guitar, Hand Drumming, Saxophone, Bass, Trumpet, Piano and Drums. Perform with any of the School of Music's more than 30 ensembles covering a range of genres, from big band to Latin jazz, the music of Charles Mingus to Steely Dan, and be-bop to bucket drums. Collaborate with students in the Dance and Theater programs in both small- and large-scale productions.

In addition to the countless performance possibilities available throughout Philadelphia, opportunities to study abroad with Projazz in Santiago, Chile, or the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in the United Kingdom are also part of the UArts experience.

Who are UArts Instrumental Performance alumni?
Our music alumni are Grammy winners: bassist Stanley Clarke just took home his second Grammy in 2011. They’re touring with Grammy Award-winning artists like Jay-Z, John Legend and Stevie Wonder; composing for and performing on movie soundtracks for Disney Pictures; writing for Modern Drummer, Acoustic Guitar and Jazz Improv magazines; serving as executive director and bassist for the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars; and teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Colorado and here at the University of the Arts.