Jazz Archive

How to Read and Write Chord Symbols The ability to read a chord symbol and name the pitches of its chord is an essential skill for all musicians. I use it constantly in all of my music theory, analysis and orchestration courses to …

The Artist Entrepreneur: Nurturing the Creative Process USC Professor of Jazz, Dr. Ron McCurdy talks about how finding and telling your story can lead to projects that transcend the student experience and lead to a career in the arts. As professor of …

Stephen Hopkins is a music theorist, composer, and professor at Penn State University, and the author of OnMusic Jazz. The digital text teaches aural listening skills, and how to write thoughtful analyses of individual compositions. It also includes access to Spotify playlists, …

As most educators know, it can be tricky to keep material fresh and maintain college students’ attention on any given topic. One of the best ways to add variety to the lecture structure is by incorporating a variety of learning methods and …