An Improvising Curriculum for Jazz Music

The purpose of this book was to demonstrate my vision for an Improvising Jazz Curriculum at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Further, to examine the musical ethnography of the students that personify the musical culture of the University and the demographic make up of the community in which the school resides. The overarching idea is to develop a radical pedagogical approach by creating a curriculum experience, which allows students to engage in a discourse of transformative learning outcomes. The focus of my Improvising Jazz Curriculum is rooted in an oral tradition pedagogy characteristically found in African American culture. The primary participates included student members of my Jazz Ensemble and other students who are music majors at NCATSU. Secondary participants included professional musicians who live and work in the Greensboro area, community business people, parents, alumni, school staff, and community patrons of the arts. The Ethnographic techniques included surveys, interviews, observations, community and school artifact collection were used to gather data during one semester of an academic year.