August 10-September 1, 1958
Lenox, Massachusetts
The School of Jazz
offers the serious student of jazz…
- close association with outstanding musicians of our time
- a workshop in composition and improvisation
- experience in jazz ensemble playing
- a jazz approach in individual instruction
- experience in public performance
- a conception of the history of jazz, the development of its styles and idioms, and its relationship to music as a whole
- a point of view toward jazz as a significant and vital art form of our time.
History
The idea of the School of Jazz grew out of the desire of jazz musicians, critics, and auditors who have attended the Folk and Jazz Roundtables at Music Inn to give the discussions and conclusions of the Roundtable some permanence. In the sixth Roundtable, 1956, traditionalist jazz musicians and your musicians of the new school talked and played together for the first time and discovered in these sessions that though their styles were totally unlike, their roots were the same…that jazz has not been a set of unrelated episodes under the generalization, JAZZ, but, instead, a steady and, in its later development, an extremely disciplined art form.
In an effort to insure the continuing development of jazz within its own traditions and conceptions, the School of Jazz was organized and held its first session on the grounds of Music Inn in August, 1957. It is the purpose of the School of Jazz to give the student a solid foundation in the jazz tradition, a greater technical facility in the jazz approach to his instrument, and a background in the indigenous nature and development of jazz improvisation and composition.
Location
The School of Jazz is located on the 105 acre grounds of Music Inn adjacent to the Berkshire Music Barn and Tanglewood. There are pine woods, a lake for swimming, boats, fishing, tennis, most other summer sports, and a relaxed atmosphere in which to work
Living Accommodations
Students and faculty members are housed at Music Inn within close walking distance of classes, concerts, and recreation. Music Inn is one of the most famous summer resorts in New England and is noted for its food. All students may enjoy the facilities of the Inn, including the extraordinary 108 speaker high-fidelity sound panel and a large collection of records.
Activities
In addition to the intensive schedule of classes, there are many extra-curricular opportunities open to students of the School of Jazz free of charge. Sunday evenings, there are jazz concerts in the Berkshire Music Barn, and most other evenings, lectures, panel discussions, and demonstrations by authorities in jazz and related fields. Frequently, jam sessions develop in the Potting Shed, an intimate restaurant-bar on the grounds of Music Inn, in which students have a chance to play informally with faculty members and visiting musicians.
Transportation
The School station wagon will meet the following train, plane, and bus connections without charge, if notified in advance.
At Pittsfield –
- Boston and Albany Railroad from Albany, NY (connecting with New York Central trains from the West)
- Boston and Albany Railroad from Boston
- Mohawk Airlines from Albany and Boston
- Northeast Airlines from New York City
At Stockbridge –
- New Haven Railroad from New York City (be sure to get off at Stockbridge; we do not meet New Haven trains at any other station)
At Lenox –
- Greyhound Bus from Albany and the West, or from Providence, Hartford, or New York City.
The Faculty
The faculty of the School of Jazz is a group of playing musicians who are the accepted leaders in jazz playing, improvisation, and concept. Their closeness to the field best affords the student an immediate feeling for jazz as a profession and the basic problems of the modern jazz approach to music. Faculty appointments for the 1958 session will be announced during Spring, 1958. For current faculty, see page 7.
The Program
Students are accepted by the School of Jazz either as:
1) Musicians, or 2) Auditors
The course for Musicians is an intensive one designed especially for those who expect to make jazz their career and includes in addition to courses in Composition and History of Jazz, specific assignments to ensemble groups and private instruction in one or more instruments.
The course for Auditors is designed for amateur jazz musicians and enthusiasts with a serious interest in jazz. Auditors are invited to attend ensemble rehearsals on a listening basis and may participate at the discretion of the instructor. Auditors are expected to attend lectures in History of Jazz and Composition and may take private lessons if they wish.
Course Requirements
Musicians
Small Ensemble
Large Ensemble
Composition (Sec. 1 or Sec. 2)
History of Jazz (Sec. 1 or Sec. 2)
Two private instrumental lessons per week
Auditors
Small Ensemble (non-participating)
Large Ensemble (non-participating)
Composition (Sec. 1 or Sec. 2)
History of Jazz (Sec. 1 or Sec. 2)
Admission
Musicians are required to pass auditions or to submit attested tapes or records and are accepted in the following instrumental classifications:
| Piano | Drums | Clarinet and Saxophone |
| Guitar | Trombone | Vibraharp |
| Bass | Trumpet | Composition |
Students playing instruments other than the above may be accepted upon special application.
Audition tapes or records should be submitted with application blanks.
Auditors are not required to submit tapes or pass audition.
Applications should be filled out in full and accompanied by:
- Audition tapes or records (Musician classification only)
- The registration fee of $5.00.
Letters of reference should be mailed directly to the Dean, School of Jazz. Letters of reference are confidential and under no circumstance should be included with the application.
Applications received after June 1, 958, will be honored only if the capacity of the School permits.
Address all applications to:
Jule Foster, Dean
School of Jazz
Room 510
270 Madison Ave.
New York 17, New York
(after June 1, Lenox, Massachusetts)
Fees and Expenses
| Musicians | $385.00 * |
| (including two private instrumental lessons per week, room and board) | |
| Auditors | $310.00 * |
| (including room and board) | |
| Non-resident Musician | $245.00 |
| (including two private instrumental lessons per week) | |
| Non-resident Auditor | $170.00 |
* (Resident Musicians and Auditors are required to pay Massachusetts State Meal Tax at $6.30 in addition to above fees.)
The above tuition fees include admission to all lectures, seminars, rehearsals, and concerts at the Berkshire Music Barn, and with the exception of necessary books, music supplies, etc., there are no other expenses of any kind.
Extra private instrumental lessons may be arranged at a fee of $12.50 per lessons.
Fees are due as follows:
| Registration fee | $5.00 |
| (a service charge which is not credited against other fees. It is non-refundable and must accompany application) | |
| Tuition deposit | $100.00 |
| (Due not later than June 15, 1958. Balance of tuition is due upon registration. Refunds of the deposit can be made only for reasons of ill health, which must be certified by a physician.) |
Calendar
Sunday, August 10, 1958
Arrival (Students should not plan to arrive before this date.)
| 3:00 PM | Student Room Assignment |
| 5:00 PM | Faculty Meeting |
| 8:40 PM | Concert, Berkshire Music Barn |
Monday, August 11, 1958
| 8:00 AM | Registration for all students |
| (There are no provisions for late registration except in unavoidable circumstances.) | |
| 2:00 PM | Classes begin |
Saturday, August 30, 1958
| 12:00 Noon | Classes end |
| 8:40 PM | Student Benefit Concert, Berkshire Music Barn |
Sunday, August 31, 1958
| 10:30 AM | Student-Faculty Evaluation |
| 8:40 PM | Final Concert, Berkshire Music Barn |
Monday, September 1, 1958
Departure
Daily Schedule
9:00-10:45
Composition and Arranging
Section 1, alternate days beginning Tuesday.
Section 2, alternate days beginning Wednesday.
11:00-12:00
History of Jazz, alternate days beginning Tuesday.
Jazz Styles and Idioms, alternate days beginning Wednesday.
(Students may elect either of these courses in order to satisfy the History of Jazz requirement.)
12:00-2:00
Lunch and Free Time (practice, individual lessons.)
2:00-5:00
Ensemble Rehearsal (Large and small ensembles meet alternate days…schedule to be arranged.)
Private lessons in instruments and composition are arranged individually by student with instructor.
There is no scheduled work on Sunday.
Lectures
Several evenings each week at 8:30 PM, the School of Jazz will present lectures, panel discussions, or demonstrations by outstanding authorities in the many aspects of the jazz field, including recording, management, criticism, and the relationship between jazz and other fields. These lectures are primarily for students of the School, but are open to the public at a nominal fee.
Scholarships
Several partial tuition scholarships are available to students (primarily students registered in instruments other than piano) who, otherwise, would not be able to attend the School of Jazz. These scholarships are awarded on the basis of talent, and individual need.
Special Awards
Louis Armstrong Scholarships, made available through a grant of $1,000.00 by the Newport Jazz Festival, 1957.
Great South Bay Festival Scholarship. Scholarship grants to qualified students will be made available from time to time as funds are available for this purpose. The first award by the Friends of American Jazz, sponsors of the Great South Bay Jazz Festival, was presented to Dale Hillary, Alberta, Canada during the 1957 session of the School of Jazz.
Herman Lubinsky Scholarship. One full scholarship to an instrumental student, made available by a grant of $385.00 by Herman Lubinsky.
Several work scholarships are available to students who will be able to spend the summer at Music Inn. For further information contact the Dean.
Practice Facilities
Practice rooms are available to students without additional fee. Practice space is assigned the day after registration.
General Regulations
The School of Jazz, Inc., reserves the right to change classes, instructors or schedules. All students are expected to accept and observe the academic policies and rules for general student conduct in effect at the School. The Administration reserves the right to deny admission to, or to request the withdrawal at any time of any student, whenever such action seems advisable in the opinion of the Administration.
The School of Jazz, Inc., is a non-profit organization chartered under the laws of the State of Massachusetts.
“The purpose of the School of Jazz, Inc., is to teach and to foster the study of jazz in all its aspects, including its techniques of expression, its improvisation and its composition; also its history, origin, its international development and its relationship to other arts; to provide for individual instruction as well as rehearsal in both large ensemble and in small groups, and to develop for its students the experience of playing for public audiences.”
…from the Charter of the School of Jazz, Inc.