The Stanford Jazz Workshop immerses instrumentalists and vocalists in a fun, focused, and supportive environment to play with motivated peers and study with a prestigious faculty of professional musicians and educators. Our highly structured curriculum is tailored to the needs, experience, and knowledge of each individual student, with classes led by world-class jazz artists and educators. Improving your improvisation is the goal, and in every class and rehearsal, faculty will help you to hear the sounds of jazz, understand what those sounds are, and play them when you want to.
Families and friends of Jazz Camp students are invited to attend the free Jazz Camp Showcase, held on Friday of each week of Jazz Camp. Tickets for the pre-concert Friends and Family Dinner will be available for purchase online. Families and friends are also invited to purchase tickets to nightly Stanford Jazz Festival concerts.
Students will:
- Be allowed to stay on campus or commute from off-campus.
- Have courses in small combinations or one-on-one.
- Experience one private lesson.
- Study improvisation and performance.
- Experience instrument specific and vocal master classes, as well as jazz theory and musicianship classes.
- Have free admission to nightly Stanford Jazz Festival concerts.
- Enjoy faculty jams at CoHo Coffeehouse, as well as fun social activities and sports.
- Be allowed to invite family and friends to attend the free Jazz Camp Showcase performance, purchase tickets for the pre-concert Friends and Family Dinner at Stanford University and tickets for the nightly Stanford Jazz Festival concerts.
Founded in 1972, Stanford Jazz Workshop (SJW) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to jazz education and appreciation.
Location(s)
- Stanford University, Stanford, California
Schedule
- One week in July
Cost/Compensation
- Around $2,465 (including tuition, room, and board)
- Returning students get $50 off if registered by April 15.
- Additional $250 key deposit for those staying with Stanford Housing.
Eligibility Requirements
- Students must be a teen or independent pre-teen with at least 18 months of experience on their instrument or in vocal training.
- Students must be aged 12 to 17.
- Students must pay for online application, tuition and room and board, if applicable.
Deadline
- Two weeks before the first day of the program.
Application or Entry Requirements
- Students must complete the online application.
- All instrumentalists and vocalists must submit a placement recording and a theory evaluation. Faculty will use these materials to assess your level and place you into classes and ensembles that will be perfect for your level of playing.
- The theory placement evaluation will cover the following topics:
- Note and rhythm identification
- Major scales and key signatures
- Intervals
- Triads
- Seventh chords
- Modal and non-major scales
- Chord function and progressions.
- The placement recordings will consist of two audio recordings:
- One blues song, from a list chosen by Stanford.
- One additional song selection from a list chosen by Stanford.
- The theory placement evaluation will cover the following topics:
Notifications of Decisions
- Two weeks before the first day of the program.
Financial Aid Details
- Through the online application, you can select to apply for financial aid.
- It will take up to 3 business days to email the financial aid application to you.
- Financial aid materials must be submitted by April 15th.
- The financial aid application must include a student essay, letter of recommendation, and documentation of your financial situation.
Other Dates to Keep in Mind
- May 1st – Final payment deadline.
- This is the last date on which you may request a 100% refund (minus deposit) should you wish to cancel your enrollment.
- June 10th – Deadline for instrumentalists to submit placement recordings
- June 15th - Instrument Rental request deadline
- Instruments are available for rental. Confirmation of availability may take several weeks, so please submit your request as soon as possible.
- Rental fee is due one week after we confirm the availability of the requested instrument.
- July 1st - Music Theory Evaluation deadline.
Have other questions?
Stanford University is a private research university located in Stanford, California. Founded in 1885 by former California Governor Leland Stanford, Stanford now enrolls over 17,000 students across its diverse programs and is widely regarded as one of the world's leading universities. Stanford’s seven schools - Humanities and Sciences, Engineering, Business, Medicine, Law, Education, and Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences - offer leading undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The university is known for an innovative and interdisciplinary approach to research, as well as its strong programs in computer science, engineering, and entrepreneurship. The campus is among the largest in the U.S. with over 8,000 acres, and is home to the Cantor Arts Center, one of the largest university art museums in the country. Prominent companies like Google, Yahoo!, Netflix, Charles Schwab, Hewlett-Packard, Nike, and Trader Joe’s were founded or co-founded by Stanford alumni, as its location in the heart of Silicon Valley has made Stanford a hub for technology innovation and venture capital investment.
