Summer Jazz Improv Camp All-Region Jazz Clinic
[Don't Miss Out On The Fun! Click On Text Above For Details]

THE UTA JAZZ ORCHESTRA

The UTA Jazz Orchestra is the first of two big bands at the University of Texas at Arlington.

The accomplishments of this organization have brought international attention to the University and the city of Arlington while providing truly extraordinary educational opportunities and cultural experiences for its musicians.

The UTAJO has performed invitational concerts at the Montreux International Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland; the first International Jazz Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil; the first International Jazz Festival in Nassau, commonwealth of the Bahamas. Other international tours include Montreal, Canada; the American Music Festival in Manila, Philippines; and Peking, Peoples Republic of China. Telecasts by the Swiss, Japanese, Philippine, American and Brazilian Public Broadcasting Systems have brought UTAJO performances to an estimated 70 million people across four continents.

Additionally, the band has appeared as guest artists for national conventions of the National Association of Jazz Educators and the Music Educators National Conference. The band has appeared as guest artists for the Texas Future Teachers of America convention, the Dallas Jazz Society's annual "Tribute to Duke Ellington" and for public school jazz festivals in Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston, Brownwood, and Lubbock. Each year the band performs numerous campus concerts in Texas Hall, The Dry Gulch and the Palo Duro Lounge at the Hereford Center.

Many of the band's graduates have excelled to professional ranks by joining such noted organizations as The Buddy Rich Big Band, The Stan Kenton Orchestra, and The Dallas Jazz Orchestra. In addition, the band members have gained invaluable experience and inspiration by performing with such guest artists as Clark Terry, Ed Shaughnessy, Mary Fettig, Tony Campise, Don Joseph, Tony Klatka, Frank Rosalino, Rich Matteson, Carl Fontanna, Jack Peterson, Willie Thomas, Larry Skinner, Mike Vax, Cat Anderson, Pete Brewer, Rob McConnell, Janice Borla, Clay Jenkins and Steve Houghton.


THE UTA JAZZ FACULTY

The UTA Jazz Faculty is comprised of talented musicians who bring years of professional performance and college level teaching experience to their classroom and private studios.

While some major institutions utilize graduate teaching assistants for instruction at the undergraduate level, UTA's music students are privileged to study with a full-time private faculty who have earned distinguished Masters and Doctoral Degrees from many of the nation's finest Universities.

The adjunct faculty offers professional level instruction in highly specialized areas. All members of the faculty are dedicated to the musical growth and development of each student.


THE UTA JAZZ PROGRAM

The real value of any college jazz program is, in large part, best evidenced by the number and quality of educational opportunities extended its students. While the curriculum of jazz courses is essential to the educational process, most students find the UTA jazz program's extracurricular activities to be of great benefit. In fact, if there was one key to the program's success, it would be the OPPORTUNITY to observe, participate and learn from the many diverse experiences that are offered by the University of Texas at Arlington.

The UTA student chapter of the International Association of Jazz Educators plays an important role in the development and growth of the jazz program. Each year the UTA-IAJE chapter contributes greatly to many of the program's important projects. For example, these students traditionally assist in the production of the annual UTA Jazz Festival, and event which has attracted more than 18,000 high school students to the campus over the past twelve years. In addition to providing an atmosphere of excellent music composition, the festival has an exclusive agreement with the Montreux, Switzerland Board of Tourism in which the Swiss invite the winner of the UTA Jazz Festival to perform at the prestigious Montreux International Jazz Festival. More than 100 high school students have gained invaluable, once-in-a-lifetime experience by performing at this event. Jazz ensembles that have accepted the invitation and performed in Montreux include those from Martin-Arlington, South Garland, Bowie-Arlington and Lewisville High Schools.

The students in the UTA-IAJE chapter have devoted countless hours of support in assisting on campus clinics for high school musicians by such noted educators as David Baker, Jamey Abersold, and Rob McConnell.

At UTA, exciting and rewarding performance opportunities are not reserved just for the Jazz Orchestra. The UTA Jazz Band II has performed for numerous civic functions such as Arlington's Holiday Magic, Festival '78, The Miss Arlington Pageant, Ft. Worth's Ocktoberfest and Sale Street Fair in Dallas. In addition, UTA Jazz Band II has appeared at the Wichita Jazz Festival and performed with such guest artists as Bill Watrous and Bobby Shew. UTA Jazz Bands II and III have also premiered many new pieces of music composed by UTA students as well as those written by professional composers and arrangers.

UTA is committed to providing students with opportunities to learn from established professionals on campus. In addition, to the long list of composers, artists, and clinicians who have appeared in concert with the UTA jazz ensembles, UTA has also shared the stage with such outstanding professional jazz ensembles as the Stan Kenton Orchestra, The Dallas Jazz Orchestra, The U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors, The U.S. Navy Commodores, and the U. S. Air Force Falconnaires from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Because of the University's location, situated directly in the center of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area, UTA students have easy access to the recording industry. Also, three prominent jazz publishing companies (OMI in Lewisville, Dallas Jazz Productions and Lou Fischer Music Publishing Company in Dallas) are all within forty miles of the campus. These things, combined with the opportunities to hear superb professional musicians in frequent performances provide a unique and rare opportunity for students who wish to avail themselves to meet, observe and work with the highest caliber of professionals.

The annual UTAJO album, the Jazz Festival and the curriculum are significant aspects of the total jazz program but certainly do not constitute all of the program's benefits to the students. Considering the University's location, prestigious academic standing, curricula, relatively moderate tuition costs (approx. $750 per year), dedication to excellence and most importantly the opportunities for the individual student's educational growth and development, it is not surprising that more and more students are selecting UTA as THE PLACE at which to invest their future.

Due, in large part to the generous financial support given the jazz ensembles by the Student Service Fees Advisory Committee, UTA has an extensive jazz scholarship program. Jazz performance scholarships are available to all students, by audition, regardless of academic major. For further details concerning scholarship information, please contact Mike Bogle, Assistant Director of Jazz Studies, UTA Music Dept., Box 19105, Arlington, Texas 76019 or call (817) 272-2437 or (817) 272-2448.


THE BACHELOR OF MUSIC DEGREE IN JAZZ STUDIES

In 1984, the UTA Department of Music added the jazz studies option to its Bachelor Of Music degree, thus making UTA one of only two institutions in the state to offer such a curriculum at that time. The dehree meets the demand of many students who desire to participate in the wide scope of professional opportunities afforded by the ever-growing music industry. Not simply to provide a course of study for any one particular career vocation, the curriculum is designed to provide the serious student with a solid academic background along with an emphasis in jazz related courses.

The requirements for the degree include such academic studies as English, History, Political Science, Mathematics, Science and Foreign Language. Jazz studies majors are required to complete the exact same Department of Music core courses as those students who are majoring in music education, theory/composition and performance. These requirements include courses in music theory, sightsinging and ear training, conducting, music history, functional piano, applied private lessons and instrumental lab ensemble. Core courses required by the music department and the College of Liberal Arts insure a solid academic background for those jazz majors who wish to continue their education at the graduate level.

The jazz studies option includes course requirements in jazz theory, jazz arranging and composition, jazz improvisation, music business, jazz ensemble (big bands and small groups), jazz styles and perspectives and jazz pedagogy. The option also requires majors to take 6 hours of courses outside the music department. This affords the student the opportunity to glean knowledge and experience from other music industry related fields such as business, telecommunications, film production, etc.

For more specific information concerning the Bachelor of Music degree in jazz studies, interested students should contact Mr. Mike Bogle, Assistant Director of Jazz Studies at UTA. Address all inquiries with regard to the UTA Jazz program and scholarship opportunities to Mr. Mike Bogle, Assistant Director of Jazz Studies , UTA Department of Music, P. O. Box 19105, Arlington, Texas 76019.

e-mail: groove29@flash.net


11 May 1998
[Mike Bogle Home Page] [UTA Department Of Music]