Stand Out With an Undergraduate Degree From Webster

200,000+
Alumni from our Global Campuses

 

The Bachelor of Music in Performance with an Emphasis in Jazz equips students with the tools to build a multi-faceted career in the professional music world as a jazz performer. The jazz studies program at Webster is based around the small group performing experience. Jazz students participate in student-centered ensembles, including the Jazz Collective, Jazz Combos and Jazz Singers. In addition to core music classes, jazz students study improvisation, jazz theory, scoring and arranging, jazz pedagogy and history.

Students who would like a music technology curriculum can add on the Department of Audio Aesthetics and Technology minor in Sound Recording and Engineering.

At Webster, experience several special study opportunities such as:

Music student playing saxophone

Application and Audition

Music student playing saxophone

Become a Gorlok

If you plan to major or minor in music, you must complete an audition as part of your application to Webster.

Brady Shropshire
Donald O. Davis Memorial Endowed Scholarship for Jazz Studies Recipient

“I selected Webster University to receive the best possible jazz performance education in order to reach my dream of being a professional musician. I believe music changes people, and people change the world.”

Brady Shropshire
Brady Shropshire

BM in Jazz Performance, ‘24

Explore the Program

Bachelor of Music in Performance (BM)

Find out more about the overall curriculum, electives and learning outcomes for a BM in Performance with an Emphasis in Jazz degree at Webster.

Webster Means Practical Learning

At Webster University, our goal is to help you be your best. With a low faculty to student ratio, students receive practical advice and experience from their professors. Our advisors and faculty put students first so you can succeed.

Connect with Webster

Experienced Music Faculty

Music student playing trombone

Jazz Performance

To learn more about our program and course offerings, email Dr. Bennett Wood, Director of Jazz Studies.

Steve Schenkel
Why Webster?

“If you have an interest in being a highly skilled jazz player or an expert in music technology, Webster is a great place to be. Our audio recording and midi programs will immerse you in the latest technology under the guidance of world-class faculty.”

Steve Schenkel
Steve Schenkel, PhD

Emeritus Professor of Jazz

Dennis Owsley Jazz Recording Collection

Dennis Owsley, an avid St. Louis jazz fan, donated his entire 54-year collection of jazz recordings to Webster University in 2012. Housed in Emerson Library in the Dennis Owsley Jazz Recording Collection, this gift is a benefit to students, faculty, historians, researcher and the community who love the wonderful art we call jazz.

Dennis Owsley hosted the weekly radio show "Jazz Unlimited" on St. Louis Public Radio from 1983 until his retirement in 2019. He was a jazz album collector, aficionado and historian since 1958, and saw most of the major artists in jazz in live performance. He also wrote the award-winning book "City of Gabriels — The Jazz History of St. Louis 1895-1973."

Nearly all the music heard on "Jazz Unlimited" was from Owsley's personal collection, a collection that now resides at Webster University's Emerson Library.

This collection is of particular note because it includes LPs from the 1960s and 1970s that document Gaslight Square and the Black Actors Group. These LPs are a treasure for historians of St. Louis.

Much of the Owsley Collection is available for circulation in the Emerson Library stacks.

Accreditation

Webster Holds Longtime NASM Membership 

Webster University is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). An important marker of standing among music programs in the U.S., NASM establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials for music and music-related disciplines.

70+
Years as Member of NASM

Arts in St. Louis

Check out these important St. Louis organizations.

Get Started on Your Program

Take the next step toward earning your degree. We are here to help.

Explore

Learn more about our academic programs and our main campus and locations.

Engage

Connect with our admissions counselors and academic advisors.

Apply

Apply to Webster and take the next steps for financial aid and scholarships.

Contact the Admissions Office to Find Out More

If you have more questions about the program, your application or other enrollment-related inquiries, contact our Admissions Office.

Call 314-246-7800 or 800-753-6765 or send an email to admit@webster.edu.