Jazz Studies (N0215A310042)

Programme objectives

The aim of the programme is to prepare highly qualified musical artists with a high degree of skills in the field of jazz music performance. The continuing Master's programme builds upon and deepens the curriculum studied in the Bachelor's programme. It develops and systematises skills and knowledge related to the presentation of the student's own performance within jazz ensembles and as a soloist. The study focuses on mastering a wide range of repertoire of the highest possible performance difficulty and developing the student's individual musical expression. Emphasis is placed on conceptual thinking and realising and honing one's own artistic ideas. At the same time, students develop the ability to collaborate with a creative team, to organise and artistically and technically produce their own musical projects realised in the form of concerts or recordings.

Profile of a programme graduate

The graduate emerges as a versatile, mature artistic personality capable of masterful, original and convincing musical expression in the performance of highly demanding, extensive and stylistically diverse repertoire. He or she is able to independently conceive, realise and publicly present an original work of art at an appropriate artistic and professional level and can competently lead their jazz ensemble bandmates towards this goal. They use and develop ideas and attitudes in an original way in the realisation of their own artistic intentions.

In the long term, graduates of the continuing Master's programme are able to maintain and further develop their artistic ambitions, to improve musically by further study and by following world musical developments in the field of jazz and beyond, and thus move closer to their musical ideal.

Expertise

Graduate of the Jazz Studies programme:

Has a comprehensive knowledge of jazz music repertoire and demonstrates a high standard in creating and delivering seamless musical experiences and interpretations.

Possesses a cultivated and experienced knowledge of improvisational techniques and processes and has the ability to apply them freely in a variety of contexts.

Develops, presents and implements artistic programmes that are coherent and appropriate for a variety of contexts.

Utilises specific technologies to create, disseminate and/or produce music, with respect to discipline, genre, and artistic practice.

Is oriented in the development of playing a specific instrument through knowledge of the history of world and national jazz music of a given time period. Has an overview of important soloists and innovators and can describe the distinctive features of their playing.

Professional skills

Graduate of the Jazz Studies programme:

Realises, transforms, creates, arranges and/or produces music at a high professional level, expressing their own artistic concepts at the level of a developed musical personality.

Has the ability to create, realise and express their own artistic concepts and can ensure that any areas of weakness in relation to the artistic practice of jazz music are overcome.

Demonstrates a high level of improvisational proficiency.

Publicly presents high quality artistic performance as a solo and ensemble player.

Assumes responsibility for connecting context, audience and musical material, presenting ideas with proficiency and confidence in a variety of contexts.

Has the ability to listen, collaborate and prioritise the common interest over asserting their own opinion.

Is flexible and able to acquire knowledge quickly in real time, and uses their imagination, intuition and emotional understanding to think and work creatively, flexibly and adaptively.

In relation to relevant career paths and opportunities, understands the field in depth and, on this basis, identifies and formulates strategies for developing collaborative work.

General competences

The graduate of the Jazz Studies programme

Demonstrates independence in all aspects of learning, social interaction, and in recognising opportunities.

Demonstrates appropriate skills in leadership, teamwork, negotiation and/or coordination, taking into account a variety of artistic contexts.

Is able to integrate knowledge gained from different contexts and perspectives.

Initiates activities and projects and works with others through interaction or collaboration.

Has a high level of appropriate presentation skills in all aspects of their practice and activities.

Has a positive attitude and willingly engages in ongoing (lifelong) personal and professional development.

Rules and requirements for creating study plans

The basic framework for the conception of study programmes at AMU is created by the AMU Rules of Quality Assurance System, specifying the basic principles of accreditation processes. The current practice is further formally anchored by the AMU Accreditation Rules. These set the parameters common to all study programmes taught at AMU and also transfer part of the responsibility for subject specifications (theatre, music, dance, film/television) to the faculties.

The curricula are drawn up in accordance with the AMU Attendance and Examination Regulations. On the basis of the specificities of higher artistic education, this document defines within the typology of subjects the required main subject (PH): this is a key artistic (or talent-based) core course, for which the assessment is always carried out on a commission basis and which does not allow for re-attestation. Another specificity of the curricula is the flexibility allowed in the distribution of credits (60 ECTS per academic year) between the winter and summer semesters, based on the greater workload associated with the completion of artistic outputs in the summer semester in some disciplines.

The theoretical and historical background of the field is a compulsory part of all study programmes; these are compulsory core courses co-determining the profile of the graduate and forming part of the state final examination. Each study plan also includes compulsory completion of discipline-specific English language instruction, with a minimum of 6 ECTS per study cycle.

Courses completed by examination are graded on a scale from A to E (F = fail), while „pass/fail“ grades are used for other courses; a combination of the two types of assessment is not possible.

The standard length of a lesson is 45 minutes. The basic organisational forms of teaching are lecture, seminar, exercise, workshop, the last three forms of teaching involving the creation of artistic outputs to varying degrees. Teaching takes place either on a weekly basis or in the form of intensive blocks or workshops.

The curriculum automatically assumes prerequisites in the form of sequences of courses, indicated by an ascending number after the course title. This type of prerequisite is not specifically mentioned in Part BIII for individual courses. If a course has a non-sequential prerequisite, it is explicitly listed in Part BIII for the course. In the same sense, we do not list prerequisites; these are determined by the mandatory inclusion of the course in a particular year and semester along with other courses.

The curriculum includes elective subjects: Czech Music Summary, Contemporary Music Performance, Movement and Relaxation Education, and other elective subjects offered by AMU. The student can also choose subjects offered by Percussion Instruments Department, e.g. subjects Keyboard Percussion Instruments, Rhythm and Sound Studio, and/ or subject Professional Activities, which is closely related to the field of application in the area of artistic performance, which the student performs outside the faculty. The student must earn a minimum of 9 credits in elective subjects.

General information about admission process

There is a fee for studying in English. The amount of tuition fees for each study programme is set by the Dean's Decree, which is published in the relevant section of the faculty website in English.

The admission procedure for the continuing Master's programme Jazz Studies is organised in the form of an audition examination.

This audition is a single-round examination or, in the case of a large number of candidates, a two-round examination. The candidate presents his/her intended project, i.e. the theme and concept of the final output (concert, recording) on which they will work under pedagogical guidance during the study.

The condition for admission to the Master's programme is successful completion of a Bachelor's degree in the same or a related field. The Master's degree can be followed while engaged in professional practice. In addition to the successful completion of the Bachelor's degree, a prerequisite is the demonstration of quality in artistic practice. In the case of applicants from other schools, the faculty reserves the possibility of additional supplementary requirements to verify the applicant's level in subjects in which the curricula of HAMU and the school from which the applicant comes differ.

The conditions of the admission procedure, including the determination of the method of scoring and its range, are regulated for each academic year by the relevant decree of the Dean, which is subject to approval by the Academic Senate of the Faculty.

Applicability to other types of academic programmes

After successful completion of the continuing Master's programme, the student has the opportunity to continue their studies in the field in a Doctoral programme, or at art and pedagogical faculties of universities. Another option is private individual study with masters in the field.

Parts of the state final examination and their contents

The University Qualifying Work consists of two sections:

1. A graduate artistic performance

The student will perform their own recital of 75 minutes with the participation of the accompanying group. This consists of any musical instruments and players who may or may not be HAMU students. The recital is the culmination of the student's Master's project, which he or she has been working on for two years of their studies. It is either their own compositions or a personal interpretation of someone else's material. The purpose of the recital is to present the student as an individual creator and ensemble leader, capable of leading other musicians towards the realisation of their own creative intentions.

The project also includes the organisational work related to the realisation of the concert, i.e. securing fellow players, venue and promotion of the concert.

(relevant subjects of the profiling basis: Jazz Ensemble 1–4; Master Project 1–4)

1. Master´s thesis – at least 40 standard pages. The content of the Master's thesis is usually related to the dramaturgy of a solo recital.

State final examination consists of:

1. Oral defence of the graduate artistic performance
2. Oral defence of the Master´s thesis
3. Theoretical oral examination: (relevant subjects of the profiling basis: Development of Instrumental Practice in Jazz History 1, 2)

Thematic areas of the theoretical oral examination include:

Each question relates to one stylistic epoch in the development of jazz and the characteristics of playing a particular instrument in that developmental period. The student will list the major exponents of instrumental performance in that era, describe the characteristics of their style, list their major players/bandmates and significant recordings.

Other academic duties

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Characterisation of professional practice

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Anticipated job placement for graduates (typical employment)

Graduates are able to independently conceive, realise and publicly present an original work of art at an appropriate artistic and professional level. They can also competently lead their fellow players in a jazz ensemble towards this goal. They use and develop ideas and attitudes in an original way in the realisation of their own artistic intentions.

Students also have the opportunity to take the State Examination of Pedagogical Competence at any time during their studies and to become a teacher at ZUŠ or conservatories.