Updated: December 12, 2022
All participants
Each morning, Monday through Friday, there will be a mandatory general meeting at 9:00 a.m. in Campbell Recital Hall, where participants receive their daily schedules. Classes end by 5:00 p.m. each day, except for Monday and Tuesday evenings, when private lessons are scheduled between 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Each Jazz Camp participant has one 25-minute private lesson.
Commuters will receive an email with the time and date of their private lesson before Jazz Camp starts so they can arrange to be picked up following the lesson.
Commuters
Commuter participants are encouraged to stay for the concerts and evening activities after the day’s classes have ended, although SJW does not provide any supervision for commuter participants after classes are over.
At the end of the day participants can wait to be picked up at the 5:00 p.m. Jam Session held in Campbell Courtyard. If your participant wants to stay later for the optional evening activities, please arrange an appropriate meeting spot with your child, such as the Braun Music Center lobby or the Coffee House (CoHo) in Tresidder Union.
Dorm Residents
Dorm Residents are supervised by our experienced and dedicated SJW counseling staff. Counselors will take roll at the daily 9:00 a.m. meeting and conduct a late wake-up check at 9:15 a.m. in the dorms. At 5:00 p.m., the counselors have a daily check-in meeting where they go over that evening’s activity options and take roll. Participants then have free time to join in on counselor led activities or jazz festival events until bedtime.
At 10:00 p.m. participants must either check in with the dorm duty counselor and go to bed, or check in at the general 10:00 p.m. meeting to attend the CoHo Faculty Jam. After 10:00 p.m. all students must be in their dorms or at the CoHo with the counselor on duty. Participants who attend the counselor-supervised CoHo Jam will be led back to the dorm by midnight. Counselors will do a final check-in at the dorm and then monitor the halls throughout the night.
General daily schedule
Although each participant’s schedule is tailored to their individual experience and learning goals, the Workshop’s basic schedule is consistent each day.
| Time Schedule | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 a.m. | General Meeting | Campbell Recital Hall |
| 9:20 a.m. | Theory or Musicianship classes | Braun Music Center classrooms |
| 10:30 a.m. | Instrument-specific Masterclasses | Braun Music Center classrooms |
| 12:00 p.m. | Lunch Noon concerts by faculty on Wednesday and Friday | Tresidder Student Union |
| 1:00 p.m. | Theory or Musicianship classes | Braun Music Center classrooms |
| 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Combo rehearsals and afternoon classes | Braun Music Center classrooms |
| 5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Dorm resident daily check-in | Campbell Recital Hall |
| 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Jam Session (optional) | Campbell Courtyard |
| 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. | Counselor-led sports (optional) | Meet in Braun Music Center lobby |
| 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. | Private lessons (Monday and Tuesday only) | Braun Music Center classrooms |
| 6:30 p.m. | Counselor-led activities (optional) | Braun Music Center, Levin Field, and Dormitories |
| 7:30 p.m. | Stanford Jazz Festival concerts (Sunday – Thursday, free to Jazz Camp students) | Campbell Recital Hall and Dinkelspiel Auditorium |
| 10:00 p.m. | Final Resident curfew and dorm-check. Residents must check in for the night with the dorm duty counselor by 10:00 p.m. or attend roll call at the dorm immediately after the Stanford Jazz Festival concert. | Dormitories |
| 10:00 p.m. | Faculty Jam (optional – dorm residents may attend accompanied by counselors) | Stanford Coffee House (CoHo) at Tresidder Student Union |
Jazz Camp daytime events
General Meeting: Participants receive their daily schedules and are notified of changes or special events during the day. Some general meetings also feature performances by faculty or visiting artists.
Jazz Theory: Participants learn about jazz harmony, song forms, scales, and other concepts in music theory. The levels of this class range from beginning to advanced, with special classes for drummers. (Drummers who want to study jazz harmony can opt to take general Jazz Theory classes – please contact [email protected] for more information.)
Musicianship: This class focuses on ear training and rhythm exercises. Participants develop their listening and musical communication skills by playing by ear and sharing musical ideas with the instructor and fellow participants.
Masterclasses: Players of similar instruments meet with a master faculty member to learn techniques and concepts that pertain to that instrument, as well as to listen to important recordings of great jazz artists.
Afternoon classes: Alternating with their combo rehearsals, participants attend several special classes, including special artist presentations, faculty-led Latin jazz or funk jam sessions, and other topics.
Combos: Each instrumentalist plays in a small combo directed by one of our faculty members. In combo, you work on improvising, performing as a group, and applying the lessons you learned in Jazz Theory, Musicianship, and Masterclass. Music will be provided. During combo rehearsal times, vocalists will sing together as a group and also work on solo repertoire, accompanied by a professional rhythm section.
Jam sessions: Participants are encouraged to participate in optional, fun, no-pressure jam sessions.
Private lesson: Each Jazz Camp participant is scheduled for a 25-minute private lesson on Monday or Tuesday night of each week they attend. Participants staying in the dorms will be informed of the time and place of their lesson when they arrive. Commuters will be informed by email of their lesson date and time in mid-June so that they can schedule their transportation accordingly.
Jazz Camp evening events
Stanford Jazz Festival concerts: During Jazz Camp, the Stanford Jazz Festival presents the best jazz artists in the world in concert, and Jazz Camp participants may attend with no additional charges. We urge Jazz Camp participants to attend these world-class events, because it’s an incredible opportunity to hear top jazz artists perform in quiet, comfortable settings. Additionally, many of the performers are themselves faculty members, and hearing the teachers perform is a great way to reinforce the experience of Jazz Camp.
Participants will receive more specific instructions on the first day of camp regarding admission to the Jazz Festival concerts.
Coffee House Faculty Jam: After the Jazz Festival concerts on Monday through Thursday there are faculty jam sessions at the Stanford Coffee House (CoHo) in Tresidder Union beginning around 10:00 p.m. Jazz Camp participants, their parents, and their guests are invited to come hear our faculty play. Advanced participants may be invited to play at the discretion of the faculty leader. Dorm Residents will be able to attend this session with counselor supervision.
Other evening events: In addition to the Stanford Jazz Festival concerts and CoHo jams, Jazz Camp participants have a variety of evening activities from which to choose, including:
- Informal jam sessions
- Counselor-organized activities such as sports, movies, games, etc
- Practicing (until 10 p.m.)
- Free time!
Students will be able to practice in Braun Music Center on a space-available basis, until 10:00 p.m. Jazz Camp participants must be under counselor supervision at all times after 10:00 p.m. Stanford University policy specifies that no one under the age of 18 may be on campus after 10:00 p.m. without adult supervision.
Friday night events
Friends and Family Dinner
The Friday Night Friends and Family Dinner is an optional dinner open to all Jazz Campers’ friends and family. It goes from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Tresidder Union (directly across from Dinkelspiel Auditorium). The dinner includes a buffet with vegetarian options. While you dine, you can enjoy participant combo performances, which begin at 6:00 p.m. on the nearby Outdoor Stage.
We recommend that friends and family purchase tickets for the Friday night dinner online through their SJW account or call 650-736-0324. Instructions on how to purchase Friends and Family tickets will be emailed out ahead of time.
To guarantee your dinner reservation, you will need to purchase tickets by Tuesday at noon. Tickets will also be sold at the dinner on Friday evening as availability permits.
Participant Showcase Concert
At the free Participant Showcase Concert, Jazz Campers perform for their families, friends, and the general public.
Due to the large number of performing participant combos, concerts are held in multiple venues, with staggered start times. A Concert Roster showing where and when each participant will be playing will be posted in the Braun Music Center lobby prior to the Showcase, and online at www.stanfordjazz.org by noon that day. SJW staff and volunteers will provide schedule information to parents and audience members as they arrive at the venues.
The performances at the Outdoor Stage at Tresidder Union begin at 6:00 p.m. as part of the Friday Night Friends and Family Dinner, and the other three venues begin at 7:00 p.m. Following the concert, there is an awards ceremony in Dinkelspiel Auditorium.
