Jazz Institute Daily Schedule

Jazz Institute daytime events

You’ll be assigned to one combo or vocal section, which you’ll attend throughout the week. Other than that rehearsal commitment, you are free to choose your own classes and activities. 

Lists of class and presentation offerings for each time period will be posted daily in Braun Music Center.

Jazz theory classes: Each morning there will be several jazz theory classes at different levels to choose from. Theory classes begin at 9:00 a.m. Monday morning and run sequentially for all five days. If you feel you need to be in a different level of theory, you can just move to the class at that level.

Masterclass: Masterclasses are instrument-specific lectures and demonstrations given by different faculty members every day. There may be more than one masterclass for any given instrument. You may attend any masterclass you like; for example, you can attend a piano masterclass even if you play saxophone.

Special presentations (“Specials”): Every day at 1:00 p.m. there will be lecture/demos given by our faculty artists on topics such as Latin percussion, the music business, piano voicings, an artist’s life in jazz, new ways to improvise, and many more. We will post a list of the week’s 1:00 p.m. Specials on Sunday evening.

Combos: Based on your placement audition, we’ll place you in a combo with musicians at your level. There may be adult musicians and musicians aged 17 and under in the same ensembles. We will post the combo assignments on Sunday morning when you arrive. Some combos may have vocalists as well.

Early combo vs. late combo period: You’ll see combos referred to as “early” or “late” on the schedule. The only difference between early and late combos is the time at which they meet. If, due to outside activities, you have a critical need to be either in the early or late time slot, please alert the SJW main office as soon as possible. We make no guarantee that we can accommodate every request, however.

Jazz Institute evening events

Stanford Jazz Festival concerts: Every night during Jazz Institute, the Stanford Jazz Festival presents some of the top  jazz artists in the world, and you have a reserved seat! We urge Jazz Institute participants to attend these events, because it’s an incredible opportunity to hear top jazz artists perform in intimate settings. Additionally, many of the performers are faculty members, and hearing your teachers perform is a great way to reinforce the experience of Jazz Institute. 

CoHo jam: After the Jazz Festival concerts Sunday through Thursday, there will be a faculty jam session at the Stanford Coffee House (CoHo) in Tresidder Union at 10:00 p.m. Jazz Institute participants 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, subject to change due to time constraints, musical situations, or special circumstances. If you want to perform, please speak to the faculty emcee. Minor dorm resident participants will be able to attend this session with counselor supervision.

Standards and Vocal Jam in Campbell Recital Hall (Mon-Wed): This faculty-supervised nightly jam begins immediately after the evening concert and focuses on vocal jazz repertoire, but all instrumentalists are invited to participate.

Instrumental Jam session in Braun Rehearsal Hall (Mon-Wed): Beginning after the Jazz Festival performances Monday through Wednesday, this is a faculty-led nightly jam session, where participant instrumentalists can play together.

Practice/private jam sessions: If you want to practice or organize private jam sessions, you may check out keys to combo rooms during the evenings, Monday through Thursday.

Friday night party: There will be a party for adult campers in Campbell Courtyard after the Stanford Jazz Festival concert on Friday night to celebrate a great week of music.

Jazz Institute Showcase: On Friday afternoon starting at 4:00 p.m., all ensembles and vocalists will have the opportunity to perform, in one of four venues, including Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Campbell Recital Hall, Braun Rehearsal Hall, and the Coffee House (CoHo). Friends and family are welcome and admission is free. 

Note for Jazz Institute commuters ages 17 and under

If you’re a commuter 17 or under, we encourage you to stay for the concerts and evening activities, as you’ll get a lot out of hearing the best artists in the world perform at the concerts, as well as the faculty jams at CoHo. Please note that we don’t provide any supervision for commuter participants after classes are over.

If you want to stay later for the optional evening activities, please arrange for your parent or guardian to meet you in the Braun Music Center lobby or in the Coffee House (CoHo) in Tresidder Union — there will be SJW staff nearby in those locations. 

Note for minor dorm residents

As a dorm resident, you’ll be supervised by our experienced and dedicated SJW counseling staff. Counselors will take roll at the daily morning meeting at 9:00 a.m., and they 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 with you where they go over that evening’s activity options and take roll. You then have free time to join in on counselor-led activities or Stanford 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 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.