Degree Learning Outcomes

Master of Music (M.M.) - Jazz Studies

1. Applied Musicianship
   Students will develop advanced professional competency in applied musicianship across various jazz subgenres through written music theory, musical analysis, large jazz ensemble and small jazz combo performance, and advanced applied studies with their respective instrument, including improvisation and compositional studies.
2. Music Technology
   Students will apply and demonstrate proficiency in current and emerging technologies used in the process of carrying out jazz music research, analysis, performance, and composition.
3. Music Research
   Students will apply and demonstrate proficiency in musical research through critical writing projects, presentations, and readings of historical and cultural significance, with emphasis on the jazz idiom.
4. Music Literacy and Critical Thinking
   Students will gain advanced literacy and critical thinking skills by examining jazz-oriented music literature and music research through performing, reading, researching, writing, listening, speaking, and reasoning about music. Critical thinking comprises the integration of historical and theoretical domains to identify and solve problems within the discipline of music.
5. Historical and Cultural Foundations
   Students will develop the capacity to situate contemporary musical experiences by interpreting a broad range of musical styles and practices from relevant historical jazz eras and cultural traditions; students will also gain a personal understanding and appreciation of the jazz art form—its unique historical and cultural significance—which they can apply to their musical journey, both within and beyond the university setting.
6. Performance and Creativity
   Students on the performance track will perform on a primary instrument and will exemplify an advanced level of competence—artistically, technically, and creatively. in addition, students will demonstrate the ability to arrange and compose music within the jazz tradition, while developing a personal voice both conceptually and improvisationally.
7. Musical Leadership and Community Engagement
   Students will exemplify musical competency through rehearsing in SDSU jazz ensembles, community ensembles, or public-school ensembles. Students will employ musical leadership in their participation in music organizations and through performances organized to engage the community.
8. Pedagogy
   Students will assemble knowledge of jazz curriculum development while also developing oral and written communication skills in order to effectively disseminate information, in a classroom and studio setting, through various methodologies.
9. Synthesis
   By the conclusion of graduate study in jazz music performance, students will be able to solve advanced musical problems by combining their capabilities associated with the learning outcomes enumerated above as appropriate to their respective area of emphasis.
10. General Skills
    All music students will hone the ability to collaborate effectively to engage in real-world problems, including academic, personal, and artistic matters. They will become independent learners, capable of accepting validation as a result of successful efforts while maintaining resilience in the face of challenges.