University of Toronto VJE
University of Toronto Jazz Orchestra
University of Toronto 12tet
University of Toronto VJE
Programs Offered
at UofT Jazz
Bachelor of Music
The Faculty of Music offers two degrees: the Bachelor of Music (Mus.Bac.) and the Bachelor of Music in Performance (Mus.Bac.Perf.) Students admitted into the Bachelor of Music in Performance begin their concentrations in first year; however, those admitted to the Bachelor of Music, with the exception of those admitted into Music Education (Classical & Jazz), Composition, and Comprehensive-Jazz enter a Common Year during which they embark on their core requirements and explore options to help determine a specific concentration in History & Theory or Comprehensive.
Master of Music
This program is offered on a full-time basis only and begins in September. We have ONE admissions cycle per year.
Applicants must hold a Bachelor of Music degree in the area of specialization from the University of Toronto with an average standing of B or better over the final two years or an equivalent program and standing from another recognized university.
Applicants in performance must pass an audition.
Doctorate of Musical Arts
Applicants for the DMA in the Performance field must hold a Master of Music degree specializing in Performance from the University of Toronto, or its equivalent from another university, with an average standing of B+ or better.
Applicants are required to pass an audition. They are also required to submit, as part of their application, an essay of approximately 3,000 words which demonstrates their ability to handle a research problem.
Applicants, whether from the University of Toronto or from elsewhere, may be interviewed by the Department.
Our Students
The U of T Jazz students represent some the best and brightest young minds on the musical horizon. A high percentage of the most prominent young jazz musicians in Canada today are graduates of this program. Camaraderie is strong; students share a love of jazz in its myriad forms and challenge and encourage each other to learn, improve, and innovate. At U of T, the jazz stars of tomorrow will become your friends and colleagues today. The relationships that are forged here will last a lifetime.
Private Lessons
Students receive 24 hours of private instruction per year. (For students in the Comprehensive program, lessons are electives in the 3rd and 4th year.) Lessons deal with not only the technical and musical aspects of playing your instrument and improvising, but also all facets of managing a musical career. Your teacher will become your mentor, a source of advice and inspiration.
Photo by Lisa Sakulensky
Bachelor Degree
Jazz Streams
Jazz Performance
At the core of the program is a philosophy of honoring the jazz tradition while incorporating current trends in modern jazz performance and composition. With an emphasis on team spirit and individual creativity, U of T Jazz students acquire the knowledge, skill, freedom, responsibility and encouragement to forge musical paths into the future.
Graduate programs at the masters and doctoral levels offer academic challenges consistent with the University of Toronto’s high standards, while allowing creative musical growth to be enhanced through self-directed curriculum opportunities.
Jazz Education
Many of our undergraduate students choose Music Education as a specialization when they enter the Faculty of Music, no doubt in part because of the inspiration they received from many of our graduates in school and community programmes. The Music Education program is rich in diversity of offerings, with a very strong core of instrumental, choral, world music, and jazz pedagogies. We feature courses on teaching music from birth throughout the lifespan, tackling issues of diversity, changing technologies and social justice in global and interdisciplinary forums. At the graduate level, our Music Education students and faculty are leaders in research and applied research in cultural studies, gender studies, vocal and instrumental pedagogy, conducting, improvisation, community music, music and health, and engaging in new research paradigms and methodologies.
Jazz Comprehensive
This option will provide students depth in musical training while preserving considerable opportunities to pursue breadth through electives in Music and in other Faculties. It features a solid, multidisciplinary core of required courses and it also offers students the freedom to design part of their program of study (for example, Ethnomusicology, Conducting) around individual interests that may not otherwise be accommodated through our specialized degree programs.
The flexibility in the program makes it well suited to students wanting to develop a specialization in an area in the Faculty of Arts & Science. In Comprehensive - Jazz, students take applied lessons, theory, ear training, and history from in Jazz.
