The Instrumental concentration within the BFA Jazz and Contemporary Music degree prepares you to become a unique contemporary musician. Our challenging and flexible curriculum lets you chart your own course, combining technical, conceptual, aesthetic, and historical aspects of jazz and contemporary music. Your academic journey as an instrumental student includes composition, improvisation, ensembles, lessons, and individual choice. Under the mentorship of faculty who are leading contemporary musicians, you gain instrumental fluency and performance experience and develop innovative skills to pursue a wide variety of careers in music. Take classes across The New School, including Parsons School of Design and Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts.
Bass - Choose your private instructor from more than thirty different bassists musicians like the legendary Reggie Workman, who played with John Coltrane, Buster Williams, or Linda Oh. Other great bass faculty include Ben Allison, Andy McKee, Doug Weiss, Ben Street, and Gene Perla. Performance opportunities include the John Coltrane Ensemble, Charles Mingus Ensemble, Charlie Parker Ensemble, Rhythm & Blues Ensemble, Electric Miles Ensemble, Progressive Rock Ensemble, Wayne Shorter Ensemble, and more.