Institute for Creative Music

The teaching artists at the Institute for Creative Music are dedicated to applying their experiences as young performers working in a rapidly changing music scene to crafting a fresh vision for contemporary music education. Through programs that are accessible to students of all backgrounds and abilities, IfCM musicians bring not only their performance training at top-tier schools like Juilliard and the Eastman School of Music but also their familiarity with building multifaceted careers in the 21st-century music marketplace. Students benefit from active participation In unique, energetic IfCM learning experiences that emphasize strong musical fundamentals, the flexibility of improvisation, an understanding of current technologies, and peer-directed teamwork as the skills necessary to create their own musical mark on the world.

The Institute for Creative Music is dedicated to building a fresh model for contemporary jazz education through integrative learning and performance experiences. Since 2011, the IfCM has been collaborating with schools, organizations, and individuals throughout the United States. Given the origins of jazz as Black American Music and its connections to the fight for social justice, our teaching aims to center not just the mechanics of the music, but its history, culture, and capacity to create change. Jazz and improvised music serve as inspiration for justice and equality through communication, collaboration, understanding, and the amplification of Black voices in American culture. IfCM ensembles, workshops, camps, and courses are intergenerational and accessible to students of all backgrounds and abilities. This programming emphasizes strong musical fundamentals, the flexibility of improvisation, the importance of historical and cultural context, an understanding of current technologie