The three-year bachelor’s degree studies include all common instruments of jazz – saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, guitar, double bass and percussion instruments. In addition to playing the instrument, the students deal in detail with harmony, intonation and rhythm, composition and arrangement, improvisation, playing in a big band and small ensembles, the history of jazz, studio work and notation programmes. Emphasis is placed on balancing the traditional basics, the methodology of teaching jazz and the open nature and creativity of students. Students’ extracurricular artistic activity is supported as well. Cooperation with students of other departments is also developing (classical interpretation, multimedia, musical).

The follow-up two-year master’s degree studies offer two profiles – instrumental and composition.

Several important jazz musicians have graduated from the JAMU Jazz Interpretation Department, such as Jaromír Honzák, Libor Šmoldas, Lukáš Oravec, Radek Zapadlo, Michal Wróblewski, Jiří Kotača and Marek Kotača.

Vilém Spilka (Head of the Department):

Why learn to play jazz at our Department? The many times proven principle of “imitate, assimilate, innovate” can be practiced at our department under the auspices of the best educators, who are mostly practicing musicians and quite knowledgeable about jazz and improvisation. You can imitate the best Czech and Slovak players as well as top foreign guests at frequent workshops, which the faculty organises mostly in cooperation with the JazzFest Brno festival, which guarantees a regular supply of excellent jazz musicians. Possibilities of assimilation of acquired knowledge are offered in student ensembles, in a regular big band, in traditional concerts of the department within the academy and also in frequent jam sessions held in the Music Lab club located directly at the JAMU Faculty of Music, but in other places as well. You can innovate in a friendly and stimulating atmosphere – an inspiring team of teachers and classmates who will support you on your journey through arts. You will meet partners and bandmates with a solid level of craftsmanship, a wide musical scope and a high degree of creativity, on which we never put a lid at our department.

Jaromír Honzák (graduate):

Studying at the Jazz Department of JAMU was one of the best decisions of my life, even though I was not exactly the right age for it. I have not regretted it from a single minute in those 5 years. Only the best educators teach there, so you learn something important every lesson. Daily contact with classmates is no less inspiring and motivating. And there is even more, because Brno is an absolutely delightful place to live. I can highly recommend it to anyone!

Martin Konvička (master’s degree student):

The Jazz Interpretation Department at FoM JAMU is an exceptional place for me – it offers the true university education. For me, it is a platform that encourages the realisation of potential and provides sufficient breeding ground for that very purpose. No matter if you want to learn an honest musical craft or if you are an experimenter who needs a lot of freedom – you will find your opportunity here. The department is closely connected to Brno’s cultural organisers across musical genres and thus facilitates the students’ contact with the world’s best in the field. No less important is the young and strong teaching staff, each of whom is actively involved in the practice of an artist; however, what is perhaps the most important to me is the vibrant community of students who meet outside the walls of the institution, motivated to play music together, try new things and enrich each other.

• Rez Abbasi
• Jim Black
• Brian Blade
• Richard Bona
• Roland Dahinden
• Eddie Daniels
• Chris Dave
• Frank Gratkowski
• Franz Hautzinger
• John Hébert
• Gilad Hekselman
• Lionel Loueke
• Lage Lund
• Shai Maestro
• Linda Oh
• Ziv Ravitz
• Jorge Roeder
• Kurt Rosenwinkel
• Harry Sokal
• Will Vinson
• Peter Weniger