Music

A Rich History

The Jazz Program at CWU is among the oldest in the United States, dating back to 1945. Legendary educators such as Bert Christianson, Bob Panerio, John Moawad, Thomas Gause, and Chris Bruya, all helped to establish CWU as one of the best schools to study jazz on the West Coast. Dr. Keith Karns has served as Director of Jazz at CWU since 2022.

CWU has been the recipient of awards in jazz from organizations such as the Jazz Education Network (JEN), Downbeat Magazine, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival. Their top jazz ensembles can be heard headlining jazz festivals, at regional and national conferences, at professional jazz venues, and working with high school and community college students across the Pacific Northwest.

CWU has three big bands, two vocal jazz ensembles, an Afro Cuban jazz ensemble, and a large jazz combo program. The instrumental jazz ensembles audition each term, while the vocal jazz ensembles audition at the beginning of each school year.

Alumni of the CWU Jazz Program include top performers and educators such as Gary Hobbs, Jon Wikan, Norm Wallen, Greg Metcalf, Kelly Kunz, Dave Barduhn, Frank Dimiero, Bruce Babad, Reuel Lubag, Michelle Weir, Jim Sisko, Garey Williams, Paul Gabrielson, Jay Roulston, Jake Bergevin, Paul Harshman, Brian Lawrence, Skyler Floe, and Hannah Mowry.

CWU Jazz Scholarships

Each year CWU awards thousands of dollars in jazz scholarships. Scholarships are competitive and are only available by audition. Students interested in a jazz scholarship can apply by completing the CWU Jazz Scholarship Audition Form.

Jazz Bands

Jazz Band I

Jazz Band I is the premier instrumental jazz ensemble at CWU. This group performs under the direction of Dr. Keith Karns. Jazz Band I is regularly invited to perform at high profile off campus events such as jazz clubs, festivals, WMEA and NAfME conferences, and Jazz Education Network (JEN) conferences. It has performed with a wide range of guest artists including Terrell Stafford, Akiko Tsuruga, John Clayton, Ingrid Jensen, Rich Perry, and many others.

Jazz Band I meets three times each week. Weekly sectionals are required. It performs twice each term on campus, in addition to off campus performances. Members of Jazz Band I are expected to demonstrate excellent quality of character, professionalism, sight reading, improvisation, and jazz style.

Jazz Band II

Jazz Band II also performs under the direction of Dr. Keith Karns. This ensemble serves as a laboratory where students develop fundamental jazz skills, including knowledge of jazz styles, sight-reading, and improvisation. The group focuses on straight-ahead repertoire by jazz artists such as Count Basie, Thad Jones, Mary Lou Williams, and others.

Jazz Band II meets three times per week. Weekly sectionals are required. The ensemble performs twice each term on campus.

Jazz Band III

Jazz Band III performs under the direction of Dr. Aaron Burr. This ensemble introduces students to big band jazz and provides a space to build foundational jazz skills. The group performs straight-ahead jazz by artists such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, and others.

Jazz Band III meets three times per week. Weekly sectionals are required. The ensemble performs twice each term on campus.

Vocal Jazz Ensembles

Vocal Jazz I

Vocal Jazz I is the premiere vocal jazz ensemble at CWU and has been acknowledged as one of the finest collegiate jazz vocal ensembles in the country with invitations to perform at IAJE, ACDA, and MENC national conventions. Vocal Jazz 1 consists of upper level students selected for their technical skills, musicality, stylistic diversity, jazz sophistication, and performance abilities. Repertoire is often composed/arranged specifically for this group and they have premiered numerous works which have become part of the standard repertoire for vocal jazz ensembles nationwide. Special emphasis is placed on solos, improvisation, instrumental concepts, arranging, and ensemble precision. Vocal Jazz 1 has recently been selected performed at the 2013 JEN Conference in Atlanta and will appear at the 2017 ACDA Regional Conference in Portland, OR.

Vocal Jazz II

Vocal Jazz II focuses on building musicianship and repertoire through improvisation, ensemble skills, stylistically authentic performance practices, and jazz concepts. Repertoire focuses on custom arrangements by students, alumni, and other Northwest jazz luminaries. Students often gain experience and skills in Vocal Jazz 2 necessary to compete for spots in Vocal Jazz 1, creating a "feeder program" for the premiere ensemble.

Jazz Combos

CWU Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble

This ensemble is dedicated to music originating from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other parts of the Caribbean. Emphasis is placed on mastering clave, authentic Afro-Cuban percussion performance, and improvisation. Students in the group learn classic Afro-Cuban repertoire by ear, through the study of iconic recordings.

The Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble meets twice per week and performs once each term, in addition to off-campus performances.

Traditional Jazz Combos

Jazz combos focus on small group jazz, learning jazz repertoire, and developing improvisation skills. These groups meet twice per week and perform once each term. High expectations are placed on tune learning, improvisation, jazz harmony, and studying iconic jazz recordings. All music in the combo program is performed from memory.

CWU John Moawad Memorial Jazz Festival

Each spring CWU hosts dozens of high school and middle school jazz ensembles from across the state to participate in the John Moawad Memorial Jazz Festival. Previous guest artists include some of the top names in jazz including John Clayton, Ingrid Jensen, Terrell Stafford, and many others.

CWU Summer Jazz Camp

The CWU Jazz Camp is an excellent experience for high school and junior high students interested in taking their playing to the next level! It is held each July on the CWU campus.

CWU Jazz Ensemble Auditions

CWU Jazz ensembles audition each term. Audition material is published the week prior to ensemble auditions.