Jazz Composition

Jazz Composition

Course #: MUSI 3343, Section 1 (3 credits)
Semester: Spring 2026
Instructor: Earl MacDonald, Professor of Music & Director of Jazz Studies
Class meeting time: Thursdays, 4 – 6 PM
Classroom: MUSB 109
Earl MacDonald’s Office: MUSB 207
Office Hours: Wednesdays at 10 a.m., and by appointment

This course is an immersive exploration of jazz composition as a living, creative practice. Students will engage with the core musical elements—form, melody, harmony, rhythm, and orchestration—and learn how composers shape these materials to create compelling works for small-group improvisational settings. Equal emphasis is placed on craft, imagination, and the practical realities of writing music that is meant to be played by real musicians.

Rather than treating composition as a purely academic exercise, this course encourages students to think like working jazz composers: listening deeply, borrowing intelligently from tradition, experimenting boldly, revising thoughtfully, and learning through rehearsal and performance. The goal is not imitation for its own sake, but the development of a personal compositional voice that is informed by the lineage of the music.

Prerequisites & Preparation

Prerequisite: MUSI 1601, Introduction to Jazz Improvisation
Recommended Preparation: MUSI 1314, Harmony II

Required Text

Jazz Composition: Theory & Practice
Ted Pease, Berklee Press
ISBN: 978-87639-001-6

Instructional Format

The course meets weekly for two hours during the spring semester. Class time will include listening, score study, analysis, discussion, short compositional exercises, and guided workshops of student work.

Course Content

Study units include melodic construction, motivic development, harmonic motion, blues and song form, rhythmic organization, and metric modulation. These concepts will be examined through historical examples and applied directly to original student compositions. A detailed 14-week schedule with assignments will be provided.

Listening & Analysis

Listening is a central component of this course. Each week, students will engage with landmark recordings by influential jazz composers, chosen to illustrate a wide range of approaches to form, harmony, orchestration, and rhythmic conception.

Students will listen to one jazz album per week, ideally by an artist with which they are not already deeply familiar. For each album, students will write brief observations for each track, addressing elements such as form, harmonic rhythm, melodic devices, orchestration, motivic development, and the role of the rhythm section. Most importantly, students will catalog ideas they might adapt, transform, or expand upon in their own compositions.

Composers represented in the listening assignments include (but are not limited to): Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Tadd Dameron, Benny Golson, Horace Silver, Gerry Mulligan, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Carla Bley, Bob Brookmeyer, Muhal Richard Abrams, Kenny Wheeler, Fred Hersch, and Maria Schneider.

Performance & Realization

Because jazz composition ultimately lives through performance, selected student works will be rehearsed and performed during Music Convocation (MUSI 1101). These performances provide an essential opportunity to hear one’s music realized, to evaluate compositional decisions in real time, and to refine one’s craft through feedback and revision. Friday, April 10th is reserved for the public presentation of student jazz compositions during Music Convocation.

Schedule and Assignments:

Week 1 · Thurs., Jan. 22:

Week 2 · Thurs., Jan. 29:

  • Motivic Devices
    • melodic repetition, sequence, motivic transformation, motivic embellishment, motifs based on intervallic patterns, melodies based on guide tones, melodies based on compound lines
  • assignments: p. 22 – 25, 27, 29, 32 – 33
  • listening: Art Blakey – Free for All, Bill Holman – Big Band in Jazz Orbit

Week 3 · Thurs., Feb. 5:

 UConn Jazz Festival – No class

  • listening: Vanguard Jazz Orchestra – Thad Jones Legacy, Herbie Hancock – Maiden Voyage

Week 4 · Thurs., Feb. 12:

  • antecedent and consequent phrases, pitch contour and range, apex, melodic tension
  • assignments: p. 36, 40 & 41, 43, 45
  • listening: Charles Mingus – Mingus Ah Um, Fred Hersch – Forward Motion

Week 5 · Thurs., Feb. 19:

  • Harmonic Considerations
    • tonal harmony, modal harmony
  • assignments: p. 55, 56, 60 – 61, 72 – 75
  • listening: Miles Davis – Kind of Blue, Chick Corea – Three Quartets

Week 6 · Thurs., Feb. 26:

  • modal interchange, chromatic harmony, harmonic rhythm, modulations, ostinato, slash chords, pedal point and constant structures
  • pedal point and pandiatonicism, harmonization, reharmonization
  • assignments: p. 79, 86, 87, 89, 93
  • listening: Clifford Brown – Study in Brown, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra – Up from the Skies

Week 7 · Thurs., March 5:

No class; instructor away.

  • assignments: p. 96, 101 – 103, 107 – 108
  • listening: Kenny Wheeler – Music for Large & Small Ensembles, Miles Davis – Milestones

Week 8 · Thurs., March 12:

  • Blues and Song Form
    • the blues – harmonic form and melodic form
  • assignments: p. 123 – 124
  • listening: John Coltrane – Love Supreme, Carla Bley – Fleur Carnivore

SPRING BREAK: March 15 – 22

Week 9 · Thurs., March 26:

  • “Rhythm Changes”
  • assignments: p. 125
  • listening: Duke Ellington – Far East Suite, Wayne Shorter – Ju Ju

Week 10 · Thurs., April 2:

  • AABA song form
  • assignments: p. 131 – 136
  • listening: Ornette Coleman – Shape of Jazz to Come, McCoy Tyner – The Real McCoy

Week 11 · Thurs., April 9:

  • AABA song form, continued
  • assignments: p. 137, Convo performance – Friday, April 10
  • listening: The Best of Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Chet Baker, Thelonious Monk – At the Five Spot

Week 12 · Thurs., April 16:

  • AABC song form
  • assignments: p. 142
  • listening: Larry Young – Unity, Maria Schneider – Evanescence

Week 13 · Thurs., April 23:

  • Ostinatos, ABCA song form, through-composed tunes
  • assignments: p. 145, 148, 158 – 163
  • listening: Miles Davis – Complete Birth of the Cool, John Coltrane – My Favorite Things

Week 14 · Thurs., April 30:

  • Metric Modulations
  • assignments: p. 183
  • listening: Bob Brookmeyer & Clark Terry – With Mel Lewis Orchestra Live at the Village Vanguard, Eric Dolphy – Out to Lunch

Grading:

  • Listening reports: 28% (14 assignments; each valued at 2% of the total grade)
  • Music preparation & rehearsal engagement for the Music Convocation performance: 12%
  • Text book assignments: 50%*
  • Classroom participation: 10%

*Each of the above-listed text book assignments will be equally weighted and will receive a grade out of 10 points (for example, 8 points = 80%). The cumulative sum will be averaged and apportioned 50% of the total grade.

Late and incomplete assignments will generally not be accepted and will receive a grade of zero. If the student has extenuating circumstances (for example, they are hospitalized) that prevent them from submitting their assignments on time, please notify the instructor. These instances will be evaluated on an individual basis.

A mid-semester progress report will be e-mailed from the instructor. There will be no final exam. The course content and schedule are subject to change at the instructor’s discretion and will be properly communicated to students as changes arise.

Grading Scale:

Grade Letter Grade GPA
93-100 A 4.0
90-92 A- 3.7
87-89 B+ 3.3
83-86 B 3.0
80-82 B- 2.7
77-79 C+ 2.3
73-76 C 2.0
70-72 C- 1.7
67-69 D+ 1.3
63-66 D 1.0
60-62 D- 0.7
<60 F 0.0

It is the responsibility of all students to acquaint themselves, and to adhere to all university policies. Please review the following:

Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment and Related Interpersonal Violence

The University is committed to maintaining a safe and non-discriminatory learning, living, and working environments for all members of the University community – students, employees, or visitors. Academic and professional excellence can flourish only when each member of our community is assured an atmosphere of mutual respect. All members of the University community are responsible for the maintenance of an academic and work environment in which people are free to learn and work without fear of discrimination or discriminatory harassment. In addition, inappropriate amorous relationships can undermine the University’s mission when those in positions of authority abuse or appear to abuse their authority. To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law, the University prohibits discrimination and discriminatory harassment, as well as inappropriate amorous relationships, and such behavior will be met with appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the University. Additionally, to protect the campus community, all responsible employees (including faculty), as outlined in the Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment and Related Interpersonal Violence, are required to report to the Office of Institutional Equity any information that they receive related to sexual assaults, intimate partner violence, and/or stalking involving a student. An exception to this reporting exists if students disclose information as a part of coursework submitted to an instructor in connection with a course assignment. Even in the absence of such obligation, all Employees are encouraged to contact OIE if they become aware of information that suggests a safety risk to the University community or any member thereof. The University takes all reports with the utmost seriousness. Please be aware that while the information you provide will remain private, it will not be confidential and will be shared with university officials who can help. More information, including confidential and exempt employee resources available for support and assistance, can be found at equity.uconn.edu and titleix.uconn.edu.

Statement on Absences from Class Due to Religious Observances and Extra-Curricular Activities

Faculty and instructors are expected to reasonably accommodate individual religious practices unless doing so would result in fundamental alteration of class objectives or undue hardship to the University’s legitimate business purposes. Such accommodations may include rescheduling an exam or giving a make-up exam, allowing a presentation to be made on a different date or assigning the student appropriate make-up work that is intrinsically no more difficult than the original assignment. Faculty and instructors are strongly encouraged to allow students to complete work missed due to participation in extra-curricular activities that enrich their experience, support their scholarly development, and benefit the university community. Examples include participation in scholarly presentations, performing arts, and intercollegiate sports, when the participation is at the request of, or coordinated by, a University official. Students should be encouraged to review the course syllabus at the beginning of the semester for potential conflicts and promptly notify their instructor of any anticipated accommodation needs. Students are responsible for making arrangements in advance to make up missed work.

For conflicts with final examinations, students should contact the Dean of Students Office. Faculty and instructors are also encouraged to respond when the Counseling Program for Intercollegiate Athletes (CPIA) requests student progress reports. This will enable the counselors to give our students appropriate advice.

Students with Disabilities

The University of Connecticut is committed to protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities and assuring that the learning environment is accessible. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers based on disability or pregnancy, please let me know immediately so that we can discuss options. Students who require accommodations should contact the Center for Students with Disabilities, Wilbur Cross Building Room 204, (860) 486-2020 or http://csd.uconn.edu/.

Emergency Management/Preparedness

In case of inclement weather, a natural disaster, or a campus emergency, the University communicates through email and text message. Students are encouraged to sign up for alerts through http://alert.uconn.edu. Students should be aware of emergency procedures, and further information is available through the Office of Emergency Management at http://publicsafety.uconn.edu/emergency/.

Some useful telephone numbers:

Comments are closed.