Stanford Jazz Workshop

If you want to listen to world-​class jazz and hear experts talk about it, this is a great place. If you want to play jazz with other people to learn and share in an open and welcoming environment, this is a very poor choice, and a major disappointment. If listening to jazz and talking about it makes you better, i should be great, but I’m not, and this is not an effective way to learn, nor does it include the true enjoyment of music for me, which is about playing and sharing with others. I especially warn anyone who is over the age of 30 and not a music professional. The program is not designed for adult learning; it is designed around the big university model: tops-​down, one-​way, big lectures, «star”-centric rather than student-​centric, unhelpful staff (my favorite line from the prep material sent out before the session says «day one is very busy so don’t ask us any questions» — it really says that), poorly prepared instructors who can play wonderfully but have often not thought through what they are teaching. It’s all about The Faculty and you are definitely not in this club. The «open» jam sessions are strictly for professionals only, and with 90% of participants appearing to be teenagers there is a rather caustic, judgmental, «show me your chops» atmosphere that is amplified by the overall design of exclusion and the attitude of the staff. I really felt like a fool for being there, and when I contacted the staff (I had to send an email to
— not a very personal touch to any of this) to explain my concerns, the response was I obviously misunderstood that this week was all about being self directed. I didn’t have any problem with figuring out the options, I just didn’t like them when I experienced them. I want to give special recognition to Victor Lin who actually appeared to be trying to create a great experience for students (his class was the one thing I enjoyed and found valuable). Victor had the courage to stand up in a full auditorium and say the model of «excluding the students is bulls**t». I admire him and wish I could have spent more time with him.
If you are physically disabled in any way, the Workshop folks were sadly unsympathetic or simply unprepared, so I would not recommend this to you. An older gentleman in my dorm could not get his trumpet and himself up the three steps at the entrance. As I helped him he told me he was on the 3^rd floor (no elevator). I told him that could not be right, but he said «they told me it was the best I could get». He was using a motorized wheelchair. The dorm was at least half empty. I went off to find a staff person to get this poor person some help, but I couldn’t find anyone after 45 minutes of wandering around and asking. The poor guy ended up parked on an old sofa on the first floor most of the time, playing his trumpet all by himself. Made me very sad.
I have a number of other stories, but the bottom line is this is designed for gifted teenagers who want to get in the same room with heroes. It is not designed for adults to learn and share musical experiences. Just know that before you pay your $ 1500. Oh, and the $ 1500 does not include music. They collect it at the end of class, even though you are supposed to learn it. I was told I could copy it, but no one seemed to know where the copiers are. I went to the bookstore and bought it. I would have been happy to pay $ 1520 to get the music thrown in. But that’s just me. Sure reminded me of high school. But hey, the faculty rocks.