STUDIO/JAZZ WRITING PROGRAM

Thanks for your interest in Studio/Jazz Writing, a Masters Degree Program offered at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami.  The following is a detailed description of the program and a more detailed bio.
 

The Studio/Jazz Writing Program
 

My philosophy of Studio/Jazz Writing, now in its twenty-fourth year, is to teach the craft of Studio/Jazz Arranging and Composition with class lectures, listening, demonstrations, assignments, and performances and to provide an opportunity for each student to develop a unique artistic persona through an abundance of writing and recording projects.  All projects are played and recorded by our excellent student ensembles.

The two-year curriculum includes the following writing classes:

• Advanced Writing for Big Band (recording projects)

• Jazz Composition

• Advanced Orchestration (recording project for Symphony Orchestra)

• Writing for Small and Large Jazz Vocal Choir (recording project)

• Film Scoring and Jingle Writing (recording projects)

• Music Engraving with Sibelius music software

• Midi Sequencing and Digital Audio with Pro Tools (recording projects)

• In addition, there are extensive opportunities to compose and arrange for small
  jazz ensembles (five to nine members) as well as classical ensembles ranging from
  string quartet to brass choir.

• As a Studio/Jazz Writing (SJW) major your experiences will also include music
  production.  You will gain “hands on” engineering experience recording and
  mixing your own projects in the Jazz Departments' 24 Track Digital Recording
  Studio.  As a SJW major you will also have access to our midi studio, which is
  equipped with Pro Tools, a Digi 002 mixer, a keyboard controller, rack synthesizer
  modules, numerous software synthesizers and Sibelius notation software.

Extended Bio:

I have been an active performer and writer for over twenty-five years.  As a composer and arranger for big band I have written for the Air Force “Airmen of Note,” the Maynard Ferguson Band, the Atlantean Driftwood Band and Arturo Sandoval, for which I was nominated for Grammy in the category of “Best Jazz Arrangement.”  I have also composed and arranged for the University of Miami Concert Jazz Band with guest artists including Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker and Pat Metheny.  I am one of the primary writers and a performing member of the Miami Saxophone Quartet, currently completing our third CD.  In the pop music field my arranging has contributed to over thirty CD’s by internationally known artists including: Michael Bolton, Jose Feliciano, Luis Fonzi, Christina Aguilera, Christian Castro, Gloria Estefan and many others.

My performing and recording experience (saxophones, clarinet, flute and piano) includes work with The Florida Philharmonic, The Naples Philharmonic, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughn, Gloria Estefan, Bobby Caldwell, Barry Gibb, and many more. Other performances in South Florida over the years included numerous Broadway show such as: The King and I, West Side Story, Porgy and Bess, Camelot, Fiddler on the Roof, and more. Jazz artists I have performed with include Jaco Pastorius, Michael and Randy Brecker, Toots
Thielemans, Chuck Mangione, Bob James, Bobby Mintzer, Peter Erskine, and others.

Attaining a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from the University of Rhode Island and a Masters Degree in Jazz Performance from the University of Miami, I studied jazz arranging and composition with Hal Crook and Ron Miller and composition with James F. Mabry.  My university teaching career began in 1979 at the University of Miami where I developed a Studio/Jazz Writing Masters Program (established in 1980) and a Doctoral Program in Jazz Composition (established in 1996).  In January of 2004 I received the Phillip Frost Award for
Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship.