A new educational situation. - Perspectives on jazz musical learning in the Swedish jazz journal OrkesterJournalen 1980–2010

Abstract

ABSTRACT - This article aims to mirror a time of radical change in Swedish jazz education through perspectives formulated in the jazz journal OrkesterJournalen. During the 1980s, jazz musicians are still typically viewed as self-taught; you learn how to play jazz through listening and through playing together in contexts where fellow musicians function as informal “teachers”. The growing formal jazz education is viewed with some scepticism. The music’s emotional values are emphasized rather than the intellectual ones, and warnings are issued regarding homogenization and “broiler mentality”. During the 1990s, self-regulated, curiosity-driven jazz learning is still in focus. However, there are now also new opportunities to profit from a long formal jazz education as well as an increasing amount of experiences that enable comparisons between Swedish and American jazz education. Based on such experiences, a richer discussion can be conducted about, among other things, the consequences of formal jazz education with regard to tradition and individuality. During the first decade of the new millennium, a Swedish jazz educational profile is appearing more clearly, focusing on the role of personal expression in jazz education, as well as on the role of jazz education for personal development. Key words: jazz education, formal, informal, OrkesterJournalen