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This paper recounts the history of jazz music in the United States and its passage from despised, marginal entertainment to the solid respect conferred by academe. The author asserts that such respect has little to do with music and a great deal to do with class, race, jobs, and money. The first extracurricular college jazz band at North Texas State College in 1947 has since moved to tenured chairs in music departments. The author and other researchers caution that the very vibrancy of jazz may be swaddled inside the velvet cage of academic music which may threaten its very existence. (EH)

Using data taken from the National Endowment for the Arts' Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA) which were conducted in 1982 and 1992, this report looks at the effect of age on adult arts participation in seven benchmark or core art forms: classical music, opera, ballet, musicals, jazz, plays, and art museums. The report examines the participation of different cohorts between 1982 and 1992, with a special look at the baby boomer generation. Analysis results indicate that baby boomers and their successors, Generation X, tend to participate in most of the seven core art forms at lower rates than their elders. It is suggested that many baby boomers are participating in the core art forms, and especially music, through popular culture or in other ways that are not accounted for in these data. On that assumption, it is no accident that their rates of participation are highest in jazz - the art form closest to popular music - and in art museums, with which popular music competes least. It is recommended that the nature and location of that "other" participation be determined and that art organizations develop strategies to lure non-participants away from their present activities to those (traditional core art forms) that might be considered more enriching for adults. (MM)

Based on 1982 and 1992 surveys sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, this report examines participation in seven core art forms by baby boomers, individuals born between 1946 and 1965. Art forms investigated were: classical music concerts; jazz concerts; operas; musicals; ballet performances; theatre; and museums. Findings indicate that baby boomers participate in the seven core areas less than their elders. Suggestions for increasing participation include charging a blanket admission for access to several simultaneous performances, and presenting program cross-overs from fields of popular music and dance. Addressing the tastes of the broader audience would increase debate about the nature and quality of the art participatory experience. This implies a need for a reconceptualization of the arts to increase participation of baby boomers, the largest segment of the population, if the fine arts are to survive. (NP)

The changing age composition of audiences gives an indication of the demand for art forms now and in years to come. This survey report seeks to determine the make-up of audience participants by age and preference of art form. Demographic variables considered include: education; income; gender; race; urban place of residence; marital status; and presence of children under 12 in the home. Influences of aging, cohort, and period relationships are also distinguished. The seven demographic control variables clearly change most of the relationships examined. These findings are described and discussed in the first seven chapters of the report. The final chapter turns the focus from arts participation to tastes for art music and indicates a tendency toward omnivorous appreciation for art music and popular music among all groups. This suggests that a broader aesthetic experience encompassing both high brow and low brow forms might be advantageous. Tables showing data are included. Contains 14 references. (NP)

Data gleaned from the 1982, 1985, and 1992 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPAs) were used in this analysis of participation in the arts via television, radio, and sound recordings. The arts examined were jazz, classical music, opera, musicals and operettas, plays, dance, and the visual arts. Selected findings are as follows: (1) Arts participation increases with age. (2) An aging population will increase arts participation. (3) Arts participation increases with education. (4) Arts participation rises with income. (5) Income plays a lesser role in participation via the broadcast media than that of live performance participation. (6) Urban residents are more likely to participate in the arts than are rural residents. (7) Urban residence is not as important a determinant of participation via the broadcast media and recordings as it is for live performance participation. (8) Men are less likely to participate in the arts than are women. (9) Whites are more likely to participate in the arts than are other racial groups. Policy implications supported by the findings include: (1) some television channels can be dedicated to arts programming; (2) arts organizations may explore greater use of videotapes and music videos for the cultures; and (3) educators can further enhance exposure to the arts at all levels. Tables and appendices are provided. (MM)

This research report examines the data collected in The Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA) for 1992, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. The study also provides a context for interpreting the data with a comparison to a similar survey of 1982. Jazz was defined as the respondents saw fit. Findings of the survey include: (1) participation in jazz is correlated strongly with education and income; (2) participation rates are consistently higher for men than for women and for African-Americans than for white Americans; (3) in all other benchmarks arts activities, participation rates are higher for women than for men and for whites than for blacks; (4) although jazz retains a multi-racial audience, it enjoys particular support from the black community; (5) the audience for jazz and classical music overlap to a considerable extent; and (6) those who attend jazz performances are more likely than the population as a whole to participate in a wide range of leisure activities, such as movies, exercise, sports, or charity work. Tables and figures presenting the data accompany the paper. (EH)

Using a Title VI Grant from the U.S. Department of Education, one faculty member at Valencia Community College (VCC) developed international or intercultural modules for existing courses to explore both Western and non-Western contributions to the humanities. During the first year of grant implementation, a module on Jewish and Islamic contributions to medieval European society and culture was developed for inclusion in a Late Roman-Medieval Humanities course. In the second year of the grant, two intercultural modules were designed for inclusion in an Introduction to Humanities course: "Afro-American Contributions to Literature" and "Native and Afro-American Contributions to Art, Architecture, and Music." These modules included comparisons of Greek tragic heroines to contemporary members of civil disobedience movements; a discussion of the work of Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston; slide presentations of Meso-American pyramids and Native American handicrafts, and musical presentations of jazz. (JMC)

Many classical pianists want to develop jazz piano skills because they have acquired: (1) an awareness of the importance of jazz as an art form; (2) an attraction to the sophistication and complexity of jazz music; (3) an interest in exploring contemporary music styles; and (4) a desire to become involved with a type of music which is viewed as enjoyable. This study addresses the need for a short course in basic jazz piano skills oriented toward the special interests, skills, and attitudes of adult pianists and attempts to determine if a mastery learning theory approach can be applied as the basis of instruction. A course designed on this principle has specific objectives and is organized into small, sequential units in which student mastery is carefully monitored. Based on a review of mastery learning theory, a five session, 15 hour course was designed, developed, and taught to two groups of four adult students. An evaluation of student achievement was conducted during 1985 and 1986. Results indicated that: (1) all students reached the mastery level of achievement on the posttest; (2) 75% of the students reached the predetermined mastery level of performance concerning seventh chords; (3) 88% of the students achieved mastery level in improvisation; and (4) all students acquired more positive attitudes toward their own improvisational ability. Tables and figures are included. (JHP)

This publication reports the findings of research carried out in recognition of the need for an in-depth analysis of the U.S. jazz music audience in order to identify and assess ways to shape the future of jazz as part of the "Survey of Public Participation in The Arts" conducted in 1982. The research problem was to learn the size, characteristics, and boundaries of the jazz music public. Following an executive summary of the study and an introduction, the report is presented in nine chapters: (1) "Size of the Jazz Music Audience"; (2) "Audience Characteristics"; (3) "Performers of Jazz Music"; (4) "Performance Locations"; (5) "Residence Locations of the Audience"; (6) "Audience Crossover"; (7) "Demand and Barriers To Increased Attendance"; (8) "Number of Persons Who Like Jazz Music"; and (9) "Characteristics of Persons Who Like Jazz Music." Included are 19 tables related to the discussion. (KWL)