Jazz with Foundation Year

UCAS code: W37F

Here's what Leeds Conservatoire says about its Jazz with Foundation Year course.

This course follows the same specifications as our three-year BA (Hons) Jazz degree, but the extra Foundation Year will allow you to gain the essential musical and theoretical skills you'll need to study jazz music at university level.

Our BA (Hons) Jazz degree is a bold and performance-led course designed for passionate jazz musicians ready to explore, innovate, and lead. Whether you’re a vocalist or instrumentalist, this degree equips you with the tools to thrive – from technical mastery and improvisation to production, entrepreneurship and global collaboration.

From the start, you’ll be immersed in ensemble performance, jazz theory, and transcription work, building a deep understanding of jazz vocabulary and its cultural roots. Through workshops, recitals, and intensive one-to-one tuition, you’ll develop your own artistic identity while gaining the practical skills needed for a dynamic music career.

You’ll explore the global sounds and cultural influences that have shaped and continue to shape jazz music. From West African polyrhythms to Latin grooves and Arabic melodies, our Global Jazz Traditions modules bring fresh perspective to your playing and composition.

At the same time, you’ll learn how to thrive in today’s music industry. With guidance in entrepreneurship, music business, production and digital media, you’ll graduate with a robust portfolio and the confidence to manage your own projects, collaborations and career.

Cross-arts work and innovative performance projects push you to think beyond the stage and connect with wider creative communities. By final year, you’ll be recording, producing, and sharing work that’s ready for audiences and industry professionals alike.

The Foundation Year modules offer a rich foundation in jazz performance, theory, history and composition. You’ll develop core musicianship skills through a blend of practical and academic modules, including harmonic, melodic and rhythmic principles.

By studying jazz history and key repertoire, you’ll explore the cultural and theoretical evolution of the genre and apply this knowledge in creative and performance-based contexts. Composition and ensemble work are supported through workshops, analysis, and reflection.

Performance modules focus on developing technical proficiency, improvisation, stylistic fluency and stagecraft. Working closely with specialist tutors, you’ll enhance your instrumental or vocal skills and build effective practice routines. You’ll also gain the creative, analytical and technical skills through collaborative and individual work.

On completion of the Foundation Year you'll continue to Year 1 of the BA (Hons) Jazz degree.

More information: https://bit.ly/LC-JazzFY-UCAS

Foundation Year History and Repertoire Introduction to Jazz Performance Introduction to Jazz Performance 2 JAT (Jazz Aural and Theory): Essential Principles JAT (Jazz Aural and Theory): Structural Analysis Musicology and Composition Year 1 Jazz Language 1 Jazz Language 2 Jazz Performance 1 Jazz Performance 2 History of Jazz and African Music History of Jazz & Central/South American Music Year 2 Jazz Language 3 Jazz Language 4 Jazz Performance 3 Jazz Performance 4 History of Jazz & South Asian Music History of Jazz & Arabic/Eastern European Music Year 3 Jazz Innovations 1 Jazz Innovations 2 Jazz Performance 5 Jazz Production & Recording: Audio Jazz Production & Recording: Visual

The course is assessed in a variety of ways to reflect the diversity of creative and professional practice. Assessment methods include recitals, coursework, musical portfolios, recordings, technical tests, presentations and written work.