Jazz Studies Students

The Jazz Studies Program is centrally located in the mecca for Jazz: Greenwich Village in New York City. Our students come to NYU from around the globe in order to interact with a world-renowned jazz faculty through private lessons, ensembles, and master classes. In addition, our students have unique access to legendary jazz venues including the Blue Note, Village Vanguard, and Birdland through student performances, faculty performances and/or master classes in those legendary jazz clubs. There are boundless opportunities for inpiration due to our unparalleled surroundings in the world's jazz capital. Read student bios here.

What Our Students Say:
"If you want to develop a true understanding of jazz music you have to live in New York City. NYU has given me every opportunity to succeed as a performer by offering me amazing access to the jazz scene and created innovative ways to interact with the music industry.”

“The Jazz Studies program at NYU was my first choice because of the access I had to study with artists like John Scofield, Chris Potter and Kenny Werner. Dr. Dave Schroeder inspires us to develop our entrepreneurial skills and take charge of our careers as we develop connections and understanding of the music scene in NYC.”

Selected Student Bios

Jackie Coleman
Jazz trumpet player Jackie Coleman, Steinhardt MM '09, was born in Indianapolis, Indiana and participated in a variety of ensembles including 2004 Disney Collegiate All-Star band, the 2005 IAJE Sisters in Jazz, the Bill Watrous Wildlife Refugee Big Band, Anne Patterson's Maiden Voyage, and others. She has performed internationally at festivals including Pori Jazz in Finland, the Molde Jazz Festival in Norway, the Kennedy Center's Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival in D.C., and the Jazz Peru Festival in Lima. Jackie was a finalist in both the National Trumpet Competition and the International Trumpet Guild Competition in 2005.

As a master's candidate at NYU Jazz Studies, Jackie is studying trumpet with Prof. Lori Frink as well as traveling to NYU in Abu Dhabi with the NYU Jazz Orchestra in January '09.
Rob Jacoby
Rob Jacoby, BM Steinhardt '10, is a New York-based musician concentrating in jazz and theater productions. Although mainly a tenor saxophonist, he also plays clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, and the other saxophones, as well as bassoon and oboe. At NYU Jazz, Rob has studied with world-renowned NYU Steinhardt Jazz faculty including Don Friedman, Ralph Lalama, Brian Lynch, Joe Lovano, Billy Drewes, Jim McNeely, Dave Pietro, Rich Shemaria, Lenny Pickett and others, performing at important jazz venues including The Blue Note Jazz Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Bowery Poetry Club, Smalls, and the Kitano Jazz Club. Rob had the opportunity to record for renowned jazz producer Teo Macero for the NYU Jazz Orchestra CD, "The Inner World Band." The recording, released in 07, included legendary musicians such as Lee Konitz, Dave Liebman, Alex Sipiagin, (NYU Steinhardt Jazz faculty member) George Garzone, and others. In spring 08, Rob participated as a study abroad student at NYU Florence, offering him significant performance opportunities across Italy. Rob recorded his first album as a leader in 2007. The album is entitled, "Step Up," recorded on the Garagista Music label, features Grammy-award winning trumpeter and NYU Steinhardt Jazz faculty member Brian Lynch, pianist David Hazeltine, bassist John Ray, and drummer Ron Vincent.
Nicholas Myers
Saxophonist and composer Nicholas Myers, BM Steinhardt '09, from Honolulu, Hawaii, began studying at NYU in 2005. He has studied and performed with NYU Jazz faculty including George Garzone, Ralph Lalama, Ralph Alessi, Brian Lynch, Kenny Werner, Billy Drewes, Jean-Michel Pilc, and Richard Bona.

Nick has performed at variety of jazz venues and festivals around the world including Cornelius St. Café, Blue Note Jazz Club, and The Knitting Factory in New York City, Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Idaho, Saint-Elpidio Jazz Festival in Saint-Elpidio, Italy, Grand Tour Jazz Fest in Terni, Italy, and Jazz Club in Firenze, Italy.

He was recently awarded second prize at the prestigious Massimo Urbani International Jazz Competition in Camerino, Italy. Included in this award was a recording contract with the Italian jazz label "Philology." His CD entitled "Deep Sea Fisherman," will be released in October 2008, followed by a promotional tour across Italy in April 2009. This year, Nick will also be touring with the NYU Jazz Orchestra to Abu Dhabi and with Gabriel Alegria's Afro-Peruvian Ensemble at the Lima International Jazz Festival.
Jonah Parzen-Johnson
Saxophonist Jonah Parzen-Johnson, BM Steinhardt '10, grew up on Chicago's South Side surrounded by rich traditions contributed from sources as varied as the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) and Chicago Blues and Jazz scenes. In Chicago, Jonah learned from such Jazz pillars and rising stars as Mwata Bowden, Matana Roberts, Pat Mallanger, Willie Pickens, Prof. Ronald Carter and Bobby Broom. Moving to New York City to study Jazz at NYU Steinhardt, he has performed in a variety of important jazz venues including The Blue Note Jazz Club, The Jazz Gallery, and Smalls Jazz Club, along with NYU Jazz faculty including Randy Brecker, Lenny Pickett, Joe Lovano, Ralph Alessi, Kenny Werner and Brian Lynch.

Through the NYU Jazz Program, Jonah has traveled to Europe and Canada, and will be traveling to NYU Abu Dhabi to perform with the NYU Jazz Orchestra. Jonah has recently recorded with NYU Steinhardt Jazz faculty members Kenny Werner, Billy Drummond, Dave Schroeder and Brian Lynch, produced for legendary jazz record producer Quincy Jones.

In his words, "NYU has provided me with an environment that is both directive and nurturing. A place where I have been inspired to work towards a better understanding of the Jazz language, and given many opportunities to perform in the greatest clubs in New York city, with some of the greatest musicians in the world."
Tim Newman
Tim Newman exemplifies the experienced professional musician who has returned to academia to study and hone his scholarly skills. He is a bass trombonist, teacher and composer who is currently working on a Ph.D. in composition at New York University, where he also served as the Graduate Assistant in the Jazz Studies Program for two years.

As one of the few jazz bass trombonists on the scene today, Newman has made his mark with his first CD as a leader, Altered Ego, which was released in 1999. He has recorded Jazz Conception, which is a widely used book/CD set of jazz etudes published by Advance Music. In addition, he can be heard on the latest Slide Hammton release Spirit of the Horn, and made numerous recordings with Toshiko Akiyoshi's Jazz Orchestra, with whom he has toured and perfor med as a member for over ten years. He also appears regularly with the Village Vanguard Orchestra.
In other professional playing situations, Newman's versatility has served him well. He has performed as a substitute - often doubling on tuba - in over 25 Broadway musicals, currently appearing in the pits of the Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, and 42nd Street. He has also recorded and toured with top name ethnic bands and with the alternative rock band They Might be Giants.
Newman's music has been described as "a nimble mix of contemporary classical music and jazz," and his compositions and arrangements have been performed at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, and the North Sea and Montreux Jazz Festivals. Along with the late Dr. Tom Boras, Newman co-produced the latest NYU CD of student jazz ensembles and original compositions, and contributed the title track Dancing In Frames.

Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions

Selected Student Bios