Our Mission

This moment in history has seen tremendous change occur in all facets of American life. During this long pause in our nation's usually vibrant cultural scene, people from all artistic perspectives have been focused on strategizing for a brighter future for their art of choice.

The Historically Black Colleges & Universities Jazz Education Initiative (HBCU-JEI) is a coalition of nationally renowned music artists, scholars and educators who serve as the guardians of this rich African American art form. This organization of music educators primarily based on the cam-puses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) is dedicated to the advancement of jazz as a worldwide, cultural and sociologically im-portant music phenomenon. The mission of the HBCU-JEI is to enhance the status of jazz on HBCU campuses and to be a vehicle for those educators to communicate and explore ideas. These enhancements will be accomplished by presenting initiatives designed to expand music curricula that will heighten awareness concerning the global impact and historical importance of jazz.

        The central focus of the HBCU-JEI is directed toward enriching the various HBCU student populations we are dedicated to serve. Introducing Jazz Education Curricula in HBCU Departments of Music to train educators, performing artists, composers, scholars, historians and consumers is a primary focus of the mission. Currently in the United States, there are over 120 non-HBCU institutions of higher learning that offer accredited programs in jazz studies (degree granting) along with an additional 30 or more institutions offering jazz concentrations. There are more than 100 HBCUs and fewer than 10 have degree granting jazz studies programs. The educational, historical, and economic impact of this circumstance is of great concern. In addition to the music education directive, the campus community and the communities in the vicinity of the HBCUs should have a greater awareness of jazz's cultural impact.

        Our ultimate objective is to insure and to demonstrate to our HBCU students their rightful place in the history of jazz and to facilitate the preservation and perpetuation of this musical legacy far into the future. The HBCU-JEI seeks to fulfill this mission.