Composing for Jazz Orchestra
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this course on composition and arrangement for large jazz ensemble, tracing the form from 1920s big band foundations through current postmodern practice. Materials cover the interaction between improvisation and written composition, with study of works by Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Golson, Charles Mingus, and Bob Brookmeyer, among others. Students write their own arrangements and compositions, which get open rehearsals, workshops, and performances by the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble and the Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, giving the coursework a direct path from page to live sound. The course includes syllabus materials and assignments as published by MIT OpenCourseWare, free to access, with no certificate offered. It suits students who already read music and want practical experience writing for a full jazz orchestra rather than a general listening survey.