UMBC Jazz, a part of the UMBC Department of Music, is a dynamic program looking toward the future. Students have numerous performance opportunities as members of our jazz ensemble, four small groups, jazz guitar ensemble, and various student-led projects. Courses include improvisation, theory, arranging, and composition. This integrated curriculum is designed with the goal of producing unique and creative performer-composers. Also, we host our own jazz festival every spring. Recent guests include bassist Ben Allison, bassist Ben Street, pianist Larry Willis, tubist/saxophonist Howard Johnson, and saxophonist George Garzone. In addition to hosting our own festival, our students perform regularly off campus and at other area festivals. Upon graduation, our students leave with a rich portfolio of performances, analyses, compositions, and arrangements all professionally recorded with our state of the art recording facilities.