Joris Teepe

A unique Jazz Program: New York comes to Groningen
In the authentic city of Groningen, the Prince Claus Conservatoire offers a unique approach to Jazz Education:

Chairman of the Jazz Department: Joris Teepe (bass). Faculty: Don Braden, Mark Gross (sax), Ralph Peterson (drums), Alex Sipiagin (trumpet), Dena DeRose (vocals), David Berkman (piano) and Freddie Bryant (guitar).

These 8 New York based teachers each stay for one week in Groningen according to a rotation schedule. This way one of them is always there and they all keep coming back every 8 weeks. So every Monday one of them is arriving from New York, taking over the rotation and leaving again on Friday. Each instructor, in his weekly residency, shares his professional experiences directly with the students, in theory class, history, ear training ensembles, big band and masterclasses. Therefore each student (regardless of what instrument he or she plays) receives training from each teacher!

These 8 musicians are working together with the regular teaching staff. Students receive some courses from the regular teachers, other courses from the New Yorkers and some classes from both. Teacher training is also an important element of the program, since most professional musicians have a teaching practice in addition to their activities as performing musicians. Traineeships form a substantial part of the teacher-training course. Finally, business aspects of the professional practice are also included in the Jazz Program. All these different aspects combine the Jazz Program into an excellent preparation for life as a jazz musician.

Music styles
The Prince Claus Conservatoire chose to use the term 'jazz', but naturally other contemporary music styles are also taught in the jazz department, such as fusion, soul, avant-garde and latin. We also use the expertise of the classical department.

Strong focus on playing
The performance experience that Joris Teepe and his colleagues have gained working as professional jazz musicians, has directly influenced their way of teaching, which is more practical and performance oriented than in any other conservatory. This means that students and teachers are continuously working with their instrument; students perform daily, they need their instruments in theory classes, they are recording in the studio and are learning to compose and arrange for their own groups.

Auditions for the undergraduate program 2007-2008 are held both in New York and in Groningen.

Our government sponsored yearly tuition fee to this 4 year undergraduate degree program is partly refundable to EU students and only about 1500 Euro's for all others.

Dena DeRose

Don Braden

Mark Gross

Ralph Peterson

David Berkman

Alex Sipiagin

Freddie Bryant