What is jazz? Where did it come from? How did it develop? How can we develop and increase our enjoyment and appreciation of this exhilarating, yet sometimes seemingly intimidating art form? Presented by one of the most highly respected jazz double bass players in the country, this course will look at the origins of jazz music, provide strategies for listening to it, and survey the main styles of the genre in a way that is accessible both to those keen to ‘get into’ the music, and those who already enjoy listening to it. Illustrated with classic recordings and ‘live’ demonstrations by the tutor, this course will take a journey through the melody, harmony, syncopation, improvisation, and emotion of this globally significant musical style. This course could be the start of a lifelong love of jazz.
Discovering Jazz
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings which take place in Oxford.
Overview
Programme details
Courses starts: 24 Feb 2026
Week 1: The origins: New Orleans and the Birth of Jazz
Week 2: How Jazz works: exploring how we can listen to, understand, and enjoy the music.
Week 3: From Dixieland to Swing
Week 4: From Be-Bop to Hard Bop
Week 5: Free, Fusion, and Contemporary Jazz
Recommended reading
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
Preparatory reading
- Jazz Modernism: From Ellington and Armstrong to Matisse and Joyce / Appel, A
- Jazz: An Introduction to the History and Legends Behind America’s Music / Blumenthal, Bob
- Miles. The Autobiography / Davis, Miles with Troupe, Quincy
- Bird Lives! The High Life and Hard Times of Charlie (Yardbird) Parker / Russell, Ross
- A New History of Jazz / Shipton, Alyn
- Jazz: A History of America’s Music / Ward, Geoffrey C. and Burns, Ken
Certification
Digital badge
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be issued with an official digital badge from the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download your digital badge. You will be able to add your badge to your email signature and share it on social media if you choose to do so. In order to be issued with your badge, you will need to have attended at least 80% of the course.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee | £180.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Tutor
Dr Steve Kershaw
Jazz double-bassist Steve Kershaw, “one of the country's best bass players, with a style both hugely propulsive and sensitively melodic” (Jazz Views), is an Honors Graduate of Musicians Institute in Hollywood, USA, and has taught Oxford classes since 1998.
Course aims
To introduce the students to Jazz music, its history, and principal styles.
Course objectives:
- To introduce the students to the origins and development of Jazz music.
- To facilitate an understanding of how Jazz music works, and how the listeners might enhance their knowledge and enjoyment of the ways in which it is performed.
Teaching methods
Sessions will combine seminar-style lectures and presentations from the tutor, guided listening of recorded and ‘live’ musical examples, handouts of specific informative material where relevant, alongside class and group discussions of the music in a relaxed but focussed manner. Participation and interaction in the discussions will be encouraged, but no specific level of musical knowledge or ability will be assumed or required.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to be able to have gained the following skills:
- To foster an understanding of the development of Jazz as a musical genre.
- To be able to identify and describe key styles within the Jazz genre (e.g. Swing, Be-Bop, Fusion).
- To develop a feel for the ways in which Jazz musicians use the structures of the music in their improvisations.
- To be hip!
Assessment methods
This course is non-accredited, so there are no assessments.
Application
Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment form for short courses | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education
Level and demands
The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at first year undergraduate level.