Chris Teal and trombonist Nick Finzer founded the Institute for Creative Music in 2016. Join us for summer camps, workshops, and concert performances by our professional ensemble, the IfCM Collective.
The Institute for Creative Music is dedicated to building a fresh model for contemporary jazz education through integrative learning and performance experiences. Since 2011, the IfCM has been collaborating with schools, organizations, and individuals throughout the United States. Given the origins of jazz as Black American Music and its connections to the fight for social justice, our teaching aims to center not just the mechanics of the music, but its history, culture, and capacity to create change. Jazz and improvised music serve as inspiration for justice and equality through communication, collaboration, understanding, and the amplification of Black voices in American culture. IfCM ensembles, workshops, camps, and courses are intergenerational and accessible to students of all backgrounds and abilities. This programming emphasizes strong musical fundamentals, the flexibility of improvisation, the importance of historical and cultural context, an understanding of current technologies, and peer-directed teamwork as the skills necessary to create a musical mark on the world. The IfCM supports students, teachers, and schools by providing scholarships, teaching and learning materials, professional development, and residencies.
New from the IfCM! Learn jazz songs, style, and improvisation with our new web-based video courses
Visit www.ifcmusic.org for more information.