Education on the move: How art education is evolving 

In 1944, Round’ Midnight was released by Thelonious Monk. When jazz players tried to transcribe his complex playing, and failed miserably, they created versions of the song that would soon form into their own songs. This is the beauty of art, but could the genius of human interpretation be dying?

The introduction of technology, audio recording equipment, and AI, and over time has allowed art to be easily shared with different people, which has encouraged cross-cultural collaboration. But with the use of technology to understand a piece of art, whether it be searching up the meaning of a selection of art, or , art as we know it is changing.

“Technology is now a big part of jazz education. Students can record themselves, share work, access masterclasses and lessons online. This has accelerated learning but also raised expectations,” Juan Alamo, an internationally known musician and professor of Wind, Brass, and Percussion at UNC Chapel Hill, described.

Before being able to record yourself was an easily accessible task, musicians were forced to share music in person, whether in class, at a jam session, or on the street. Now, musicians have gotten famous purely off of their social media presence. 

“With technology, jazz education promotes diversity & inclusion. More students from underrepresented backgrounds are entering jazz; more teachers are aware of various global musical traditions. The repertoire is broader,” Alamo informed.

Technology has allowed the spread of not only art, but culture itself. This cross-pollination of culture allows for more diversity in art historically created by a majority, allowing artists to communicate beyond what words could ever convey.

“There does seem to be more and more international students seeking a degree in jazz - [art education] is not necessary but it can provide a grounding environment that one might not get in the current scene. Plus people tend to make strong connections,” Rez Abbasi, an internationally known jazz guitarist who currently teaches at Manhattan School of Music, acknowledged.

Even with technology as a tool, nothing is as good as learning from the source. Jazz culture in particular has historically been passed down in oral tradition.Yet, with music spreading less and less in person, jazz culture is changing, and some would say it’s fading.

“Real-world experience matters a lot: performing, improvising live, collaborating with peers, and learning by doing is essential. You can’t "learn jazz" only from books,” Alamo added.

Technology is on the rise, there's no doubt about it. And with AI following closely behind, it's easy to understand why many artists are afraid. But it's important to remember that art is not about making money, or getting famous, or anything materialistic. It's about how one resonates with another's work. Art is a language that transcends words, and speaks straight to the soul. This is something that a computer will never be able to recreate.

“I believe art (especially music) is a means of connection, between cultures, between performer and audience,” Alamo concluded.