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Jazz Piano Certificate (Undergraduate)

Jazz Piano Undergraduate certificate

Advance your piano skills with the Jazz Piano Undergraduate certificate in Temple’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. Whether or not you are a music major, this 12-credit certificate will provide you with foundational knowledge of jazz piano and the experience performing as part of a group of jazz musicians.

Throughout the certificate program, you’ll gain essential knowledge in both practice and theory. Introductory coursework will give you a foundation in the major written and aural concepts in music theory. Through several private lessons, you’ll sharpen your technical skills. Other courses will teach you to improvise and play in a small ensemble.

If you are interested in the Jazz Piano Undergraduate certificate, you must be in good standing and have completed at least 15 credits at Temple University by the initial requested semester of certificate coursework.

A student playing piano during a Boyer College of Music and Dance performance.

Classes & Curriculum

In this 12-credit-hour program, your classes include

  • Jazz Improvisation: Theory and Practice I;
  • Private Piano for Non-Music Majors;
  • Small Jazz Ensemble; and
  • Topics in Music Theory.

Learn more about Jazz Piano Undergraduate certificate courses.

Tuition & Fees

The tuition for this Certificate Program is based on school or college of your major, program degree level (undergraduate or graduate), course load (full- or part-time), in-state or out-of-state residency, and more. You can view the full Cost of Attendance breakdown on the Student Financial Services website. You can also view the 2025–2026 tuition rates.

Ensembles

Jazz Ensembles

Boyer boasts a number of jazz ensembles that range in level and style. You also have the opportunity during the first two weeks of the semester to enroll in small jazz ensembles, coached by Jazz Studies faculty members.

  • Temple University Jazz Band is Boyer’s premier jazz band. It performs on Temple’s Main Campus and throughout the Greater Philadelphia region, and it hosts the annual Essentially Ellington Eastern Regional High School Jazz Band Festival.
  • Temple University Lab Band has served as the opening act for the Temple University Jazz Band’s Kimmel Center performances and as the headliner for the annual Big Band Dance swing dance held each spring in The Underground at the Howard Gittis Student Center. The band has also performed at the Temple Performing Arts Center and in Tomlinson Theater.
  • Jazz Band Number Three provides an environment in which students can improve application and knowledge of ballad concepts, ensemble and section blend, expansion of dynamic range and rhythmic interpretation. The repertoire covers a wide chronological range, from the Count Basie and Duke Ellington catalogs to contemporary arrangements and compositions.
Our Academic Advisors

The Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts has a centralized advising office with five staff members. This advising team serves all undergraduate students in the Boyer College of Music and Dance and the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts.

Advisors help students navigate the undergraduate curriculum for each degree program. The academic advising team for music, dance, theater, and film and media arts majors is located in Mitten Hall, Suite 200 West.

To schedule an advising appointment based on your individual needs or for more help, contact the advising team.
Phone: 215-204-2227

Schedule an advising appointment.

Program Contact

Contact the following faculty for more information about the Undergraduate certificate in Jazz Piano.

Terell Stafford is the director of Jazz Studies.
Phone: 215-204-8036
Email:

Accreditation

The Boyer College of Music and Dance is accredited by the

Additional Program Information