Stanford Jazz Workshop Summer Programs

Stanford Jazz Workshop Summer Programs focus on jazz styles, improvisation, ensemble playing, and small ensemble rehearsals. Participants take daily classes, join evening jam sessions, and can perform in small combos and additional ensemble work. The programs include nightly concerts and nightly performances at the Stanford Jazz Festival, where students can study with acclaimed artists, learn directly from renowned jazz artists and educators, and perform alongside top young musicians in master classes and world-class performances.

• Ages: 12–18 years old
• Schedule: One-week and two-week summer programs, including 13-day Giant Steps and Jazz Camp two-week options with no instruction on one Saturday

Stanford Jazz Workshop was founded in 1972 and has brought together leading jazz performers and educators with students for more than five decades. It is a nonprofit organization dedicated to jazz education and appreciation, with a mission of nurturing a love of jazz through education, performance, and community, and bringing world-renowned jazz artists together with students of all ages to share the art of improvisation in an inspiring and welcoming environment. The faculty includes world-class artists, and past faculty have included Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner, Ray Brown, Jimmy Cobb, Slide Hampton, Mulgrew Miller, Branford Marsalis, Sheila Jordan, and Geri Allen. Each summer, the same artists who teach in the programs perform at the Stanford Jazz Festival, and year-round programs include Giant Steps and Miles Ahead big bands and master classes with visiting jazz masters. Special events like Jazz Girls Day celebrate inclusivity and create new pathways into the jazz community. San Francisco Magazine has stated, “The Stanford Jazz Workshop’s summer festival ranks among the best.”

Last updated June 13, 2026.