A past, present, and future of Des Moines jazz: an ethnography of the Des Moines Community Jazz Center’s student jam session

In Des Moines, Iowa, The Des Moines Community Jazz Center (CJC) has served as a hub for jazz musicians, educators, and students for over twenty years. Particularly through its monthly student jam sessions, the CJC helps facilitate musical learning and the passing down of cultural values by connecting multiple generations of musicians, volunteers, students, and educators in a community of practice. Though the organization began as an experimental model for jazz education nationwide, the CJC quickly adapted its programming to reflect the needs of its participants and its community by focusing on student participation. Through interviews, archival research, and in-person observation, this research explores how the CJC, and its leaders facilitate cultural learning through student jam sessions which connect beginning and intermediate jazz students with local musicians and educators. By bringing together students and professionals in a semi structured and safe environment, the CJC builds a bridge between generations of musicians and supports local learning processes. At the same time, while the sessions play a role in musical learning, in contrast to other models of jazz education, they do not emphasize quality of musical performance, instead focusing on student growth and individual development, frequently facilitated by ‘non-musicians’ or volunteers who are not invested in producing high performing student, but instead, well rounded individuals.