Author: Jeffri, Joan

Publication Year:

Media Type: Periodical (article)

Summary:

Abstract:

The National Endowment for the Arts commissioned the Research Center for Arts and Culture to conduct a study of jazz musicians to "enhance the quality of statistical information on artists to aid future discussions on how to further their work." The study  involved a survey of jazz musicians in four major U.S. metropolitan areas, Detroit, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco.

The end product is the report Changing the Beat: A Study of the Worklife of Jazz Musicians, on which this article is based. Its two purposes were to "document how jazz operates and is organized; its resources, support systems, life mechanisms, and challenges in each of the study cities; and to develop a detailed needs assessment from jazz artists themselves, by collecting data to determine their current situation and most pressing needs."

The author, Joan Jeffri, is the director and founder of the Columbia University Teachers College Research Center for the Arts and Culture and is the coordinator of its graduate program in Arts Administration. She comments that the life of a jazz musician is a hand-to-mouth economic existence and "earning a living from jazz is almost impossible." This is due, in part, to limited philanthropic giving to that art form.

Recognizing the importance of jazz and its artists, the NEA study and its jazz study advisory board ﾝchaired by jazz great Billy Taylor ﾝhoped to "address the needs of jazz musicians, how the community works, and how the musicians intersect with the business side of art."

CONTENTS
How to Identify Jazz Musicians.
Creating an Appropriate Study Sample.
American Federation of Musicians (AFM).
Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS).
How Many Jazz Musicians Are There?
Professional Jazz Musicians.
Table 1: Do You Consider Yourself a Professional Jazz Musician.
Table 2: Criteria Artists Selected Most Frequently for Considering Themselves Professional Artists, from Four Surveys.
Income.
Economic Uncertainty.
Conclusion.
Appendix A: Using the Capture-Recapture Method to Estimate the Number of Jazz Musicians.
Appendix B.

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Artists-Resources for