American Jazz is a reflection of America's history. As American culture evolves, people from all over the world come here, carrying with them their musical traditions, styles, instruments, and the cultural and spiritual expression within their music. <br><br>One of our main goals is to nurture these young musicians ability to express themselves through music, incorporating their ethnic and cultural traditions within the creative framework of American Jazz. While instilling a high level of proficiency within the existing American Jazz idiom, our emphasis on self-expression and experimentation fuels innovation and originality in instrumental performance, composition, and improvisation. This process is the essence of American Jazz.<br><br>FIU Jazz ensembles perform on-campus concerts and events, as well as jazz festivals and clubs. Guest artists such as Adam Nussbaum, Ingrid Jensen, Jim Snidero, Paquito DRivera, Johnathan Blake, Marco Marcinco, John Fedchock, Randy Brecker, and others are often featured in concerts as well as workshops and clinics.