Education                                                             

I first started teaching while was in Woody Herman's band in the late 70s. We did a number of clinics and Jazz camps where the musicians in the band would conduct small group master classes, discussing different approaches of improvising within small combos, and also playing in the big band setting.

From 1983 to 1991, I served on the adjunct faculty and William Patterson College, and at New York University, teaching one to one, as well as working with ensembles. During that period, I also taught at the New School Jazz Program. I've also served as a guest clinician at the Jullliard School of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, the New England Conservatory of Music, the Eastman School of Music, the University of Miami, the University of North Texas, the Stanford Jazz Workshop, as well as residences in Beldgon, France, and at Tokyo Unversity.

In 2001, I was awarded the Gary Burton Chair at the Berklee College of Music. Today, I'm at Berklee at least one day a week, working with students and ensembles, giving lectures and organizing an annual concert showcasing the music I've prepared with my students.

After several years at Berklee, I created an educational DVD for the Berklee Press:
Jazz Improvisation: A Personal Approach with Joe Lovano

From teaching, I've learned how to communicate my ideas verbally so I can explain how I learned to play. I've also learned how to discuss things that are important about developing a sound, a repetoire, and trying to develop an approach to improvising from your personal history. By that, I mean everything you've studied, everything you've practiced, and how you put that together on your instrument.

I enjoy teaching very much because I get so much from my students, on so many different levels. It feels good to know that by being honest and giving them so much of myself, that they will search inside themselves for the answers they seek. Teaching isn’t just about technical things, it’s about empowering students to discover the mystical, spiritual aspets of their development as musicians and artists.