Education
There are about 70 music schools in Slovenia today, 54 of them public. The network of primary music schools (almost 50 of them) is well dispersed across Slovenia and access to musical education for children is thus rather good.
PRIMARY SCHOOL MUSIC
Featuring public and private music schools, conservatories and Slovenian music schools from abroad.
SECONDARY MUSIC EDUCATION
It should be mentioned that these schools are fairly traditional and contemporary music, jazz included, doesn’t figure too strongly in the curriculum. Even though it has a jazz department, the same holds for The Academy of Music (the only tertiary education institution in Slovenia).
SECONDARY MUSIC EDUCATION
On a final note, most (almost all) Slovene musicians have gotten their tertiary education abroad. In previous decades, the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz was the institution of choice, but this has changed in the last decade or two and USA (New York) and the Netherlands (Rotterdam) seem to be the most productive and prominent.
Given the lack of formal jazz education in Slovenia, it also makes sense to mention an important role of musicians-as-mentors and facilitators. Some of them play quite an important role in young jazz musician’s musical formations and later choices. Some – like Zlatko Kaučič with his Kombo project - do that fairly systematically, and there are also others who do that via their NGOs, festivals, workshops, etc. Also, worth noting is that in Slovenia the most viable path taken to support artistic work is that of combining it with pedagogic activities.
JAZZ WORKSHOP/MASTERCLASS
A week-long series of workshops, masterclasses and concerts that takes place every August in the town of Novo mesto. Over the years, it has become one of the main international musical events in the Dolenjska region, bringing many major names from the jazz and near-jazz worlds to mentor and perform.
JAZZ WORKSHOP/MASTERCLASS
More known as a series of workshops and masterclasses (with an international host of mentors) than a music festival, the clinic also runs an evening concerts programme.
RESEARCH
Has a Department of Musicology. The Department of Sociology also does music research.