Jazz Composition Competition

Purpose

The goals and objectives of the Jazz Composition Committee are:

To promote jazz as a legitimate artistic and educational endeavor in the American College Band Movement.
To officially recognize jazz ensembles as official ensembles in the national constitution.
To create an environment of diversity, equity, and inclusion through jazz.
To allow more brothers the opportunity to be engaged and included in activities during the Biennium Convention in a performance setting.
To showcase the individual strengths and talents of brothers in a performance setting.
To increase Membership in Kappa Kappa Psi.

Mission/Vision Statement

The Jazz Composition Competition's goal is to debut as a composition competition similar to the solo competition during the 2025 Kappa Kappa Psi/ Tau Beta Sigma Biennium Convention. The winning composition would be performed as part of the Kappa Kappa Psi Jazz Band Concert similar in context to the National Intercollegiate Band Concert performance that is exhibited each Convention biennium.

Sponsorship and Administration

The Jazz Composition Competition is sponsored by the Kappa Kappa Psi Alumni Association and administered by the Jazz Composition Committee (JCC), a subcommittee under the Awards and Activities Committee. The Jazz Committee comprises five Kappa Kappa Psi Alumni Association brothers who are music educators across middle school to collegiate levels. Dr. Anthony Shelton serves as the vice-chair, while Kelton Ashcraft is the Director of Awards & Activities on the Kappa Kappa Psi Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Participants & Performance Opportunity

The Jazz Composition Competition is open to all brothers of Kappa Kappa Psi: Active, Alumni, and Honorary. Participants must not be previously published by a major publishing company in the jazz idiom. The winning composition will be performed as part of the Kappa Kappa Psi Jazz Band Concert coordinated by Dr. William Lake, the Board of Trustees, and Dr. LaToya Webb of Tau Beta Sigma.

Eligibility

Any active, conditional, associate, and alumni member of Kappa Kappa Psi is eligible to compete. Participants must be active, conditional, or associate members at the time of the National Convention. All alumni must be in good standing with Kappa Kappa Psi to participate in this program.
Members who graduate college in the spring or summer directly prior to the convention are eligible to participate in the competition as long as they meet the membership requirements.

For any questions, please contact the Kappa Kappa Psi Alumni Association Awards and Activities Committee at kkpsiaa-awards@kkpsi.org.

Submission Rules and Guidelines

Composers must submit a 4-7 minute, grade 4-6 original composition for the Kappa Kappa Psi Intercollegiate Jazz Band. The style is open to the composer within standard jazz idioms. Copyright guidelines specify that only original compositions are allowed—no arrangements, fake books/real books, copyrighted material, or sampling, including any recognizable motifs (e.g., Jamey Aebersold).

Awards

Awards for the competition will be determined by the Awards and Activities Committee of KKΨAA and approved by KKΨAA. All awards will be coordinated by the Awards and Activities Committee of KKΨAA. The current awards for the winner are:

$500 cash prize
A Life Membership for Kappa Kappa Psi (the winner has the option to gift the Life Membership if they are already a Life Member)

Winner’s Performance

In addition to the awards mentioned above, the winner of the competition will be expected to attend the 2025 Kappa Kappa Psi Intercollegiate Jazz Band rehearsals to work on the piece with the ensemble. The performance will take place during the 2025 National Convention in Lexington, Kentucky.

Applicant Responsibilities

Maintain proper standing with the Fraternity.
Upload your submission in PDF/midi, PDF/wav, and/or PDF/aiff formats.
The winner will be expected to attend the National Convention at their own expense.

Judging

Judge Selection and Responsibilities
- All submissions will be judged by a diverse panel of music professionals in the preliminary round to determine who will be invited to compete as a finalist at the next National Convention.
- All judges (for both the preliminary and final rounds) will be selected by the Awards and Activities Committee of KKΨAA and/or its designee.
- Judging activities will be coordinated by the Awards and Activities Committee of KKΨAA and/or its designee.

Preliminary Evaluation Process

Finals Evaluation Process