​Matt Shevitz
 
saxophonist/clarinetist
educator
author
editor

Education

Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, May 2009

 

Master of Music in Jazz Pedagogy

Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, June 2002

 

Bachelor of Science in Music

University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, June 1999

 

 

Work Experience

August 2019- Present

 

College of DuPage, Music Program

​​

Department Co-Chairperson, August 2025 - Present

Department Chairperson, June 2022 - August 2025

Associate Professor, August 2021 - Present

Assistant Professor, August 2019 - August 2021

​

Classes taught:

-DuPage Community Jazz Ensemble

-Jazz/Pop Combos

-Introduction to American Music

-Music Appreciation

-Aural Skills

-Music Theory

-World Music

​

Other duties performed:

• Coordination of the following guest artist performances with the DuPage Community Jazz Ensemble:

  • Ingrid Jensen

  • Melissa Aldana

  • Ignacio Berroa

  • Vincent Herring

  • Ernie Watts

  • Corky Siegel

  • Wycliffe Gordon

  • Brianna Thomas

  • Carl Allen

  • Dee Alexander

  • Fareed Haque

  • Jens Lindemann

  • Inna Faliks

• Development of semester schedules

• Coordination of annual and five-year program reviews

• Assignment of courses to faculty

• Management of the department's budget

• Curriculum development

• Hiring and mentoring of full-time and adjunct faculty

• Serving on committees as needed

• Continual development of the department's goals and objectives

• Making recommendations for student complaints

• Mediating and resolving faculty conflicts

• Co-coordination of projects with faculty and administration to the college's and department's benefit

• Student advising for registration and graduation

• Organizing and conducting department meetings

• Classroom and syllabi evaluations of instructors

• Development of relationships with area high schools and four-year institutions

• Working with area organizations to coordinate various activities to benefit student’s academic and musical experiences

• Acting as a college-wide liaison for questions regarding music courses and programs

• Coordination of promotional materials

​

​

August 2002- July 2019                                 

​

Harold Washington College, Humanities & Music Department   

 

Department Chair, August 2014-June 2017

Music Program Coordinator, August 2003-August 2014

Academic Online Coordinator, January 2015-July 2019

 

Professor, June 2015-July 2019

Associate Professor, August 2010-July 2019

Assistant Professor, August 2006-August 2010

Instructor, August 2003-August 2006

Adjunct Instructor, August 2002-August 2003

 

Classes taught:

-Fundamentals of Music Theory

-Jazz Improvisation I & II

-Jazz/Pop Ensemble

-Aural & Keyboard Skills I-IV

-Music Appreciation

-Jazz History

-Popular Music History

-Private Lessons

-Popular Culture (Humanities)

 

Other duties performed:

-Development of semester schedules

-Assignment of courses to faculty

-Management of the department's budget

-Curriculum development

-Hiring and mentoring of full-time and adjunct faculty

-Serving on committees as needed

-Continual development of the department's goals and objectives

-Coordination of post-tenure evaluation at the department level

-Making recommendations for student complaints

-Mediating and resolving faculty conflicts

-Co-coordination of projects with faculty and administration to the college's and department's benefit

-Student advising for registration and graduation

-Organizing and conducting department meetings

-Classroom and syllabi evaluations of instructors

-Coordination of all private lesson students with their instructors and oversight of jury examinations

-Development of relationships with area high schools and four-year institutions

-Working with area organizations to coordinate various activities to benefit student’s academic and musical experiences

-Acting as a college-wide liaison for questions regarding music courses and programs

-Coordination of promotional materials, including ensemble recordings

                                                             

                                    

March 2012-October 2018

 

The College Music Society, Missoula, MT

 

Member, CMS Fund Board- October 2018-December 2024 Chair, Performance Committee, 2018 CMS National Conference- May 2017- October 2018 March 2012-October 2016- Editor, “CMS Forums”

 

• Served as a member of the board for the CMS Fund, which approves grants and fundraises for the College Music Society

• Assembled the Performance Committee for the College Music Society’s 2018 national conference in Vancouver, BC. Duties included editing the calls for performances and lecture-recitals, reviewing the submissions, and assisting in the overall planning of the conference as a member of the Program Committee as well as representing the Performance Committee.

• Developed the “CMS Forums” component of the College Music Society’s College Music Symposium publication as well as its asynchronous discussion component, “CMS Forums Monthly Discussion.” Duties include recruiting and reviewing submissions as well as creating, maintaining, and working with the component’s editorial board.

​

August 2002-June 2003                

 

New Trier High School, Northbrook, IL- New Trier Jazz Program

 

Instructor

 

Co-directed the freshman jazz ensemble, taught the freshman jazz improvisation class, and assisted with the  planning and execution of the 2003 New Trier Jazz Festival.

 

 

September 2002-August 2003    

 

Self-Employed, Chicago, IL   

 

Freelance Private Instructor

 

Taught private saxophone and clarinet lessons for three public schools located in the suburbs of Chicago.

                

                 

June 2002-July 2002                      

 

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL- National High School Music Institute

 

Fellow

                                                                             

Taught jazz improvisation, coached individual practicing, and helped with administrative tasks for Northwestern University’s high school summer music program.

                 

                   

January 2000-August 2002          

 

John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, Eugene, OR

Festival Jazz Orchestra Manager

Manager, Emerald City Jazz Kings

 

Duties included hiring and contracting musicians, coordinating and distributing music, and scheduling rehearsals. Performances took place throughout the year during the Emerald City Jazz Kings concert seasons and the organization’s annual two-week music festival. In addition, the Emerald City Jazz Kings performed throughout the state for which I also acted as their road manager.

                 

                

January 1999-August 2002        

 

John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, Eugene, OR- American Music Institute

                                                           

Instructor, January 1999-August 2002

Assistant Director, The Jazz Academy, September 2000-August 2001

Program Coordinator, June 1999-August 2001

                                                                     

-Responsible for teaching courses in music theory, jazz improvisation, jazz repertoire, beginning saxophone, jazz ensemble, and Latin/Jazz Fusion ensemble in addition to private lessons.                                                          

-Conducted clinics at area schools on such topics as the life and music of Sidney Bechet, expressing oneself through music, and being a professional musician.

-Contracted faculty, developed curriculum, created a day-to-day schedule, coordinated student performances, scheduled rooms, and recruited for The Jazz Academy, a two-week summer camp.

-Administered finances, contracted faculty, developed curriculum, managed equipment, took care of daily needs, and recruited for an afterschool music program.

 

 

Publications

As an author:

"Using Jazz Vocabulary in Pop Music Contexts." DownBeat Magazine. May 2019.

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"Embracing Your Current Improv Vocabulary." DownBeat Magazine. May 2017.

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“CMS Forums Monthly Discussion- December: December Survey Summary.” College Music Symposium 56 (2016): n. pag. Web. 29 February 2016.

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"Rick Margitza's Solo on 'Change Up.'" DownBeat Magazine. January 2016.

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"CMS Forums Monthly Discussion- October: Institutional Developments Since the 2008 Economic Recession." College Music Symposium 55 (2015): n. pag. Web. 24 November 2015.

 

Rev. of Jazz, 2nd Edition by Scott DeVeaux and Gary Giddins. College Music Symposium 55 (2015): n. pag. Web. 27 April 2015.

 

“Five Rules of Practicing.” DownBeat Magazine. October 2014.

 

“Improvising on Quick Moving Chord Changes.” DownBeat Magazine. October 2013.

 

“Pairing Augmented Triads with Other Chord Qualities.” DownBeat Magazine. October, 2012.

 

“Augmented/Major Triad Pairs.” DownBeat Magazine. December, 2011.

 

“Branford Marsalis’ Solo on ‘Mr. Steepee.’” DownBeat Magazine. June, 2011.

 

“Kenny Wheeler’s Solo on ‘Smatter.’” DownBeat Magazine. August, 2010.

 

“Wayne Shorter’s Solo on ‘E.S.P.’” DownBeat Magazine. April, 2010.

 

“Tina Brooks’ Solo on ‘Good Ole Soul.’” DownBeat Magazine. December, 2009.

 

As an editor:

​

Campbell, Patricia. “The Manifesto in Motion: Change Comes to Undergraduate Music Studies.” College Music Symposium 56 (2016): n. pag. Web. 29 November 2016.

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Mapana, Kedmon et al. “An Earful of Africa: Insights from Tanzania on Music and Music Learning.” College Music Symposium 56 (2016): n. pag. Web. 18 October 2016.

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Sarrazin, Natalie and Morelli, Sarah. “Teaching Embodied Musickmaking: Pedagogical Perspectives from South Asian Music and Dance.” College Music Symposium 56 (2016): n. pag. Web. 13 May 2016.

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Mitchell, David. “CMS Forums Survey Summary: Designing a Music and Technology Degree.” College Music Symposium 56 (2016): n. pag. Web. 18 March 2016.

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Utsch, Glenn. “Remembering American Composer Arthur Farwell and His Family: An Interview with His Son, Jonathan.” College Music Symposium 56 (2016): n. pag. Web. 1 February 2016.

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Mantie, Roger and Higgins, Lee. “Paideia con Salsa: Charles Keil, Groovology, and the Undergraduate Music Curriculum.” College Music Symposium 55 (2015): n. pag. Web. 14 September 2015.

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Williams, David. “The Baby and The Bathwater.” College Music Symposium 55 (2015): n. pag. Web. 24 August 2015.

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Rees, Fred. “Transforming Music Study from its Foundations: A Manifesto for Progressive Change in the Undergraduate Preparation of Music Majors.” College Music Symposium 55 (2015): n. pag. Web. 24 August 2015.

 

Liang, Deng. “On the Debate over Whether ‘Prepared Piano’ was the Creation of John Cage.” College Music Symposium 55 (2015): n. pag. Web. 4 March 2015.

 

College Music Society Committee on Careers Outside the Academy. “Recommended Course Additions to the Higher Education Music Curriculum.” College Music Symposium 55 (2015): n. pag. Web. 4 February 2015.

 

Koen, Benjamin. “Reflections and Future Directions in Medical Ethnomusicology.” Ethnomusicology Scholarship and Teaching: Then, Now, and Into the Future. Spec. issue of College Music Symposium 54 (2014): n. pag. Web. 13 October 2014.

 

Drapkin, Michael. “It’s A Pitch.” College Music Symposium 54 (2014): n. pag. Web. 22 September 2014.

 

Levine, Victoria. “Making the Music Major Relevant at Liberal Arts Colleges.” College Music Symposium 54 (2014): n. pag. Web. 18 August 2014.

 

College Music Society Forum on Diversity. “Students Speak: Diversity in the Pedagogical Practices of Music in Higher Education.” College Music Symposium 54 (2014): n. pag. Web. 8 July 2014.

 

Campbell, Patricia. “Music in Higher Education: Evolution Now and Ahead of Us.” College Music Symposium 54 (2014): n. pag. Web. 23 May 2014.

 

Sciannameo, Franco. “Civic Pride and Musicology.” College Music Symposium 54 (2014): n. pag. Web. 16 April 2014.

 

Thomson, William. “Polymeters in Unexpected Places.” College Music Symposium 54 (2014): n. pag. Web. 4 April 2014.

 

Thomson, William. “Empirical Reality Versus the Systems Malady.” College Music Symposium 54 (2014): n. pag. Web. 26 March 2014.

 

Niren, Ann. “So You Think You Can Be a Composer: Pedagogical Strategies for Active Learning in Music History Courses.” College Music Symposium 54 (2014): n. pag. Web. 13 March 2014.

 

Wang, Jui-Ching. “Do I Sound Chinese Now? A Musical and Cultural Analysis of Students’ Learning Experience in the Northern Illinois University Chinese Music Ensemble.” College Music Symposium 53 (2013): n. pag. Web. 25 November 2013.

 

Fiese, Richard. “Selfishness is Our Nemesis.” College Music Symposium 53 (2013): n. pag. Web. 18 October 2013.

 

Talbott, Christy. “The Changing Face of Music as a Career.” College Music Symposium 53 (2013): n. pag. Web. 14 June 2013.

 

College Music Society Advisory Committee for Music Education. “Thinking Beyond Curriculum and Pedagogy.” College Music Symposium 53 (2013): n. pag. Web. 03 June 2013.

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As a reviewer:

​

Lefkovitz, Aaron. Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Miles Davis: A Twentieth-century Transnational Biography. Lexington Books. In press.

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Deveaux, Scott and Giddins, Gary. Jazz: Essential Listening, 2nd Ed. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. In press.

 

 

Performance Experience

Performed with the following nationally and internationally recognized artists

Jazz

Ignacio Berroa

Howard Levy

Dick Hyman

Ken Peplowski

Byron Stripling

Frank Wess

Bill Watrous

Bucky Pizzarelli

Scott Robinson

Randy Sandke

Derek Smith

Johnny Frigo

Marvin Stamm

Frank Capp

Peter Appleyard

Al Caiola

 

Popular Music

Eric Lindell

Willie Torres (Grammy Award winner)

Angel Melendez and The 911 Mambo Orchestra (Grammy Award nominated)

Sam Winch

Ron Haynes

 

Venues and Festivals

 

Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago Jazz Festival

The Chicago Blues Festival

The House of Blues

The Old Town School of Folk Music

Lollapalooza

The Taste of Chicago

The Chicago Cultural Center

Navy Pier

Fitzgerald’s Nightclub

The Art Institute of Chicago

The Green Mill

Green Dolphin Street

SPACE

 

Milwaukee, WI

Jazz in the Park

WMSE’s Backyard BBQ

 

Portland, Oregon

The Waterfront Blues Festival

 

Eugene, Oregon

The Hult Center for the Performing Arts

Cuthbert Amphitheater

The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts

The Eugene Celebration

 

Hilo, Hawaii

Palace Theater

 

Richmond, Virginia

The Modlin Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Richmond

 

 

Recordings

​

Shevitz, Matt. First Take! Live on WDCB. 2022.

Shevitz, Matt. Forward Motion. 2018

Lindell, Eric. Matters of the Heart. Red Parlor Records, 2016.

Lindell, Eric. Live in S.P.A.C.E.. Sparco, 2014.

Spare Parts. Spare Parts. Ropeadope Records, 2014.

Musical Magic. Just As You Are. 2008.

Soulio. Soulio. 2007.

Winch, Sam. The Lullabadeer. Down Pony Records, 2005.

5.1 Music, Inc. Funk Horns, Volume 1. 2005.

B.S. Brassband. Two for the Show. 2005.

Haynes, Ron. Can You Hear Me?. Prosper Records, 2004.

Latarski, Don. Eden Hall Sessions. Crescent Records, 2000.

Latarski, Don. Eugene Blues. Vipertoons Productions, 2000.

Latarski, Don. Natural Instincts. Crescent Records, 1999.

Emerald City Jazz Kings. Puttin’ On The Ritz. American Notes, 2001.

Emerald City Jazz Kings. The New Yorkers. American Notes, 2001.

Emerald City Jazz Kings. Bixology. American Notes, 2001.  

 

 

Master Classes

 

“Tips for Jazz Improvisation and Effective Practicing.” Georgia Regents University, January 9, 2015.

​

“Learning Tunes, Building a Jazz Vocabulary, and Using the Augmented Scale.” University of South Florida, October 22, 2015.

 

 

Awards, Recognition & Memberships

 

Jazz Education Network member

Jazz Institute of Chicago member

College Music Society member

Northwestern University Merit Scholarship recipient

The William M. Spencer Award Fund recipient

University of Puget Sound Scholarship for Jazz and Classical Performance recipient

Sonny King Scholarship for Excellence in Jazz and Classical Performance recipient