• College of Performing Arts Faculty

  • Keller Coker

    Email
    keller@newschool.edu

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    Keller Coker

    Profile

    Dr. Coker is a jazz trombonist, composer, and arranger, who immediately prior to joining The New School was a Full Professor with Tenure at Western Oregon University. Dr. Coker was educated at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where he received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Jazz Studies, a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Historical Performance, and completed coursework for a Ph.D. in Historical Musicology.

    During Coker’s esteemed career, he founded the American Metropole Orchestra, served as executive director of the Smith Fine Arts Series, arranged music for Kurt Elling, Cuong Vu, Martha Reeves, Joe Lovano, and Allen Toussaint, produced shows for Aiofe O’Donovan, Dr. Lonnie Smith, the Turtle Island Quartet, and Sean Jones, and has developed and taught an extraordinarily wide range of courses including songwriting, early music ensemble, jazz composition, brass seminar, ethnomusicology, music history, improvisation, world music, music theory, popular music in America, and more.

    Current Courses

    2 cr. Lessons
    JLES 2000, Spring 2024

    Historically Informed Musician
    CMUS 5000, Spring 2024

    Lessons 1000
    JLES 1000, Spring 2024

    Lessons 3000
    JLES 3000, Spring 2024

    VP: Rhythm Section
    JPER 4700, Spring 2024

    Future Courses

    2 cr. Lessons
    JLES 2000, Fall 2024

    Capstone 1: Project
    CMUS 5950, Summer 2024

    Independent Study
    JAZZ 4912, Summer 2024

    Lesson Placement
    JLES 0001, Fall 2024

    Lessons 1000
    JLES 1000, Fall 2024

    Lessons 3000
    JLES 3000, Fall 2024, Summer 2024

    Lessons 3000: PT
    JLES 3500, Fall 2024

    VP: Rhythm Section
    JPER 4700, Fall 2024

    Past Courses

    2 cr. Lessons
    JLES 2000, Fall 2023

    Capstone 1: Project
    CMUS 5950, Summer 2023

    Independent Study
    JAZZ 4912, Summer 2023

    Lesson Placement
    JLES 0001, Fall 2023

    Lessons 1000
    JLES 1000, Fall 2023

    Lessons 3000
    JLES 3000, Fall 2023, Summer 2023

    Lessons 3000: PT
    JLES 3500, Fall 2023

    Stone Lab 1
    CMUS 5510, Summer 2023

    VP: Rhythm Section
    JPER 4700, Fall 2023

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