Our History
A TRUE CINDERELLA STORY
From a small Midwestern campus to national acclaim — our story began in the 1960s and continues to grow today.
The history of the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire Jazz Studies Program is a true Cinderella story—one that begins at a “normal” state college, where the music department once served primarily to provide entertainment for other academic majors.
In the late 1960s, Dominic Spera, a lead trumpet player from New York originally hailing from Racine, Wisconsin, returned home to teach at UW–Eau Claire. Bringing with him the depth of experience from the New York music scene, Spera, alongside newly hired faculty member and UWEC alumnus Ron Keezer, helped transform the program. At a time when jazz education was still in its infancy, they built one of the nation’s premier college big bands.
As jazz—America’s only original art form—found its way into academic institutions, UW–Eau Claire emerged as a national leader. Uniquely, it accomplished this without offering a formal Jazz Studies degree. Instead, students learned the art of jazz the way its founders did: through collaboration, mentorship, and real-time musical relationships on the bandstand—not simply from textbooks.
The program’s integration of rigorous classical training ensures students are not only jazz-savvy but also musically versatile, prepared for a wide range of professional opportunities. This holistic, all-undergraduate approach continues to set UW–Eau Claire apart.
