The program focuses on the jazz and African-American idioms and includes special courses on improvisation, music history, jazz transcriptions, and arranging. Students interact with internationally recognized jazz musicians?in their weekly classes, and?through?special workshops and master classes. Students find additional inspiration in the unique cultural relationship the school has with Hartford's community-based Artists Collective, an organization dedicated to the promotion of African and Caribbean art forms.

Recent master classes have featured such world-renowned jazz artists as Hank Jones, Randy Weston, Curtis Fuller, Eddie Henderson, Randy Johnston (Hartt master teacher), Christian McBride, Larry Willis, Wynton Marsalis, Dena DeRose, Harold Mabern, Tony Reedus, Don Sickler, Cedar Walton, Cecil Payne, Slide Hampton, Benny Green, John Lee, Eric Alexander, Jim Rotondi, David Hazeltine, Joe Farnsworth, Barry Harris, Yusef Lateef, Jimmy Heath, One For All, and Hartt Alumni Abraham Burton, Mike DiRubbo, and Jimmy Greene.