Jazz and Gender Justice Presents: Jazz Counts with researcher Lara Pellegrinelli
Lara Pellegrinelli
Image courtesy of Lara Pellegrinelli
Join Terri Lyne Carrington, founder of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice (JGJ), and JGJ scholar-in-residence Lara Pellegrinelli for a behind the scenes look at the research behind the Jazz Counts study.
Jazz Counts: Measuring the Jazz Faculty Gender Gap in Higher Education, a landmark study by researcher Lara Pellegrinelli, is the first comprehensive effort to collect and analyze data on the gender makeup of jazz faculty at colleges, conservatories, and universities across the United States.
Drawing from the websites of over 200 educational institutions, Jazz Counts reveals that male-identified educators outnumber their female-identified counterparts by a factor of six. Women are underrepresented across all faculty ranks, administrative roles, popular jazz instruments, and in academic areas that include music history, theory, and composition. In addition to presenting the data, the study identifies challenges women face in academia that contribute to systemic inequalities. It offers six actionable recommendations for administrators seeking to close the gender gap and foster a more inclusive environment.