NAJE grew quickly to more than 1,000 members and began publishing the quarterly Jazz Educators Journal.
With the launch of its first annual conference in 1972, NAJE added scholarships, an approved festivals program, a network of state units and voluntary leaders that included many of the field’s top artists and educators. A portion of each member’s dues was rebated to their state unit to nurture jazz education programs at the local and regional levels.
By the mid-'80s, NAJE boasted over 4,000 members and added publications, talent recognition programs, and several annual commissions. In 1989, NAJE changed its name to the International Association of Jazz Educators, more accurately reflecting its global membership, which had grown to 5,500 in 25 countries.
With the continued growth of membership and staff in the 90’s, IAJE increased the frequency of its publication from quarterly to bi-monthly, and created a series of new programs including the Teacher Training Institute, the Artist Outreach Network, and Sisters in Jazz. The IAJE Annual Conference also saw significant expansion during this period and grew to attract in excess of 7,000 attendees from all facets of the global jazz community.
In 2001, IAJE changed its name to the International Association for Jazz Education, which characterized the diversity of its membership, now exceeding 9,000 people in 45 countries. Today, IAJE remains firmly focused on its roots in jazz education and uses that solid foundation to develop programs and professional development opportunities for all segments of the jazz community.
