The Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts (CCJA) is a unique non-profit organization dedicated to educating and empowering people of all ages to creatively express themselves through the language of America's art form - jazz.

Passionate about their vision of creating a unique jazz program for teens, Paul and Christine Romaine founded CCJA in 1999. The program continued to grow, and in 2004 CCJA was granted 501(c)(3) status.

Programming expanded across the Front Range, and today CCJA serves over 500 students annually. Since its inception, CCJA has served several thousand youth, many of whom have gone on to forge successful careers as educators and performers, and all of whom carry a deep appreciation for music into adulthood.  

CCJA began serving adult students who were eager to reconnect with their instrument and other musicians during the isolating days of the pandemic. The program continues to thrive and has provided an unexpected personal "Renaissance” for our adult participants.  

In addition to school-year programming, we offer summer sessions, including a day camp, genre-specific programs like Latin jazz, and a sleepaway camp in Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains. We also run vocal programs, big bands, guided public youth jam sessions, women-in-jazz programs, and our newest initiative to provide programs in public schools and communities without access to music education.

Over the past two decades, CCJA student groups have performed for tens of thousands of people with the intention of making jazz - America’s treasured art form - relentlessly relevant. Programming is directed by accomplished jazz musicians who pass on their extensive knowledge, experience, and wisdom to the next generation. Our students’ lives are enriched, their well-being enhanced, and their self-expression empowered by their participation.  

CCJA's values come from the music itself, as jazz embodies and depends on community, respect, inclusivity, and self-expression. CCJA is deeply committed to modeling these values through the content of our programs, the culture of our organization, and our actions and policies. We see music as a communication tool that surpasses all differences and believe in its power to promote unity and understanding.