Driven by a genuine desire to transmit and defend jazz and improvised music, the musicians Didier Lockwood, Benoit Sourisse, André Charlier and the director Chantal Charlier, created in 2000 this institution of higher education, intended to accompany young musicians towards professional life and to allow professionals already in activity, to develop their career.
As a higher education institution, the CMDL offers different courses – graduates or not – that allow each musician, whatever his or her background, to find the training that suits him or her. Thanks to the partnerships established with the Pôle Supérieur Paris Boulogne-Billancourt (PSPBB), the University of Evry Val d’Essonne, the CRD Val Maubuée in Noisiel, the Fédération Nationale des Écoles d’Influence Jazz et des Musiques Actuelles (FNEIJMA), the school is entitled to provide initial or continuing vocational training. Although private, it applies similar tuition fees to French higher education centres.
Between creation times, album releases, stages and tours, the members of the pedagogical team share the fruit of their experiences with the new generations of musicians. Over the course of a year, the CMDL invites more than 70 speakers to complete its team of 10 referring teachers. The external speaker then brings his light according to his path and his sensitivity.
As international exchanges have become essential in the training of young musicians, the CMDL adheres to the Erasmus Charter and develops partnerships with the most prestigious international music schools.