Jazz performing and effective teaching both require an amount of creativity. Jazz and learning are both evolutionary. The cyclical process of generation, application, and renewal occurs at every level. Learning begins within, then is expressed without. Jazz and learning as it exists presently have a lot of differences, possibly more differences than similarities.
Jazz is self-directed, all members are learners.
In educational community, the teacher-student lines are clearly defined In jazz, assessment is a highly cultivated continual practice carried out by the musician performing as well as jazz members in listening. Mood is rarely taken into account in presentation of topics in education. In Jazz, mood is not only present, but vital. Performers work hard to communicate their mood to their audience, and to generate similar moods before presentation of a particular tune. In education, the teachers are responsible for the students' learning.