Founded in the early 1980s, the Institute for Jazz & Pop in Stuttgart was a pioneer of higher education of Jazz in Europe and ever since was held for innovative and vivid. It offers first class instrumental lessons combined with theory that regards the need of professional practice, and of course takes care of advanced skills of improvisation and composition, without urging their students to a certain style. It's rather the students themselves who have the possibilty to focus on their individual interests.

The institute is regualary holding workshops with guest teachers, collaborates with many other European universites has it's own anual festival with renowned musicians. The Jazz scene of Baden-Württemberg with more than 40 jazz clubs offers a lot of oppurtunities to perform, apart from that teaching music in music schools or in private lessons are possibilities to make a living as a student already. As Stuttgart is the biggest university of music in Baden-Würrtemberg, collaborations with other departments (all in the same bulding) are everyday life.

Opera, theatre and ballett, all in walking distance from the Musikhochschule, inspire with world class niveau. Stuttgart's main jazz club "Bix" is weekly hosting the institute's jazz ensembles.