Every Monday from 5:30 to 7 p.m., a group of about a dozen students meets in the basement of the music building. Their majors and backgrounds are diverse, but they all share a common interest that brings them together: jazz.

But after 12 years of heading up the UW vocal jazz program, professor and conductor Dave Cross will be retiring at the end of spring quarter, leaving the fate of the program uncertain.

Because of a university-wide hiring freeze, the UW will not bring in a new vocal jazz professor. It may be premature, however, to say that the program will simply end.

Geoffrey Boers, an associate professor of music who conducts the Chamber Singers ensemble, said the university might just put the program on the back burner until the budget is more solid. As of now, however, the program has been cut for the ’09-’10 school year.

The Northwest is considered by many to be the birthplace of vocal jazz education in public schools, and Washington state and the UW are both leaders in the field of music education for vocal jazz programs.

“Responsibility for leadership is part of the University of Washington,” said Cross, who teaches and conducts both the Vocal Jazz and Women’s Vocal Jazz ensembles. “To not have vocal jazz as an option here at the UW would be a sad state of affairs for vocal jazz education and jazz educators. There will be an important part of future music educators preparation that will not be available.”

Boers said a big part of that leadership comes from Cross himself.

“As early as the mid-1970s, [Cross] was looked at as one of the leading conductors of vocal jazz, with his trademark bald head and his trademark clogs,” Boers said. “He’s really been an institution in the state of Washington in terms of vocal jazz.”

Cross is the eighth person to direct the vocal jazz program at the UW, and has held the position longer than any of his predecessors.

“He’s always got this big smile on his face, and he’s always got this positive attitude toward making music and teaching kids,” Boers said.

For Cross’ vocal jazz students, that excitement is contagious.

“He’s a really funny guy, keeps the energy really high,” said junior vocal jazz student Jordan Petersen.

For Petersen, who has been in vocal jazz for all three years of his college career, the news of the program being cut is especially disappointing. Petersen described jazz choir as a way to de-stress at the end of the day.

Other students rely on programs like vocal jazz to escape from academia as well.

“The music programs are just a nice end to the day,” said junior Tawnie Baker, who has also been part of the program since her freshman year.

Some students have looked into ways to keep the choir going, but without a director and space to rehearse, they don’t feel it’s possible.

“I feel like if it were just a club, it wouldn’t get the dedication it deserves,” said sophomore Jake Bobman.

Bobman said it’s already difficult enough for the group to complete its repertoire with three rehearsals each week.

Bobman and others who will lose their musical outlet plan to audition for other choirs in the fall.

Despite the circumstances, Cross has high hopes for the program he has helped build.

“I would hope that the program could continue, that they can find somebody that will be willing to take on the program,” Cross said.

But he said that an instructor will have to come from the outside — someone with more expertise than any student would have.

Cross will continue to be involved in music education by directing All-State choirs and giving workshops. The UW School of Music, however, won’t be quite the same.

“He’ll be missed, no matter what happens to the program,” Boers said.

Reach reporter Molly Rosbach at news@dailyuw.com.