How to be a jazz musician, a five step roadmap

There are no secrets to becoming a jazz musician because the steps have already been mapped out by generations of musicians and educators. My first suggestion? Don't waste your time online looking for "the secret."

Here are my top five non-secrets to learning to play jazz. 
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1. Learn to play your instrument. A few students have tried to skip this step. You might ask, "how good do I have to be to play jazz?" Depends on who you want to play with. Therefore, if your skills are a weak or rusty, call a music teacher and get to work. I have several students learning to play piano and jazz simultaneously. They don't sound like Oscar Peterson, but they are having fun while learning to navigate the piano keyboard. 
2. Learn theory. Students frequently ask me to answer theory questions. However, they don't havet the required background knowledge to understand my answer. This is especially an issue when trying they are trying make sense of YouTube music education videos. 
3. Find someone to play with and learn together. Jazz is a contact sport; a partner makes it more fun. You will learn to listen to each other, which is a prime prerequisite to playing jazz. 
4. Learn how to practice. I've written many blogs on this topic, but I would encourage you to seek out many different views on this important subject. 
5. The number one step to becoming a jazz musician is to learn as many tunes as you can, as fast as you can, because the musician who knows the most tunes wins. Get a list of the most important jazz tunes and get to work. Learn the melodies by ear. Learning chords by ear can come later. If this is difficult, call me and we will work on your aural skills. And you will be on your way. 

Here is a project suggestion. Investigate the jazz curriculum outlines of jazz colleges and compare. Here is a start. 
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Jazz in America Lesson Plans through the National Jazz Curriculum - Hancock Institute of Jazz 
TRADITIONAL JAZZ CURRICULUM - Jazz Education Network (jazzednet.org)
Yearly Program Study Plan; B.Mus. Jazz | Music - McGill University
Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies - Education - Capilano University
Jazz Studies (BJazz) | Explore UM | University of Manitoba (umanitoba.ca)

You will note the following areas are common: lessons, theory, ear training, ensemble playing, history, and improvisation. 
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If I can help you call me because I teach piano, and jazz. 

David