The evening began with JazzED Introductory Ensemble students who had started on their instruments only two months earlier. They demonstrated how hard work can produce sweet sounds in just a few weeks. Moving higher on the skills spectrum, Robert Knatt’s Advanced Ensemble impressed the audience with several student solos amidst the jazz standards they played. The New Works Ensemble, directed by Wayne Horvitz, stretched the envelope and enthralled everybody with groovy new compositions and music rarely heard from high school bands.

For some students, JazzED rehearsals are a place to play music with peers. For others, the time spent with our instructors has had a profound impact on their lives. This was highlighted by tenor sax player and scholarship recipient, Carla Newhouse, who told the audience how her participation in JazzED has changed her life. Learning from some of our country’s great jazz educators had inspired her to grow as a musician, be disciplined in her practice routine, push herself harder, and have the confidence to play solos in front of an audience, something she could not have imagined herself doing just a few months earlier.

Founding Board Member, Mike Halperin, stressed the importance of providing access to excellent jazz education to all students in the Seattle area, regardless of previous music instruction or ability to pay. He invited guests to join him in supporting the JazzED Scholarship Fund, and guests eagerly and generously jumped in. The evening ended with our scholarship fund almost fully underwritten for the current year. Happy party-goers went home with gift bags of delicious chocolate music notes made by a parent volunteer.

JazzED student Isaac Poole teaches trombone

In the summer months of 2011, Seattle JazzED coach extraordinaire Aaron Walker-Loud organized a traveling combo of JazzED students to spread the love of jazz and music to kids in under served Seattle communities.  The combo toured Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club, Beacon Hill International School, Asian Counseling and Referral Services Center, and Highpoint Community Center. This fall we saw some of the kids in the outreach audiences at Seattle JazzED auditions!

Below are two reports of the outreach tour written by participants, Lucy Halperin, Grade 9 and Carla Newhouse, Grade 8.

Lucy’s Perspective: “I walk through the playground at Leschi Elementary School nervously clutching my trombone case in one hand, and my music in the other. As I reach the door, Aaron Walker-Loud—the leader of the JazzEd summer outreach combo —turns around. As I follow suit I discover that a group of about 20 kids whose heads barely reach the height of my stomach have joined us. “Hi,” Aaron says, “I’m Mr. Walker-Loud and I’m here with a program called Seattle JazzEd”.  He beckons for me to introduce myself and I say, “Hi, I’m Lucy”. Immediately, a particularly outgoing kid proclaims, “Your Lucy? You can’t be Lucy. She’s Lucy!” He points at a tall girl standing near Aaron. She waves shyly and says, “My name is Lucy too”.  The kid who had declared that I ‘couldn’t be Lucy’ widens his eyes and says, “There’s two Lucy’s!” The other kids look around at each other with disbelieving faces, and then start to giggle. “Hi Lucy,” one of them says. The rest of the kids copy him and chorus of high-pitched voices yell out “Hi Lucy!” They ask me where I go to school, what instrument I play, and my favorite color. As I go into the building to start setting up my music, a small group of kids follow, calling out, “Hi Lucy!”

JazzED student Lucy Halperin

This is one of many fun experiences that I had during the time that I was in the JazzEd Summer Outreach Combo. This combo was a group of about 8 people, some of whom were JazzEd students and some who were accomplished musicians from the Seattle area. We met for rehearsal about 3 times, and in the two weeks that followed we gave workshops at 10 places around the city. We went to elementary schools, summer camps, and community centers to try to inform as many kids as possible of the opportunity that they had to join JazzEd.  At each place that we went to we would perform several jazz standards, and teach the kids about what jazz actually is and can be.  The kids who came to our workshop improvised using percussion instruments, learned how to count in a musical setting, and tried playing an instrument of their choice. Many of the kids that we performed for didn’t even know what jazz is! The JazzEd Summer Outreach Combo not only showed the kids what the JazzEd program is about, but also enlightened them to a whole amazing form of music.

JazzED student Malcolm Smith Fraser demonstrates trumpet

I loved being a part of the JazzEd Summer Outreach Combo because I felt as though I was making a difference in my community. I know that we may have changed the lives of some of the kids who we played for. It is one of the best feelings in the world to know that you could be making someone’s life a hundred times better just by spending 90 minutes of your life with them. One of the most amazing things that I experienced from being in the combo was each time Aaron Walker-Loud would ask the kids in the audience if any of them were interested in trying to play any of the instruments that they saw us playing. Each time there would be at least one kid who wanted to play the trombone.  It made me feel so excited to know that some of the kids wanted to play my instrument. These kids had been so inspired by seeing me play my trombone that they wanted to do it as well.

“Is anyone interested in trying out any of the instrument that you see up here?” Aaron Walker-Loud asks the sea of kids in front of us. Tiny hands shoot up all over the room. Mr. Walker-Loud looks around, and settles on a girl who has been sitting quietly in the front. I recognize her as the ‘other’ Lucy. “Come on up,” Mr. Walker-Loud says, “Which instrument do you want to try out?” Lucy hesitantly stands up, and then walks towards me. She shoots an uncertain look at Mr. Walker-Loud, and then proclaims in a soft voice, “I want to play what Lucy plays. I want to play the trombone”.  I get up and grab the extra trombone. I walk back over to her and show her how to hold it. As I help support the trombone so that she can play it, she purses her lips and blows hard into the trombone. We can all hear the noise of air rushing through the instrument. “Come on”, I think, “you can do this”. Lucy leans in towards the trombone for another attempt. She presses her lips together, and I can see the determination on her face as she blows into the trombone. Immediately after, a long clear note descends upon the room. Lucy looks up at me, and smiles. ~~Lucy Halperin

JazzED student Carla Newhouse on saxophone

Carla’s Perspective: “The JazzED Outreach Combo was great! It was basically me and a couple people from my JazzED school year program and some other kids. So it’s not as big as my school year program but that just makes it cooler and sound jazzy.

What the JazzED combo did for me was help me be versatile with my improvising, more confident in my improvising and it taught me to listen with my ear to have a good idea how to play any song with my sax. At first I did not like solos almost at all but the opportunities I got to play more and more – and I got more confident –  and I got better and more loose with my solos.

And that was my experience with the JazzED combo.”  ~~Carla Newhouse

Seattle JazzED Intermediate Ensemble Plays Horizon House

NEXT UP: Seattle JazzED Advanced Ensemble plays at the Meredith Mathews East Madison YMCA on March 26th at 6:30.  Check it out!

Advanced Ensemble Trumpet Section

Intermediate Ensemble Trumpets

Clarence Acox directs JazzED's Advanced Ensemble

Lauch party-goers enjoy the concert

 It was a dark and stormy night. But that didn’t keep upwards of 200 jazz enthusiasts from flocking to hear Seattle’s newest student ensembles light up the night at the Seattle JazzED Launch Party on December 9th.

The celebration was held at the Northwest African American Museum in their “After Hours” exhibit — an audiovisual tribute to the history of jazz in Seattle, and the perfect place in which to unveil the latest chapter of that rich legacy.

The historic first public performances of the SJED Intermediate and Advanced ensembles came after just eight rehearsals, and already both bands are beginning to reflect the high standards of jazz performance maintained over many decades by their Musical Directors Robert Knatt and Clarence Acox, respectively.

Knatt’s Intermediate Ensemble performed two numbers; for many of the student musicians this was the first band performance of their lives—yet they played with a fine sense of style and swing. The Advanced Ensemble then played 5 selections, including a blues piece (as is typical of an Acox band!). Some fine solo skills were already on display in this more accomplished group of musicians.

In attendance were not only members of the band families, but many, many enthusiastic fans from the larger Seattle jazz community as well, including those whose children have enjoyed the benefits of jazz education at the hands of these two master educators.

Watching these young musicians perform, it was impossible not to feel like a witness to the birth of something truly exciting.

Said SJED Managing Director and Co-Founder Laurie de Koch, “We were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and enthusiasm, and the incredible turnout at the event. But then you think, ‘We’ve got something really incredible to share, something that represents the very best of human nature and the human experience. Why wouldn’t people want to be a part of that?’”

Echoed Mr. Knatt: “Yeah, it was a great party! I loved seeing all those people from my past coming out to support these kids.”

Many thanks to all those who helped underwrite this event, and to the NAAM for hosting it!