JazzED-ucation in Action: Freddy 'Fuego' Gonzalez
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Freddy PLaying TRombone during summer performance. Photo by Jocelyn RC.
Freddy Gonzalez first joined Seattle JazzED in 2018 supporting outreach and education in programs and served as a universal sub, which gave him the opportunity to teach every class. After a brief break from 2019 through the COVID-19 pandemic, he returned in 2021 to teach, sub, and perform with Seattle JazzED. Now, he plays a key role in developing curriculum and stepping in wherever needed. This year, Freddy is also leading our Black History Month assemblies, bringing jazz music and history to schools across the greater Seattle area.
Freddy’s background and hands-on experience give him a unique perspective on the transformative impact of Seattle JazzED’s programs. Read on to learn more about his experience teaching at JazzED and the impact he’s experienced—both in his own teaching and in the growth of his students.
How have you seen the students you work with transform through our programs?
Over the course of a quarter, when you're introduced to students, you see where they’re at in their musical journey. At JazzED, you work with students from incredibly diverse backgrounds and with varying levels of experience. Some students are preparing for their Garfield or Roosevelt auditions, while others have just picked up their instrument and simply want to enjoy playing and have a good time.
It’s really rewarding to see students gain confidence in their playing over the course of a quarter and find more joy in the music—especially with jazz, which can sometimes be intimidating. Even in the Summer Jazz Ambassadors program, which is only two weeks long, we see students every day, so it almost feels like a quarter’s worth of growth. At the start, many of them are afraid to play in front of others. I always tell them they have to share their sound for music to exist. Some students hesitate at first because of stage fright or fear of looking silly in front of their peers. But by the end, they come out of their shell and gain the confidence to perform, whether it’s in front of their classmates or their parents. They’re having fun, taking ownership, and saying, “This is my instrument. This is my song. This is my concert.” Those are the transformations that mean the most.
What changes have you noticed in your teaching approach since you began working with Seattle JazzED?
Man, the short answer? Everything changed.
When I first came to JazzED, most of my experience was in private lessons and one-on-one instruction. I had a really strong background in connecting with students individually. But at JazzED, I found myself teaching in classroom settings, which was a huge shift. In my first year, I was teaching over 300 students across six schools, ranging from pre-K through 12th grade. Some schools had just pre-K through second grade, some were middle school-only, and others were high school. That first year was a trial by fire—I learned so much. Some things worked, some didn’t, and every week I had to go back, tweak my approach, and try again.
As I started teaching Foundations and Connections, I refined my skills even more. I had some experience conducting orchestras, but leading All Play sessions in Foundations and Connections pushed me to become a more effective conductor—especially for large groups of beginners.
Before JazzED, I didn’t know how to run a classroom as effectively, or how to work with 50 beginners all at once. Maybe I could handle five or six in a small combo, but leading an entire group? That was a whole new challenge. Without my experience at JazzED, I wouldn’t have developed those skills—or at least not as quickly.
Freddy conducting summer camp performance. Photo by Jocelyn rc.
Can you share a specific moment you witnessed a student experiencing growth through music?
This summer, I worked with a classical musician who played bassoon. She wasn’t comfortable with improvisation or learning by ear—she was used to reading music from charts and études. On the first day, she was visibly frustrated and told me, "This isn’t how I learn music. I don’t feel comfortable."
I reassured her, encouraging her to embrace the process and trust that it would get easier. Over time, she started taking her own notes and learning by ear. The way we approach teaching at JazzED is built on repetition—it allows students to develop a routine and build confidence through familiarity.
By the end of the program, she was taking a solo at the concert with a huge smile on her face. She was still nervous before she started, but she finished feeling proud of herself.
As a teacher, I often see students’ potential before they do, and at first, many don’t believe me when I tell them they’re capable. They look at me like I’m a con artist or a used car salesman, but I keep encouraging them because I know they can do it. Watching this student tap into a new part of her musicianship and exceed her own expectations was incredibly rewarding.
This summer was also remarkable because we worked with students ranging from first- to third-year musicians, and they learned 12 to 15 songs in just two weeks. We only performed about eight, but they were ready for more because they had fully embraced the learning process. It wasn’t about how many songs they could play—it was about teaching them how to learn a song. Just like the saying, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day; teach him to fish, and he’ll eat for life,” we focused on helping students develop the skills to learn music independently. The more they learned, the more they wanted to learn, and that enthusiasm created incredible momentum.
What changes in the music community do you hope to see, and how is Seattle JazzED helping to bring about those changes?
JazzED is doing a great job providing musicians with steady work—whether through performances, lessons, or classroom teaching. Many of the teachers at JazzED are active, working performers, not just people who used to perform or teach from a textbook. They’re out there, performing regularly, gaining real-world experience, and bringing that knowledge directly to students in real time.
That’s incredibly valuable. When teachers can say, “Here’s how you prepare for a concert—I just performed at Benaroya Hall last week,” it makes a huge difference. I always try to treat rehearsals like professional settings because I want students to understand what it takes to be a musician at a high level.
JazzED is doing great work connecting students with professionals. As Seattle JazzED grows, I’d love to see even stronger mentorship opportunities. Imagine if we could support students from Foundations all the way through their high school auditions and even into college—helping with placement and scholarships for playing their instrument. Seattle JazzED is already evolving with the community, but the question is: how can we do it even better? There’s always room to grow, and it’s great to see so many students and educators returning year after year.
