ArtsFund Awards 2025 Community Accelerator Grants

For a third year, ArtsFund and the Paul G.Allen Family Foundation has administered $10 million in funding as part of the Community Accelerator grants program. Seattle Jazzed is proud to be included in this announcement, receiving a grant of $12,500.

The Community Accelator program grants range from $2,500 to $25,000 and are unrestricted (meaning they can be used for anything an organization deems necessary). This grant continues to prioritize the distribution of resources to communities that are underrepresented in other funding programs.

At Seattle JazzED, we believe that creative self-expression is part of what makes us human. When young people have opportunities to be creative, it sparks joy and makes our communities more engaging and inclusive. That’s why our mission is to offer students an excellent music education, regardless of income, background, or experience.

But none of this happens without funding. Public arts funding continues to shrink, even as the need for creative outlets grows. Support from grants and donors ensures that the arts remain accessible. With this grant, Seattle JazzED can continue to provide sliding scale tuition, free loaner instruments, and music education for students across our region.

Our Updated Sliding Scale Tuition Model

At Seattle JazzED, we believe that any student who wants to play should get to play.  

That’s why, since the beginning, we’ve offered sliding scale tuition. We know that families’ circumstances look different, and cost should never be the reason a student can’t join our programs. 

And this year, we’ve updated our tuition levels to make them clearer and more aligned with our values. 

What does this mean?  

When you register for a JazzED class, we encourage you to select the tuition level that works best for your family right now. The new levels include: 

Mutual Aid Levels (for families who can give more) 

• Standard Tuition + Mutual Aid Supporter 

• Standard Tuition + Pay it Forward Supporter 

Standard Tuition Levels 

• Standard Tuition 

• 75% of Standard Tuition 

• 50% of Standard Tuition 

• 25% of Standard Tuition 

• No Tuition Option 

Even if you’re unable to pay for tuition at any level at this time, you still belong here. Just request a no-tuition code. To do so, go to the program page you want to register for, scroll down to the tuition section, and click the link that will bring you to a form to retrieve your no-tuition code. 

Why sliding scale matters

Our programming has real value not just for the students who play, but for families and the wider community. When a student joins Seattle JazzED, they gain more than music skills: they find confidence, mentorship, and the joy of creating music with others. 

We also know our community is stronger when more people can participate, and stronger still when more people share in the joy of making participation possible. 

That’s why, if your family is able to pay at a level above standard tuition, your support helps: 

• Ensure that every student can participate, regardless of ability to pay. 

• Provide livable wages for the incredible teaching artists we hire—working musicians right here in our community. 

There’s a place for you here 

Sliding scale tuition has always been part of JazzED’s story, and it always will be. It’s one of the ways we ensure that every student who wants to play gets to play because music belongs to everyone. 

The Joy of Jazz: Meet Teaching Artist Brian Bermudez

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a professional jazz musician?  

Many of Seattle JazzED’s students are interested in gigging, but JazzED teaching artist Brian Bermudez says that the transition from playing music to becoming a professional is a whole different conversation.  

We recently had the chance to talk with Brian to learn about why jazz attracts passionate individuals towards this lifelong pursuit, what jazz means to him, and how his students inspire our community. 

Brian’s own musical experience began early. He grew up listening to his mother play the piano and his father sing. He also experienced the lively karaoke culture of his Filipino heritage at family gatherings.  

By fourth grade, he began private lessons for the recorder and clarinet. A year later, he kicked off his thirty years of experience with the alto sax. In high school, he joined the jazz band and continued playing throughout university.

Brian Bermudez co-Teaching with Shaina Ellis at a Summer FOundations Camp. Photo by Jocelyn RC

And just three years ago, he became a teaching artist at Seattle JazzED. Today, thanks to a lifetime of learning, he now plays an impressive nine instruments, ranging from piano to saxophone, and specializes in the tenor sax. 

But his music education wasn’t all smooth sailing. He now reflects that the community plays a large role in making music. In high school, he was part of “big band culture”, which he now calls “football jazz” — emphasizing competitions rather than playing for enjoyment. But when he went to college in New York, that changed. There, nobody had that mindset and instead would tell fond stories of their “community back home.”

That change of perspective showed him that community is what makes JazzED special. He says this “fun” and “enlightening” group aligns with his primary goal of helping students experience the joy of making music. 

Because meaningful communities are so powerful, his favorite music to listen to is the music of people he knows, such as friends, fellow musicians, and local artists. This is because jazz music becomes personal when it tells the story of the individual. 

When it comes to diversity, Brian appreciates JazzED’s inclusive approach. Growing up as an Asian American, Brian mostly saw privileged kids and a lack of people of color in music spaces. He loves that JazzED infuses inclusivity into every aspect of our programs — a “special lens of equity,” as he calls it. JazzED’s tight-knit and dynamic group is the perfect place for young musicians to build themselves up. 

So, what makes teaching at Seattle JazzED so fulfilling?

For Brian, it comes down to two guiding lights: “lifelong friends [and] lifelong love for music.” He loves having the ability to nudge students towards a deeper appreciation for jazz and to find themselves through the process.  

Brian Bermudez at a Fall Jam Session. Photo by Jocelyn RC.

Jazz is all about unapologetic self-expression. Sometimes, playing a solo loud and proud is just what a performance needs. Brian specifically said soloing is an “integral part of jazz” and hopes to plant the seed of confidence within students. 

He also enjoys seeing how music helps students grow. Early in his teaching career, he met a student who struggled for weeks to make a sound on the flute. When he finally did, Brian saw his gratifying excitement. He says students have both an eagerness to learn and a journey towards technical improvement, and this story is a perfect example of how “music teaches children resiliency and goal setting. ‘Effort in’ is rewarded.” Brian thinks this aspect of music education is particularly valuable. 

Brian helps students based on their individual needs and meets them where they are. His previous mentors had used a mixture of “right brained,” or creative thinking and “left brained,” or analytical thinking. He personally leans right brained because he believes “why we make music is important.” But he likes that JazzED honors both aspects. For example, honoring the history of jazz requires both intuition and concrete thinking. At the end of the day, he shares that “Your interpretation of those rules is what makes your sound yours.”  

If you are a young musician, we hope Brian’s words inspire you to keep playing and finding joy in every note.

Interview and article written by Seattle JazzED Summer Intern, Denise Chang