Seattle JazzED Programs
Jazz Ensemble Program
Seattle JazzED provides weekly after school jazz band ensemble instruction to students in Seattle and the surrounding region. This academic year, six jazz band ensembles as well as three jazz combo and improv workshops, and a summer program serve 150 middle school and high school students from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. A tuition is charged to those who can pay, and scholarships are easily obtained. This hybrid model helps to diversify our funding sources with both earned and unearned revenue, creating a very financially stable organization.
Music Curriculum - An Expectation of Excellence
Seattle JazzED’s curriculum sets an expectation of excellence for all students. This expectation instills in our students a set of values that create not only successful musicians, but successful human beings. Along with musical skills, our students acquire life skills such as discipline, teamwork, and confidence. They understand the meaning of hard work and perseverance. They know how good it feels to set goals and accomplish them through dedicated and focused effort. Having these kinds of experiences through their music education will establish a high level of self-esteem and competence that will carry them successfully through adulthood, thus creating the socially and intellectually healthy individuals upon which our community depends. For at-risk youth in under-served communities, these skills are particularly important as they often have minimal family support.
Plans for Growth in Year 4
In the 2013-2014 school year, Seattle JazzED will maximize the capacity of all our programs, foster community among our students and families, increase the diversity of students engaged and deliver profoundly unforgettable education and performance experiences to our students.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
Our biggest success is completing our third year with 150 engaged, musically competent, ethnically and socio-economically diverse students from 60+ schools, most of whom intend to return next year. Of those 150 students, 30% receive some financial aid, indicating that Seattle JazzED is successfully providing access to high quality music education for families who might not otherwise be able to afford it.
Our current needs are continued targeted outreach to under-served populations to ensure that Seattle JazzED is indeed creating access and careful strategic planning to address the significant demand and fast growth of our organization.