Earshot Jazz :: Education Programs

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Jazz Education

Through its educational programs Earshot accentuates the importance of the roots of jazz in a musical, historical, and cultural context, while encouraging creative growth and appreciation for jazz in the present.

	Practice This! Practice This! is an educational project organized by Thomas Marriott for Earshot Jazz with sponsorship from The Seattle Drum School. Each month in Earshot Jazz a new lesson by a different local jazz artist will appear for students to learn from and for non-musician readers to gain insight into the craft of improvising. A companion article is printed in the Earshot Jazz monthly publication. Photo: Thomas Marriot performing at the 2005 Earshot Jazz Festival. Photo by Daniel Sheehan.
	Roots of Jazz Roots of Jazz is a lecture/concert program that has been presented to over 30,000 students at libraries, schools and other venues throughout the region. Presented by Earshot Jazz, the Local Reunion Band, formerly under the leadership of Seattle jazz treasure Floyd Standifer, demonstrates the three basic elements of jazz music -- rhythm, call and response, and improvisation. Photo: Floyd Standifer (1929-2007), at the 2005 Earshot Jazz Festival, Legends of Seattle Jazz concert. Photo by Daniel Sheehan.
	Hands on Jazz For the past 14 years Earshot has produced the "Hands on Jazz" program in collaboration with the Seattle Center Academy. In this program, middle-school students of varying levels of instrumental experience have the opportunity to work with local professional jazz musicians during the two week summer session. Photo: Young jazz musicians at the 2005 Hands on Jazz class. Photo by Earshot Jazz.
	Artists in Residence Earshot Jazz brings artists from around the country to contribute to the lively community of jazz artists, educators, and students of the Pacific Northwest. These programs allow for a rich experience on the part of everyone involved. Photo: Ravi Coltrane performs with the Garfield High School Jazz Band at the 2005 Earshot Jazz Festival. Ravi spent an afternoon practicing with the young musicians at Garfield and Roosevelt high school jazz bands before performing on the festival stage with each. Photo by Daniel Sheehan.
	Workshops Workshops offer jazz fans and musicians of all levels an opportunity to meet with and learn from visiting artists. Earshot strives to set up workshops for specific instruments as well as composing and improvisation. Each workshop is unique, building on the personality of the guest artist and the interaction with the participants. Don't miss out on these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Photo: Sam Rivers
	Scholarships The Wardenburg Scholarship provides financial assistance for young, inner-city jazz musicians to attend Centrum's Port Townsend Jazz Workshop. This scholarship is named after Earshot Jazz volunteer Fred Wardenburg who spearheaded the program since 1990 and found scholarships for over 50 workshop participants over the years. Photo: 2006 Wardenburg Scholarship recipient Zach Para. Photo by Earshot Jazz
	NEA Jazz in the Schools This multimedia, web-based curriculum is available free to high-school social studies, U.S. history, and music teachers, to help students explore jazz as an indigenous American art form. The curriculum was created by the joint efforts of The National Endowment for the Arts and Jazz at Lincoln Center, and supported by a $100,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation. Photo: Billie Holiday (1915-1959), photo courtesy of NEA Jazz in the Schools.

Earshot Jazz is a Seattle based nonprofit music, arts and service organization formed in 1984 to support jazz and increase awareness in the community. Earshot Jazz publishes a monthly newsletter, presents creative music and educational programs, assists jazz artists, increases listenership, complements existing services and programs, and networks with the national and international jazz community.