School Jazz
By Karen Demorest
The jazz bands of Roosevelt and Garfield did Seattle proud this past May: they brought home first and second place awards, respectively, from the prestigious Essentially Ellington contest in New York City.
These tremendous music programs have been built over many years by exceptional teachers and invovled communities. For a variety of reasons though, not all schools, and certainly not all students, have been provided this same opportunity. But a couple of organizations are intent on changing that.
Eight years ago, a small group of community organizers formed Seattle Music Partners (SMP). This program started at the urging of Marnie O’Sullivan, a parent volunteer, who recruited experienced Garfield High School students to provide musical instrument lessons to students at Leschi Elementary.
Pictured at right, Leschi students in
the SMP program
As the program sits today, students from a variety of high schools, and a few in college, teach free lessons at four Seattle Public Schools with high percentages of low-income students, including three elementary and one middle school. SMP regularly seeks donated instruments to give to students in need.
As part of the program, Seattle Music Partners works regularly with organizations like the University of Washington World Series and the Ladies Musical Club to bring musicians into schools. Recent visits from the Chiara String Quartet and the Ritz Chamber Players gave students a deeper appreciation of classical music.
On May 14, 2008, a very fortunate group of students got to delve deeper into jazz and improvisation with one of our area’s best musicians. As part of a donation to the 2007 Alliance for Education Black & Orange Ball, Cuong Vu, an acclaimed jazz trumpeter and faculty member at the University of Washington (UW), donated his time to visit students at Thurgood Marshall Elementary.
At the visit, set up in partnership with SMP, Cuong began the afternoon by performing with a group of UW students before the entire school. Students heard piano, drums, electric bass, saxophone, and of course, Cuong’s trumpet.
Following the performance, the UW group worked with the elementary students who participate in SMP. Set up as a mini-master class, Cuong and the college performers held a question and answer session, helped the students with their performance, and did a hands-on lesson on improvisation, coaxing students to think about music in new ways.
Improvisation pushes musicians to redefine their relationship with music, what they own and contribute, versus what is traditionally expected of them. Scott Gelband, executive director of SMP, observed one student, who is generally quite shy, stand alongside Cuong and improvise with courage and a wonderful sense of melodic direction.
Cuong challenged both the students and the high school volunteer tutors to improvise with him. This experience was loud, progressive, and exciting, and students and teachers alike were keeping the beat.
“Providing a child with the opportunity to build a foundation of musical skills, coupled with the strength of a mentoring relationship, helps foster self-confidence and an overall engagement in learning,” said Gelband. “Each week, the children can’t wait to see their tutors….and vice versa. There are smiles of encouragement and accomplishment at every lesson. That sense of connection, to the music and to each other, is what makes it all worthwhile.”
In addition, a newly formed partnership between Seattle Rotary District 5030, the Northwest Youth Music Association, and Seattle Public Schools is expanding music education for children in Seattle Public Schools. The partnership, called Rotary Music4Life, is acquiring donated instruments for aspiring student musicians who qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch.
More information
Seattle Music Partners - Contact Scott Gelband at 206-409-2535
Cuong Vu
Rotary Music4Life for Life