Music education is a key purpose of the Prescott Jazz Summit. For 22 years – except during COVID-19 – we have consistently presented clinics by working musicians for bands from all over Arizona. We prioritize showcasing student ensembles at our annual festival, and our non-profit distributes funds to local music departments. We’ve given scholarships to deserving students, and regularly present assemblies to schools. Our programs have reached more than 5000 students in Arizona elementary schools, middle schools and high schools.

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In our 25 years, the Jazz Summit has, in addition to our Educational Outreach:

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• Hired over 90 musicians from all around the USA,

• sold over 20,000 tickets to our festivals and concerts,

• sponsored over thirty free concerts at the Courthouse Square,

• given funds in excess of $20,000 to music education and local charities,

• and supplied musicians for many local charitable events.

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A 501 C 3 Non-Profit Organization

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Educational Outreach is funded through donations to “Friends of Big Band Jazz,” a 501c3 nonprofit corporation. The FBBJ, the sponsoring organization for the Prescott Jazz Summit and the Stan Kenton Legacy Orchestra, has given more than $60,000 for jazz camp scholarships, to school music departments, and to help musicians in need, and the Habitat for Humanity for the New Orleans Musicians Village.

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Over Two Decades Committed to Music Education

 

The Prescott Jazz Summit has an educational component as part of its yearly schedule. We have given clinics for bands from all over Arizona, had student ensembles perform at our annual festival, given funds to local music departments, given scholarships to deserving students, and presented assembly programs in schools. We have reached over 5000 students in North Central Arizona.

 

We present assemblies for the WHOLE student body in the schools where we perform. It is very important to present jazz music in an entertaining and “inclusive” form for ALL the students, not just the music students. These programs are done at NO CHARGE to each school. We pay the musicians out of funds we raise for the program.

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We are working to encourage young musicians to become great jazz players, and also cultivating a new audience for jazz music. By performing for all the students, we find that we are always making new “fans” for jazz music. We do demonstrations on each of the instruments, so that the students get an idea of what each instrument sounds like and how it works. We have done these performances in elementary schools, middle schools and high schools.

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In almost every school where we have performed, there have been new student inquiries about how to get into the band program and the administration offices have always had calls from enthusiastic parents talking about how much their sons and daughters enjoyed our programs and how they came home and actually talked about what they had heard. We do clinics for the music students in many of these schools after we perform the assemblies, so that we can also teach the music students more about jazz music and jazz history. We try to create interest in more listening to jazz greats and in finding out about how jazz music progressed over the years.

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We also work with the students on their respective instruments to give a little extra boost to their practicing. In a few instances, we have even rehearsed their jazz band to give constructive comments.