-Louis Armstrong
We believe that music can fulfill and enrich our lives beyond imagination. In particular, jazz is an art form that celebrates individuality and group success at the same time. While jazz is an often underutilized tool in music education, teachers agree that it has the power to uplift students and ensembles when used in the classroom. That’s where we come in.
Whether it’s our Jumpin’ JaKs Pre-K program designed to help young students prepare for the classroom, our All That Jazz 4th grade curriculum which introduces students to the power and majesty of the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, or one of our many in-school music-making programs, we are proud to work closely with teachers to inspire and uplift students through music. Further, we are thrilled to introduce the Jazz Academy Teacher’s Toolkit, an innovative online teaching resource that considers real-world scenarios in music education and provides solutions to establishing and improving upon teachers’ jazz education methods.
We invite you to scroll through some of the offerings that we currently provide for general, instrumental, and vocal music. Keep in mind that our #1 priority is to create relevant jazz education opportunities that serve the needs of students and teachers, and we are always eager to discuss new and exciting possibilities with you.
Sincerely,
Zach Compston
Director of Education and Community Engagement
Jazz Arts Group
zcompston@jazzartsgroup.org
Presented by the PNC Grow Up Great program, the Jazz Academy’s Jumpin’ JaKs (Jazz & Kids) pre-school program introduces music and encourages creative self-expression and literacy for children aged three to five. It is a powerful program that fuses arts education with codified early childhood educational practices. Jumpin’ JaK’s is also designed to equip teachers with curricular tools that will continue the lessons learned at the Jazz Academy in their centers.
Jumpin’ JaKs addresses school readiness through social and emotional development – the delivery system is arts and culture.
Jumpin’ JaKs is the cornerstone of our early childhood education programming, developed in partnership with music educator Rebecca Ogden. It is a literacy based program that invites three to five year old children to sing, listen, dance, and learn about music – from classical to jazz – in a playful environment with their parent or caregiver. Activities presented focus on:
Each class incorporates an exploration of music and instruments, movement, games, story time and singing songs. When it makes sense thematically, a visual art component is added to the course content, integrating and reinforcing the curriculum in a meaning way. On the final visit, a guest artist makes an appearance at Jumpin’ JaKs, providing the participants with a live performance and access to a musician who will share their talent, passion and expertise.
The Jazz Academy’s Jumpin’ JaKs program links to the Ohio Department of Education’s Early Learning Content Standards and well as learning outcomes established by the Child Development Center of Franklin County’s Head Start program.
To inquire about the availability of this program to your classroom, email Alexa Brennan at abrennan@jazzartsgroup.org
Jump for Jazz is an educational performance for grades K-5 that combines great jazz standards and songs from early childhood materials that adapt well to the jazz genre. Using songs and activities developed by Ms. Rebecca Ogden, an experienced early childhood music educator, Jump for Jazz aims to enhance literacy, musical awareness, and movement for young children. The audience adds “jazz” to their vocabulary while listening, singing, jumping, reading patterns and even playing instruments. The program is all about the music! The students, through their participation, are fully engaged listeners.
The trio, a professional jazz group made up of full time career musicians, brings an energetic and interactive performance experience of the highest level to the students. An outgrowth of the highly popular PBJ & Jazz concert series, Jump for Jazz offers three distinct age group designs ranging from pre-school through fifth grade, each specifically targeted for that audience.
Musicians:
Jump for Jazz is available to any public or private school, including those for developmentally challenged students, churches, civic organizations or community centers. For scheduling inquiries, please contact Alexa Brennan, Education and Outreach Coordinator, at abrennan@jazzartsgroup.org.
The 18-piece Columbus Jazz Orchestra introduces the magic of jazz in a concert tailored especially for 4th and 5th grade students. The orchestra will play big band jazz standards and demonstrate elements of jazz in a lively and interactive concert. The historic Southern Theatre serves as the perfect venue for this special performance, giving students a unique concert experience like no other!
Prior to the concert, each teacher will receive lesson plans, student materials and audio recordings. Lesson topics include:
To register, click here!
The Jazz Academy Teacher’s Toolkit is an online resource that provides music teachers with video lessons and tips for engaging their students through jazz. This resource is available to any Jazz Academy Member School. Lesson topics include:
Jazz Arts Group regularly brings both nationally and internationally known artists to Columbus and through Jazz academy programming, into schools. Your students will learn from a professional jazz musician and will have a chance to ask them questions and engage them in conversation. For many, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
If there is a particular guest artist visiting Columbus with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, or in one of our Jazz Arts Group presents performances, that you would like to bring to your classroom please reach out to Zach Compston at zcompston@jazzartsgroup.org.
An outgrowth of the widely popular Columbus Youth Jazz Program, the CYJ Lab in Schools provides instrumental music students an opportunity to develop improvisation and musical teamwork skills through jazz. Designed in conjunction with Columbus City Schools and Fort Hayes High School Instrumental Music Director Mark Donavan, the CYJ Lab in Schools teaches students to learn and interpret music by ear and improvise within an ensemble. Using the award-winning Real Easy Book Volume 1, JAG teaching artists explore the 12-bar blues and standard jazz compositions while providing students the opportunity to create their own arrangements for performance.
The CYJ Lab in Schools is designed for 7-12th grade band programs, and is equally effective with concert bands and jazz bands alike.
“I was fortunate enough to sit out in the audience tonight…and I must say what an amazing job you’ve done teaching the middle school jazz band. This was a great experience and the parents were so enthusiastic about what Berwick has become.”
-Destiny Coleman, Director of Education and Community Programming – Opera Columbus
To bring this program into your classroom, email Zach Compston at zcompston@jazzartsgroup.org.
The Jazz Academy Teacher’s Toolkit is an online resource that provides music teachers with video lessons, playalongs and tips for improving their own jazz education methods as well as the skills of their students and ensembles. This resource is available to any Jazz Academy Member School. Lesson topics include:
An extension of the Columbus Youth Jazz Vocal Lab, the CYJ Vocal Lab in Schools provides vocal music students an opportunity to develop their solo jazz voice within their choir program. The CYJ Vocal Lab in Schools teaches students the hallmarks of jazz singing, include vocal jazz technique, style and improvisation. Using a combination of curated and previously published vocal jazz ensemble arrangements, CYJ Vocal Lab in Schools participants explore the ins and outs of jazz singing with teaching artist Rachel Azbell. Schools involved in this program receive four school visits within a semester leading to a final performance of the director’s choice. This program is effective and adaptable for all choir programs grades 7-12.
To bring this program into your classroom, email Rachel Azbell at razbell@jazzartsgroup.org
Jazz Arts Group regularly brings both nationally and internationally known artists to Columbus and through Jazz academy programming, into schools. Your students will learn from a professional jazz musician and will have a chance to ask them questions and engage them in conversation. For many, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
If there is a particular guest artist visiting Columbus with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, or in one of our Jazz Arts Group presents performances, that you would like to bring to your classroom please reach out to Zach Compston at zcompston@jazzartsgroup.org.
The Jazz Academy Teacher’s Toolkit is an online resource that provides music teachers with video lessons, playalongs and tips for improving their own jazz education methods as well as the skills of their students and ensembles. This resource is available to any Jazz Academy Member School. Lesson topics include:
