The New
Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the
state’s anchor cultural institution, celebrates 26 years of offering
thousands of high schoolers from Newark and beyond music lessons and
performance experiences through its popular TD Jazz
for Teens program. One of the first of many arts
education institutions at NJPAC, it has grown into a nationally
recognized and revered program producing stellar alumni such as
MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Tyshawn Sorey. The 2023-24 school year is
about to begin and is now accepting students for the Fall 2023
semester. Registration is now open and closes Sep 25.
Jazz for Teens is a comprehensive and
sequential jazz education program that provides access to top-notch
musical training and study with world-class working artists,
opportunities for artistic exchange within the community, and college
and career exploration. Classes include jazz history,
theory/composition, technique, ensembles, and more. Prospective
college students are guided through the application process. Students
are given many performance opportunities as members of the James Moody
Jazz Orchestra and/or George Wein Scholars Ensemble (performing at the
Newport Jazz Festival). All students record their own compositions
together in a studio setting. Field trips to Rutgers
University-Newark’s remarkable Institute of Jazz Studies, the largest
archive of jazz-related materials in the world, are regular treats for
students.
This 2023-24 school year includes a new
class: Music Composition and Arranging led
by Teaching Artist/saxophonist/composer Lance
Bryant (Jazz at Lincoln Center, Berklee College of
Music, Jazz House Kids). This class welcomes aspiring composers
ages 14-18 who demonstrate promise and dedication early in their
creative development. The program focuses on the fundamentals of
composition through instruction, group activities and styles, the
performance of students’ works, and interaction with Bryant. It
prepares students for the next stage of their artistic journey.
Since 2015, Jazz for Teens has been
at the helm of Mark Gross, the
Director of Jazz Instruction for NJPAC. A
multiple-Grammy-winning alto sax player and composer, Gross has
performed and recorded with a roster of greats, including Dizzy
Gillespie, Buster Williams, Nat Adderley, Dave Holland, Wynton
Marsalis, and more. In addition to Gross, a roster of more than a dozen
working jazz musicians including saxophonist Wayne Escoffery and
guitarist Alex Wintz (himself an alumnus of the program) as well as
celebrated percussionist Alvester Garnett and acclaimed, Russian-born
trumpeter Valery Ponomarev, a Jazz Messenger, to name a few — make up
the TD Jazz for Teens faculty. Even
more bold-faced names, including eight-time GRAMMY-winning
bassist Christian McBride, the
Arts Center’s Jazz Advisor, vibraphonist Stefon
Harris, and MacArthur “Genius” and Doris Duke Artist
award winner Regina Carteroffer master
classes, working directly with students.
Through this unique program, students become more than musicians—they
grow into exceptional people ready to take on the world. Social
and emotional support is embedded throughout all teachings with social
workers made available to both students and their families. NJPAC’s
commitment to celebrating social justice work and students’ social and
emotional learning is integrated throughout the program.
About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient
Bank®
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank,
is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 8
million customers with a full range of retail, small business and
commercial banking products and services at approximately 1,300
convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro
D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its
subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management
services through TD Wealth®, and vehicle financing and dealer
commercial services through TD Auto Finance.
TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com. Find TD Bank
on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter
at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US. TD Bank,
America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a
subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10
financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank
trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker
symbol "TD." To learn more, visit www.td.com.
About Arts Education @ NJPAC
NJPAC’s Arts Education offerings reach more than 60,000 students and
families through live performances, in-school residency programs and
arts training classes. These programs bring the joy of dance, music,
theater, and poetry directly to the classroom. Through our innovative
residencies, Teaching Artists create stimulating performing arts
experiences that engage students’ imaginations and build
self-confidence through positive self-expression. Our residencies
help students learn to work together and develop their creative
independence.
In addition to NJPAC’s innovative In-School Programs, the Arts Center’s
comprehensive Arts Education Department offers an Arts Training Program
that helps students at every level learn their artistic and technical
skills they need to study acting, dance, instrumental music, vocal
music, and musical theater. NJPAC also presents a SchoolTime
Performance Series, which introduces students and their families to a
world of entertainment and culture. NJPAC’s Arts Education programs
feature professional artists from a wide variety of traditions and
performances of music, dance, storytelling, puppetry, and more. NJPAC.org/education
About NJPAC
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown
Newark, N.J., is America’s most diverse performing arts center, and the
artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey – where
great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day.
NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and
showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a
leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its
extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation
of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted 10 million
visitors (including more than 1.8 million children) since opening its
doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with
each of its constituents. NJPAC.org
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