The
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the
state’s anchor cultural institution, celebrates 27 years of
offering thousands of high schoolers from Newark and beyond music
lessons and performance experiences through its popular 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 2024-25
school year is about to begin and is now accepting students for both the Fall 2024 and Spring
2025 semesters. Registration is now open and closes
Sep 23.
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. This school year offers
a new program “Business of the Music
Business” with class topics including:
financial wellness and budgeting; contracting; marketing and
publicity; production and more. 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.
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 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 Carter offer
master classes, working directly with students.
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 |
