Proposed education programs for the LEWIS NASH JAZZ IN AZ CENTER, opening Spring 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona.

1. The Lewis Nash Jazz in AZ Center
Education Programs Vision

2. introduction

3. “Jazz music is one of America’s most significant contributions
to world culture. It speaks to the universal need for
community, communication and self-expression.”
—Wynton Marsalis

4. Jazz in AZ
Since 1977, Jazz in Arizona
has fulfilled its mission: to
support the art of live jazz
and cultivate interest in
the music through
education, scholarships
and community outreach.

5. Lewis Nash Jazz in AZ Center
In Spring 2012, Jazz in Arizona
will have a new home:
the Lewis Nash Jazz in AZ Center.
Named for the legendary
musician and Phoenix native,
the Center will celebrate the
cultural treasure of American
music and ensure the future of
jazz for generations to come.

6. about this project

7. The Lewis Nash Jazz in AZ Center (“The Nash”) will be more than a
concert venue. The new facility offers Jazz in AZ the opportunity to
dramatically expand upon its educational programming.
The education committee of the Board of Directors has prepared this
document as a tool to help us visualize the various types of education
programs we intend to provide.

8. The goals of this visioning process are to:
articulate our vision for jazz education;
gather information and advice from the community;
describe our long-term (5-year) program plans;
establish guidelines for participating artists-educators; and
identify key program objectives for our first year of
operation. This is the stage we are in now. Year one objectives
should be specific, measurable and attainable.

9. We solicited advice from three groups 1
Jazz in AZ
stakeholders
Respected
colleagues
1
Experts in
2 the field
3

10. We asked the following questions:
What are our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats?
What kinds of jazz education programs are possible? What
are other, similar organizations accomplishing nationally and
around the world?
What models should we study? What are the best practices
in the field? What can we learn from other organizations’
successes and failures?
What kinds of programs are needed here in the Valley of the
Sun? What resources currently exist? Which are lacking?
What education programs would you, personally, like to see?
What would be of benefit to you and your network?

11. executive summary

12. The Lewis Nash Jazz in AZ Center will offer a dynamic array of
jazz presentation and education programs for youth, adults,
artists and audiences in the concert hall, classroom and
community.
We envision a year-round calendar of intimate on-site events,
enhanced through strategic partnerships with regional an
national artists, schools and organizations, reaching a global
online audience.
The following values emerged as guiding principles to shape all
our programs:

13. Inclusivity — the conviction that jazz is for everyone: children,
adults, seniors, and families; musicians and non-musicians;
privileged and the under-served.
Diversity — a commitment to stylistically diverse programs and
culturally diverse artists and audiences. Freedom from jazz purism
and genre stagnation. A “both/and” approach to jazz preservation
and exploration.
Unity — educational programs should be fully integrated with
performance programs. We will be neither a jazz club that offers
workshops, nor a school that hosts shows, but a unified jazz
presentation and education organization.
Relevance — always fill real essential needs, never duplicate existing
programs, assist rather than compete, seek out effective strategic
partnerships.
Excellence — maintain the highest quality. Strive for all programs to
be informative, interactive, fun, regularly evaluated and improved.

14. program recommendations

15. 1. Jazz in the Schools | introducing kids to jazz
2. Teacher Training Institute | in-service certification
3. Meet the Masters | workshops for musicians
4. Jazz in AZ Academy | after school & weekends
5. Jazz in AZ Camp | summer session
6. Jazz in AZ Scholarships | talent, merit & need-based
7. Private Instruction | rental & referral
8. Jazz in AZ Combo Lab | coaching & mentoring
9. Jazz After Hours | hosted jam sessions
10. Family Matinee Concerts | jazz for young people
11. Inside Jazz | pre-concert talks
12. Jazz Essentials | music appreciation course
13. Lewis Nash Jazz Fellowship | artist in residence
14. Arizona Jazz Summit | industry symposium
15. Jazz on Film Festival | features & documentaries
16. Member Listening Parties | guided listening & commentary
17. Jazz in AZ Career Center | technical assistance consulting
18. Online Learning | calendar, curricula & resources

16. Jazz in the Schools
introducing kids to jazz
Based on the innovative model developed by ArtsVision 2, Jazz in
AZ will contract with, train and supervise ensembles of teaching
artists to lead Jazz in the Schools for 4th grade students and teachers.

17. Jazz in the Schools will incorporate some elements from, and
significantly expand upon, the existing How Cool is Jazz program.
Offered free to public schools throughout the academic year, the
program will be expanded (as funding permits) to encompass several
ensembles serving different 4th grade classes on multiple campuses.
Teaching artists will be selected annually by invitation and competitive
audition, across a variety of musical styles and sub-genres. In the
interest of access and diversity, participating ensembles will change
from year to year.
Program highlights include classroom visits, school assemblies, field
trips to the Nash, a Teacher Training Institute, student workbooks,
vocabulary, and other pre- and post-visit activity resources for teachers
and students to use throughout the year.

18. Program content will follow government curriculum guidelines and
district content standards, and will be informed by the most current
arts education research.
Our teaching methodology will confer skills to help students negotiate
this important transitional period in their lives. Drawing on the
fundamental elements of jazz, students will be immersed in the jazz
concepts of collaboration and improvisation.
Curriculum-based residencies, developed in consultation with district
personnel, will link jazz with classroom subjects. For example, Blues &
Poetry to language arts, Oral Tradition to social studies, Jazz & The
American Spirit to history, Syncopated Rhythm to mathematics.
Annual program evaluation and revision will ensure ongoing program
improvement and student achievement.

19. Teacher Training Institute
in-service certification
Twice annually (one Saturday
afternoon each academic
semester), Jazz in AZ will host a
Teacher Training Institute for Jazz
in the Schools teachers (and
interested others), providing
special training, resources and
in-service participation
certification for bringing jazz
into the classroom.

20. Meet the Masters
workshops for musicians
5 to 10 times annually, Jazz in AZ
will host Meet the Masters
workshops for musicians,
featuring prominent regional and
touring artists (in association
with partner presenters) at the
Lewis Nash Jazz in AZ Center.
Offered free to Jazz in AZ
members and students, most
workshops will be open to the
public for a nominal fee.

21. Meet the Masters workshops will include:
Informances — informal performances, aka “concerts with
conversation,” in which teaching artists present a mini-concert on
stage followed by a moderated Q&A session with attendees;
Open Rehearsals — in which aspiring musicians have the opportunity
to go behind-the-scenes and witness the creative processes of masters
as they develop new work and prepare a performance;
Clinics — interactive and topical lecture/demonstrations, often vocal-
or instrument-specific, in which master musicians offer training in the
finer nuances of specific techniques; and
Master Classes — ensemble instruction based on the conservatory
model, in which an exceptional student/ensemble performs for and is
critiqued by a master musician, before an audience of fellow students.

22. Jazz in AZ Academy
after school & Weekends
The Jazz in AZ Academy will offer
instrumental jazz instruction to
middle school students throughout
the academic year.
Interested students must submit an
application, letter of recommendation
from a band director or teacher, and
attend a live audition. The moderately
priced program will be offered tuition
free to selected students based on
household income verification.

23. Modeled after successful programs in San Francisco and New York 3,
the Jazz in AZ Academy will meet weekly from October through May,
with a culminating public performance at the close of each semester.
Each student will receive Private Instruction after school during the
week in addition to Saturday Academy group classes at the Lewis Nash
Jazz in AZ Center in downtown Phoenix.
During the Saturday Academy, students will be taught to play jazz,
with an emphasis on teamwork, creativity and self-expression.
Academy faculty will be accomplished artists and educators from the
region.
Participating students will have the opportunity to participate in
Meet the Masters workshops with legendary musicians each semester.
Students will also receive free and discounted tickets to evening and
weekend Family Matinee Concerts.

24. Jazz in AZ Camp
summer sessions
Modeled on leading national 4
programs, Jazz in AZ Camp will
be a week-long intensive day
camp during the summer
months which expands upon
our Jazz in AZ Academy
offerings during the school
year with additional listening,
learning, study and
performance opportunities.

25. Jazz in AZ Scholarships
talent, merit & need-based
5 to 10 Jazz in AZ Scholarships
will be offered annually to
aspiring musicians of all
ages, to assist with expenses
associated with jazz studies.
Scholarships may be offered
over a range of amounts up
to several thousand dollars
in value, and may be
awarded based on talent,
merit and/or need.

26. The existing Jazz in AZ Scholarships program will be enhanced as
follows:
Deadlines — Annual application and award deadlines will be
established, driven by the rhythm of the academic year, planning
timetables of students and parents, and the Jazz in AZ fundraising
calendar/fiscal year. Scholarships will only be awarded once annually
after segregated funds have been raised and allocated. Annual
deadlines will be established for completion of fundraising,
application, adjudication, notification, awards and award ceremonies.
Named Scholarships — Jazz in AZ will adopt a donor-designated
named scholarship fund model to allow for greater specificity with
regard to award amounts and individual scholarship objectives.
Scholarships may be named after historic jazz masters (for example,
Illinois Jacquet, Lewis Nash or Art & Addison Farmer), after donors

27. making multi-year gift commitments (an excellent naming opportunity
for donors who express interest in jazz education), after community
leaders or artist-educators of special significance to the organization,
or in memory of a donor who makes a generous bequest to the
scholarship program. An annual concert may also be created to raised
funds for a named memorial scholarship (the James Williams/William
Patteron University model).
Application & Adjudication — The Jazz in AZ education committee
will recruit a jazz education advisory council to recommend applicants
each cycle by telephone or email. Jazz in AZ will actively seek out
students recommended by this group and encourage them to apply.
The education committee of the Jazz in AZ Board of Directors will
serve as the Scholarship Adjudication Committee, evaluating
applications in an ad-hoc meeting each cycle. Existing application
requirements may be enhanced with the addition of required audio/
video samples. Final award decisions will be at the discretion of the
Executive Director.

28. Private Instruction
rental & referral
Jazz in AZ will assist
musicians seeking Private
Instruction by offering studio
rentals to regional artist-
educators and by maintaining
a preferred teacher referral
list, including teachers who
may reside outside the
Phoenix area and offer
lessons by Skype.

29. Jazz in AZ Combo Lab
coaching & mentoring
Open to student musicians of
all ages, at all levels of ability,
the Jazz in AZ Combo Lab will
be an ongoing, year-round
program, helping aspiring
jazz players meet up with
others of comparable skill,
form combos, jam together
and learn the nuances of
small ensemble playing.
Experienced bandleaders will
guide these sessions and
serve as coaches and mentors.

30. Jazz After Hours
hosted jam sessions
Jazz A(er Hours will be a series
of jam sessions at the Nash,
held frequently as part of the
venue’s year-round schedule of
events. In addition to regular
evening sessions, special late-
night “after hours” sessions
will be offered so that regional
and touring artists can come
together after performances to
jam. Sessions will be
supervised by a rotating series
of “host” musicians.

31. Family Matinee Concerts
jazz for young people
As part of each season of
concert offerings, Jazz in AZ
will include one or more
Family Matinee Concerts
designed for kids and families.
Fun-filled, educational and
interactive, these one-hour
shows on weekend afternoons
will feature lively performance,
audience participation and
Q&A with the artists.

32. Inside Jazz
pre-concert talks
At select performances during
each concert season, Jazz in AZ
will offer intimate, moderated
discussions with featured
performing artists one hour prior
to show time. Free to ticket
holders, Inside Jazz pre-concert
talks will provide insight into the
performer’s music and creative
process.

33. Jazz Essentials
music appreciation course
Modeled on leading national 5
programs and presented twice
annually, each five-week Jazz
Essentials course will offer an in-
depth look at jazz in all its forms.
Taught be top regional artists and
lecturers, these classes will
combine discussion, deep
listening, live performance, guest
musicians, and classic audio and
video clips to offer the most
distinctive jazz appreciation
course available for adults.

34. Lewis Nash Jazz Fellowship
artist in residence
The Lewis Nash Jazz Fe)owship
is a cash award and residency,
awarded annually to an artist-
educator, who works with
young musicians participating
in Jazz in AZ programs. The
artist-in-residence serves as a
clinician and mentor to
students, while developing his
or her own new work for a
premiere performance at the
Lewis Nash Jazz in AZ
Center.

35. Arizona Jazz Summit
industry symposium
Hosted by Jazz in AZ and
attended by musicians and
industry professionals, the
Arizona Jazz Summit will be
an annual symposium, town
meeting and panel discussion
to discuss the current state of
jazz in the region. Moderately
priced and free to members,
the Summit will explore
solutions to shared challenges
while introducing peers to
Nash programs and resources.

36. Jazz on Film Festival
features & documentaries
Presented annually over
several consecutive evenings,
the Jazz on Film Festival will
invoke jazz as a visual medium.
Hosted by guest archivists and
curators, the annual event will
include historic footage of jazz
legends in performance,
documentaries on jazz subjects
and feature films with jazz
soundtracks.

37. Member Listening Parties
guided listening & commentary
Member Listening Parties
feature a jazz recording artist
in conversation, playing
excerpts from favorite
albums and sharing insights
and anecdotes about the
music. Offering a behind-
the-scenes perspective in an
intimate setting, this annual
event will be one of several
unique programs offered only
to Jazz in AZ members.

38. Jazz in AZ Career Center
technical assistance consulting
The Jazz in AZ Career Center
will provide professional
musicians with access to a
national database of industry
professionals for technical
assistance consultations on
an hourly basis. Counseling
will be available in such areas
as publicity, grantwriting,
contract negotiation, music
publishing & licensing,
bookings and more.

39. Online Learning
calendar, curricula & resources
Jazz in AZ will offer Online
Learning through its website,
which will include (a) live
streaming and audio/video of
Nash Center programs, (b) a
comprehensive master
calendar of Arizona jazz
events, and (c) links to top
national online curricula for
students and teachers: Jazz
in America, Jazz for Young
People and Jazz in the Schools.

40. other considerations

41. PARTNERSHIPS
Our success will be depend on our ability to form strong
strategic partnerships with other nonprofit arts and community
organizations, boys and girls clubs, art museums and galleries,
arts magnet and charter schools, area restaurants, hotels, resorts
and merchants, churches, musical instrument manufacturers
and technology companies.

42. ATMOSPHERE
Our venue should be a
vibrant and informal “third
place,” more gallery than
museum, more coffeehouse
than concert hall. The
atmosphere should be a
welcoming one of
experimentation, discovery,
interaction, participation and
fun. A place where all ages,
but especially young people,
will feel comfortable just
hanging out.

43. TECHNOLOGY
In addition to free, wireless high
speed internet, the facility
should have turnkey access to
state-of-the-art technology,
including a midi digital
keyboard, computer, monitor,
music software, video camera,
projection, public address and
sound equipment. Simulcasting
capability is key, both for live
streaming of our events, and on-
site viewing of important jazz
events happening elsewhere.

44. conclusion

45. Life-Long Engagement
The Lewis Nash Jazz in AZ Center
will offer a richly diverse array of
listening and learning experiences
that serve artists, build audiences
and foster life-long engagement with
jazz.

46. The Louis Nash Jazz in AZ Center

47. jazz happens here.

48. FOOTNOTES
1 For Jazz in AZ, Board President Steve Douglass, Executive Director Joel Goldenthal, and Education
Committee members Jeff Libman, Dmitri Matheny and Stu Siefer. Arizona-based artist/educators consulted
include Fred Forney, Jeremy Lappitt, Nick Manson, Eric Rasmussen, Adam Roberts and Raul Yanez. Experts in
the field (studied and/or interviewed) include Marty Ashby, Manchester Cra(smen’s Guild (Pittsburgh PA); Ed
Dunsavage, Siskiyou Institute (Ashland OR); Earshot Jazz (Seattle WA); Bruce Forman, Jazz Masters Workshop
(Carmel CA); Interlochen Center for the Arts (Interlochen MI); Jazz at Lincoln Center (New York NY); Jazz Camp
West (Loma Mar CA); Jazzschool (Berkeley CA); Kennedy Center Jazz (Washington DC); Mitchell Korn, ArtsVision
(Nashville TN); Monterey Jazz Festival (Monterey CA); National Jazz Service Organization (Washington DC); Tom
Guralnick, Outpost Performance Space (Albuquerque NM); New Mexico Jazz Workshop (Albuquerque NM);
SFJAZZ | San Francisco Jazz Organization (San Francisco CA); Stanford Jazz Workshop (Stanford CA); Thelonious
Monk Institute of Jazz (Los Angeles CA); Villy Wang, Bay Cat (San Francisco CA); and Young Musicians Program
(Berkeley CA).
2 ArtsVision has designed many of the nation’s most important and sustainable arts education initiatives for
San Francisco Symphony, New York City Annenberg Initiative, Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education, Cleveland
Orchestra Learning Through Music, San Francisco Ballet, Hart School of Music, Carnegie Hall, North Carolina
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, Baltimore Symphony, Orange County
Performing Arts Center, SFJAZZ and others.
3 The Young Musicians Program of UC Berkeley and the Middle School Jazz Academy of Jazz at Lincoln Center
in New York City.
4 National Music Camp at Interlochen Center for the Arts (Interlochen MI), Stanford Jazz Workshop (Stanford CA)
and Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop (Louisville KY).
5 Swing University (Jazz at Lincoln Center), Discover Jazz (SFJAZZ) and Jazz 101 (Kennedy Center).

49. Jazz in Arizona, Inc.
PO Box 2913
Scottsdale AZ 85252-2913
www.jazzinaz.org