JazzPlayPlayJazz in ten Newark Public Schools

WBGO Jazz 88 is well known for the wonderful jazz and blues it broadcasts 24/7 from its home in Newark New Jersey. But, did you know that recently they launched a program in ten Newark public schools to introduce jazz to youngsters. Designed by a creative team under WBGO leadership - specifically, Grey Johnson, WBGO's Marketing Director, the program brought classic jazz to ten Newark public schools in a three-session program that featured live jazz and theatre.

Johnson, who also served as project Producer/Director, assembled the creative team including co-writers Eli Yamin and Clifford Carlson, actors Andre Davis and Christél Halliburton and musicians Ravi Best, and LaFrae Sci. Mr. Yamin also served as the bandleader and also the piano player.

The three-part, in-school residency introduced youngsters to jazz interactively via the performance of an original play and music. During the course of the residency, students were treated to classic jazz in three visits. By the end of the program, the kids were writing their own jazz and blues tunes. It was quite inspiring to see - I caught a performance last week! One of the actors, Andre Davis, is a Newark native and the bandleader and playwright, Eli Yamin, is a Highland Park, New Jersey native.

WBGO has plans to expand JAZZPLAYPLAYJAZZ beyond the Newark school system, but to do that more funding needs to be developed. This round of workshops and performances was supported by New Jersey and the Richard Pechter Foundation.