ABOUT THE CJO EDUCATION OUTREACH PROGRAM 

 "Jazz has always been synonomous with innovation.  The moment it stops is when we start to see its decline.  We are all servants of this music -- it's bigger and more important than any of us.  We've (CJO) been good stewards of the past and should continue to honor the tradition, yet we must see to it that this music evolves, progresses and reaches ever more young people." -- Jack Schantz, CJO Artistic Director.

In 2005, thanks to a significant grant from The Cleveland Foundation, the CJO introduced a new Education Outreach Program for Northeast Ohio high school music students. This program—the CJO Clinic & Concert Program—was developed using input provided by music educators throughout the area and was designed to educate and excite high school jazz musicians about the history and continuing evolution of big band jazz.

In the Clinic & Concert Program, the 16 members of the CJO sit next to their high school counterparts and provide individual and group instruction during a 90-minute clinic. The clinic is followed by dinner and then a community concert featuring the high school ensemble and the CJO. This unique, hands-on approach to education has been met with overwhelmingly positive reactions from students, some of whom claim the clinic was their most significant musical experience ever.

The CJO’s commitment to music education comes at a time when many schools are struggling to balance tightened budgets with the known benefits—such as increased intelligence, and increased success in school, society and life in general—that music education provides (Source: MENC—The National Association for Music Education "Music Education Facts and Figures 2002"). In addition, as Artistic Director Jack Schantz points out, “Getting out into the schools is important because these high school students represent the next generation of jazz musicians. Jazz has always been synonymous with innovation and we must see to it that this music continues to evolve and reach ever more young people.”

The CJO approach to education outreach capitalizes on the combined 200+ years of experience and expertise offered by the 16 professional musicians in the band, many of whom are jazz educators at the high school and college level. Core members of the CJO include the heads of Jazz Studies at the University of Akron, Case Western Reserve University, Ashland University, Youngstown State University and Kent State University. Other band members are full-time musicians and instructors who work their own small jazz groups and are regular players in major theatrical showrooms in the area.

According to CJO Board President Dan Leibundgut, “The CJO has long been interested in taking an active role in music education. Since so many of our band members are trained educators as well as world-class musicians, it was a natural fit for us to start offering education outreach. We sought the input of area music educators and our own band members to develop a program that’s unique to the CJO---and one we believe will make a lasting impact on students.”

Since the CJO Clinic & Concert Program was introduced in 2005, the CJO has worked with over 300 students and performed for over 2,000 audience members during the Clinic & Concert Programs.

Thanks to generous grants from the GAR Foundation of Akron and The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation of Hudson, the CJO is currently piloting a new Jazz Residency Program at Garfield High School, North High School and Firestone High School, in Akron, this spring. The residency program involves three visits by CJO clinicians and allows for more individual and group instruction time with students. The culminating event in the Jazz Residency Program is the Clinic & Concert Program, which involves the entire 16-member CJO in a clinic followed by a community concert that features the high school jazz ensemble and the CJO.

Student response to the new program has been extremely positive. When asked what they liked best about sitting next to a professional musician, students at one high school wrote: “Being sat amongst professionals and realizing that they are relatively “normal.” (sorry about the cliché).” And, “The fact that a person took the time out to come and teach me.”

The CJO will use feedback from its three pilot programs to refine the Jazz Residency Program for the future. In 2009, the CJO hopes to bring the Jazz Residency Program to Cleveland Public Schools as well.

For more information about the CJO Education Outreach Program, call Executive Co-Directors Erika Federmann or Marcus Bales at 440-942-9525 or email at info@clevelandjazz.org. 

The CJO is a 501(c)(3) non-profit musical organization. All donations to the CJO are tax-deductible.