SCS Celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month!
April is Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM)! A national celebration launched by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, JAM honors the history and legacy of jazz as an American art form, and encourages people to learn, listen, and perform music.
At S’Cool Sounds (SCS), the spirit of jazz lives year-round. Through hands-on learning and strong partnerships, students create and connect through our jazz education opportunities.
Our long-standing partnership with Mott Hall School in Upper Manhattan began with the Paul Simon Music Fellows Program through which SCS teaching artists mentored early-career music teachers. The partnership has since grown to include eighth and ninth graders across nine weekly classes. SCS Teaching Artists Dave Adewumi and Liany Mateo teach instrumental skills on the melodica, an accessible instrument that builds keyboard skills and trains breath control and phrasing needed for wind instruments (seen here in the hands of Jon Batiste!).
Alongside residencies, SCS jazz assemblies reach a diverse geographic spread in New York City, from Fort Greene in Brooklyn, to Chinatown and Harlem in Manhattan. Drawing from our Jazz and the World of Black American Music program—and using body percussion, rhythm games, and other musical activities—students explore the history of Black American music and instruments such as the drum kit, saxophone, and trumpet.
Your generosity makes it possible for us to expand SCS jazz music programming opportunities for students across New York City.
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Watch a short clip of Teaching Artist Dave Adewumi demonstrating a New Orleans rhythm using the phrases “How are you? I’m fine!” during a Jazz and the World of Black American Music assembly in Brooklyn. Check out our jazz resources from our free online Learning Resources site.