Parents of Teen Musicians: Here’s a Great Opportunity for your Band Kid!s

Have you heard about the Jazz Arts Academy at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank? This is a great opportunity to supplement and enrich your middle school or high school student's regular school band program!

Placement auditions are being held by appointment on Sunday, Sept. 18th and Monday, Sept. 19th at the County Basie Theatre Performing Arts Academy Building (111 Monmouth St., Red Bank) so that your teen (ages 13 and up) can join a very special music academy that holds classes on Sunday evenings throughout the school year to give your child an amazing jazz band experience.

If your child plays an instrument and doesn't have enough of an opportunity to play among peers, whether or not they have played jazz music before, this program will give them the gift of working with other talented peers and musicians/instructors in an amazing program where they will learn all about jazz music and get to perform it!

They don't have to be current jazz musicians. They might just play in the regular school band but haven't even realized that there are other opportunities out there for their talent to be nurtured and to give them a chance to play in performances with others of their age.

Here's how the program works. The Jazz Arts Academy is a comprehensive jazz studies program including performing ensembles, improvisation, general musicianship, coaching, special workshops, and jam sessions that begins later this month and runs for a total of 30 weeks in three semesters (with breaks around the winter and spring holidays) until June.

The Jazz Arts Academy provides students with a 'centralized Jazz scene,', a place where they can supplement their school music program, meet new players from the entire region, and gain valuable skills and experience in a fun, safe, and professional atmosphere.

The curriculum is designed to enrich the study and performance of Jazz. Students will be assigned to an ensemble with musicians of similar ability. Each ensemble will receive a weekly coaching session that will focus on improvisation, ensemble playing, the history of Jazz, learning the standards of the Jazz repertory, and general musicianship. From time to time students may attend special free additional sessions, workshops, and jams.

The program is a full school year commitment through June of 2017. Tuition for the full school-year is $840. For more info and to schedule an audition appointment please contact the Offices of Count Basie Theatre Performing Arts Academy at: (732) 224-8778 ext. 125 or by email: eduadmin@countbasietheatre.org.

This program is brought to you by the Jazz Arts Project. For more info, CLICK HERE!