Brooklyn Music School (BMS) presents the 6th Annual Middle School Jazz Festival on Saturday, March 2, 2018 from 12pm to 6:30pm, with a concert at 4:30pm, followed by a jam session with students, faculty, and guest artist. BMS is located at 126 Saint Felix Street, Brooklyn. Concert tickets are a $10 suggested donation.

The festival will feature performances by participating middle schools, a rhythm section clinic by special guest clinician Helen Sung, clinics by the BMS faculty, professional development for participating school faculty members, and a closing concert/awards ceremony. This year, BMS welcomes Donald Harrison, “the King of Nouveau Swing” to the festival as the guest host. Previous guest artists have included: Ingrid Jensen, Dr. Victor Lewis, Robin Eubanks, Sherman Irby, and Duane Eubanks.

Festivals, such as this, are important for the development and training of budding jazz musicians in America. When asked about the inspiration behind this annual jazz festival, Piruz Partow, BMS Executive Director said, “I went to hear Jazz pianist Randy Weston speak several years ago, and he spoke of the importance of teaching jazz early, and remarked how musicians from Europe and Japan were playing American Music/Jazz better than us, and this really gave Jeff Newell, BMS Jazz Department Co-Chair, and I the idea to do a Middle School Jazz Festival.”

The following schools will be participating in this year’s Jazz Festival: The Berkeley Carroll School, Community Roots Charter School, NEST+M, and Ocean Hill Collegiate Charter School. Though the festival is noncompetitive, the guest artist and the BMS faculty will be adjudicating performances to offer suggestions/encouragement and will award certificates for outstanding musicianship. The Brooklyn Music School intends for this festival to strengthen middle school jazz programs and build jazz community among young musicians in Brooklyn.