Gift of Jazz

Donate today to gift students the opportunity to step into the rich culture of jazz music!

Your donation ensures the continued success of our Jazz for the Schools educational programs which impact over 1,500 students in underserved communities across the Front Range. 

This is what students get out of this program:

• Students receive their own live performance from a Jazz ensemble of local professionals
• Students learn the origins and structure of Jazz, as well as the important life skills and values that are learned and practiced through playing Jazz music. Examples include…
  • Listening to others
  • Working in a team
  • Supporting your peers
  • Expressing and honoring your own voice

More benefits of our programs:

• The programs are offered at no cost to the students or schools
• We compensate our musicians at or above fair market rate to ensure that our musicians are being paid livable wages
• Your gift goes directly into creating these first-time experiences of live Jazz for students
• We instill a sense of pride into students, as Jazz is a truly American art form that embraces the strength of a diversity of voices

TESTIMONIAL

"No other music so typifies the spirit of America than jazz: highly individualistic yet collaborative, rules-based yet improvisational. With its melding of African, Latin, and European traditions, it also best reflects the cultural diversity that has made us who we are as a nation. This is a rich legacy that is too often unappreciated in our society. That's why Gift of Jazz serves such an important function: spreading the word and helping the casual listener to better understand the music and providing opportunities for aspiring musicians to get better at their craft, all in an intimate, non-threatening, cooperative environment. In promoting jazz appreciation throughout the Front Range, Gift of Jazz is a true gift to the local jazz scene." 

- Charles Vavra, Adult Education student