Emily K Students Jazz it up with the John Brown Orchestra’s Little Big Band

It was a fond farewell to 2011. Emily K Pioneer Scholars finished their last day at the Center for this year with a program fit for a king.  Or, maybe a President. John Brown and his 11 piece Jazz Orchestra conducted an educational performance for the Scholars and shared that one of their most recent gigs had been for President Obama in Hawaii.

“We are excited to be here, too,” John said, “Sometimes when we do educational performances it will be the first time the kids have ever heard jazz instruments. Who knows, the next Dizzy Gillespie might be out in that audience.”

John is the Director of the Jazz program at Duke University and the leader of the band. He and his orchestra are committed to bringing the big band sound to student groups all over North Carolina. It is a mission they believe in so strongly that they manage to fit it in around their non-volunteer professional performances.
“We introduce each of the instruments individually to the kids, and then we get them involved in the music.”

And the students did get involved. They had an opportunity to ask questions, which included asking how much some of the instruments weighed, and how long it takes before a musician is good enough to play in concerts. The students also learned that even the familiar strains of Sesame Street and the Flintstones intro music can be jazzed up by the big band sound.

Executive Director, Adam Eigenrauch commented that it’s easy to tell that you’re reaching kids with music when the air guitar, air drums, and, in this case, air horns, come out. The program ended with John promising that he and his fellow musicians would return next year and students left with toes tapping on their way to learning even more at Emily K come 2012.

December 16, 2011 at 1:29 pm | Our Students | No comment

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