Claiming Space in Jazz: A Personal and Collective Story

By Shelby Archer, Program Registration Manager at Seattle JazzED

My journey in jazz began in 6th grade when I picked up the saxophone. From middle school through college, I was often one of the only girls or femme players in jazz bands, which created an internal pressure to prove my worth in what felt like a boys' club. I developed a tough, competitive edge—always striving to be the best while simultaneously battling the urge to hide or quit. But my love for jazz and playing music kept me going.  

Playing saxophone became my voice and way of carving out space in a male-dominated field, where I ultimately found belonging through music and lifelong friendships with fellow band geeks. 

That experience shaped the way I see my work today. I’ve been at Seattle JazzED for two years now, and even though I was never a Seattle JazzED student myself (said with only slight jealousy and regret), I feel incredibly close to the work we do as a jazz musician and educator. 

I’ve worn many hats before landing in my current role as the Program Registration Manager. I started by working in our after-school Foundations programs, commuting to Seattle Public Schools throughout the week. I was an extra adult in the room with a musical background—helping students tune their instruments, fixing strings on the fly, taking attendance, encouraging participation and focus, and sometimes engaging in impromptu dance battles (when challenged). It was a hands-on role that connected me deeply with students, their families, our teachers, and school administrators.  

Now, in my more behind-the-scenes role, I focus on family communications and student registration, tracking student demographics, and synthesizing reports for our staff and board. As a right-brained musician, I was intimidated by the data-heavy aspect of my role. But I’ve come to view these spreadsheets as stories, or snapshots of our students' journeys at Seattle JazzED. 

For most of JazzED’s history, our student demographics reflected the same gender disparity that has existed in jazz spaces for decades. Despite our commitment to inclusivity and creating a space where all students feel free to express themselves—learning to be brave and not perfect—historical patterns are difficult to break.  

Traditional music programs, particularly those with auditions and competitive placement systems, can be intimidating, especially for young girls. Even though jazz as an art form is rooted in freedom and self-expression, many school-based programs have cultivated environments that unintentionally uphold exclusivity. 

One of my biggest projects in this role has been analyzing our student data over the past five years—tracking shifts in race, ethnicity, gender, and zip codes, as well as financial accessibility through our sliding scale tuition. Seattle JazzED has evolved immensely over the last 15 years, especially in response to the changing needs of the community. The impacts of COVID-19, shifts in enrollment, and even our move from South Seattle to South Lake Union have all influenced who we serve. Through it all, our commitment to accessibility and inclusivity remains the same. 

That’s why fall 2024 marked a historic milestone. The past five years of demographic data showed a consistent predominance of He/Him-identifying students across all our programs—aside from our Femme Ellington Project (our class made up of all-femme identifying players!). But this fall, for the first time, She/Her-identifying students became the most reported gender identity among our students. This shift reflects years of intentional effort to create an inclusive space where all students feel they belong—a milestone worth celebrating. 

Looking at the data is one thing, but seeing it come to life in our classrooms is another. When I see young students stepping into our space, picking up their instruments with confidence, and improvising without fear—being brave, not perfect—I see a version of myself I wish I had unlocked when I was younger. More importantly, I see a future for jazz that is more diverse, more welcoming, and more representative of the voices that have always deserved to be heard.  

Jazz is a Black American art form, born from resilience and resistance against oppression. Because of this, we must play it and teach it in a way that is empowering, reformative, and rooted in inclusivity. Jazz must be a space where all players feel free to express themselves, and that’s exactly what we strive to cultivate at Seattle JazzED. 

Celebrating 15 Years of Seattle JazzED

On March 6, 2025, the Seattle JazzED community came together for Soundtrack for the Future, our 15th anniversary gala that transformed the Amazon Meeting Center into a vibrant hub of music and community. This annual event benefits Seattle JazzED’s work to foster lifelong music-makers through accessible, exceptional jazz education.  

Thanks to the incredible generosity of the JazzED community, including donors who contributed before the gala and those who gave throughout the evening, we raised $262,805. Your support is what makes our mission possible, ensuring that every young person who wants to make music has access to high-quality, inclusive, and enriching music education. 

Amidst lively conversations and the energetic sounds of Alex Dugdale’s Deca-Dance, guests enjoyed a spread of Cajun cuisine catered by Old Ballard Catering Company, topped off with desserts from La Liath Bakery.  

Our emcee, Trae Holiday, guided us through the evening with energy and warmth. Jazz Lab students kicked off the program with a soulful performance of “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” that had heads nodding and the crowd clapping. 

A special moment of the evening was welcoming our new executive director, Liz Riggs Meder. In her speech, Liz reflected on her personal journey with music education and the vital role it plays in young people’s lives.

“What we do is truly inspiring. And it has me reflecting on my own musical upbringing. For you see, I am a product of music education. While my paid professions have spanned engineering, mountain guiding and education, who I am was forged by my experiences in the band room...    

Giving children a joyful space to creatively express themselves? That is just as essential as literacy or numeracy. Every student has a right to that. Every child should have access to high-quality, inclusive, and enriching music education, no matter the school they attend or their ability to pay. And I believe that JazzED and our mission rooted in the resilient values of jazz can make this happen. ”

Following Liz’s speech, Seattle JazzED alum Jahnvi Madan took the stage for a performance of “Flowers No One Has Ever Seen,” a reminder of the power of music to inspire and connect.  

The night closed with a community music-making moment led by Alex Dugdale and Deca-Dance. As the band played the Latin jazz classic “Manteca,” guests shook maracas and filled the room with movement and celebration.  

Click here to see photos from Soundtrack for the Future 2025.

Photos by Quiroz Films

JazzED-ucation in Action: Freddy 'Fuego' Gonzalez

Freddy PLaying TRombone during summer performance. Photo by Jocelyn RC.

Freddy Gonzalez first joined Seattle JazzED in 2018 supporting outreach and education in programs and served as a universal sub, which gave him the opportunity to teach every class. After a brief break from 2019 through the COVID-19 pandemic, he returned in 2021 to teach, sub, and perform with Seattle JazzED. Now, he plays a key role in developing curriculum and stepping in wherever needed. This year, Freddy is also leading our Black History Month assemblies, bringing jazz music and history to schools across the greater Seattle area.   

Freddy’s background and hands-on experience give him a unique perspective on the transformative impact of Seattle JazzED’s programs. Read on to learn more about his experience teaching at JazzED and the impact he’s experienced—both in his own teaching and in the growth of his students.  

How have you seen the students you work with transform through our programs?  

Over the course of a quarter, when you're introduced to students, you see where they’re at in their musical journey. At JazzED, you work with students from incredibly diverse backgrounds and with varying levels of experience. Some students are preparing for their Garfield or Roosevelt auditions, while others have just picked up their instrument and simply want to enjoy playing and have a good time. 

It’s really rewarding to see students gain confidence in their playing over the course of a quarter and find more joy in the music—especially with jazz, which can sometimes be intimidating. Even in the Summer Jazz Ambassadors program, which is only two weeks long, we see students every day, so it almost feels like a quarter’s worth of growth. At the start, many of them are afraid to play in front of others. I always tell them they have to share their sound for music to exist. Some students hesitate at first because of stage fright or fear of looking silly in front of their peers. But by the end, they come out of their shell and gain the confidence to perform, whether it’s in front of their classmates or their parents. They’re having fun, taking ownership, and saying, “This is my instrument. This is my song. This is my concert.” Those are the transformations that mean the most. 

What changes have you noticed in your teaching approach since you began working with Seattle JazzED? 

Man, the short answer? Everything changed. 

When I first came to JazzED, most of my experience was in private lessons and one-on-one instruction. I had a really strong background in connecting with students individually. But at JazzED, I found myself teaching in classroom settings, which was a huge shift. In my first year, I was teaching over 300 students across six schools, ranging from pre-K through 12th grade. Some schools had just pre-K through second grade, some were middle school-only, and others were high school. That first year was a trial by fire—I learned so much. Some things worked, some didn’t, and every week I had to go back, tweak my approach, and try again. 

As I started teaching Foundations and Connections, I refined my skills even more. I had some experience conducting orchestras, but leading All Play sessions in Foundations and Connections pushed me to become a more effective conductor—especially for large groups of beginners.  

Before JazzED, I didn’t know how to run a classroom as effectively, or how to work with 50 beginners all at once. Maybe I could handle five or six in a small combo, but leading an entire group? That was a whole new challenge. Without my experience at JazzED, I wouldn’t have developed those skills—or at least not as quickly. 

Freddy conducting summer camp performance. Photo by Jocelyn rc.

Can you share a specific moment you witnessed a student experiencing growth through music? 

This summer, I worked with a classical musician who played bassoon. She wasn’t comfortable with improvisation or learning by ear—she was used to reading music from charts and études. On the first day, she was visibly frustrated and told me, "This isn’t how I learn music. I don’t feel comfortable." 

I reassured her, encouraging her to embrace the process and trust that it would get easier. Over time, she started taking her own notes and learning by ear. The way we approach teaching at JazzED is built on repetition—it allows students to develop a routine and build confidence through familiarity.

By the end of the program, she was taking a solo at the concert with a huge smile on her face. She was still nervous before she started, but she finished feeling proud of herself. 

As a teacher, I often see students’ potential before they do, and at first, many don’t believe me when I tell them they’re capable. They look at me like I’m a con artist or a used car salesman, but I keep encouraging them because I know they can do it. Watching this student tap into a new part of her musicianship and exceed her own expectations was incredibly rewarding. 

This summer was also remarkable because we worked with students ranging from first- to third-year musicians, and they learned 12 to 15 songs in just two weeks. We only performed about eight, but they were ready for more because they had fully embraced the learning process. It wasn’t about how many songs they could play—it was about teaching them how to learn a song. Just like the saying, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day; teach him to fish, and he’ll eat for life,” we focused on helping students develop the skills to learn music independently. The more they learned, the more they wanted to learn, and that enthusiasm created incredible momentum. 

What changes in the music community do you hope to see, and how is Seattle JazzED helping to bring about those changes? 

JazzED is doing a great job providing musicians with steady work—whether through performances, lessons, or classroom teaching. Many of the teachers at JazzED are active, working performers, not just people who used to perform or teach from a textbook. They’re out there, performing regularly, gaining real-world experience, and bringing that knowledge directly to students in real time. 

That’s incredibly valuable. When teachers can say, “Here’s how you prepare for a concert—I just performed at Benaroya Hall last week,” it makes a huge difference. I always try to treat rehearsals like professional settings because I want students to understand what it takes to be a musician at a high level. 

JazzED is doing great work connecting students with professionals. As Seattle JazzED grows, I’d love to see even stronger mentorship opportunities. Imagine if we could support students from Foundations all the way through their high school auditions and even into college—helping with placement and scholarships for playing their instrument. Seattle JazzED is already evolving with the community, but the question is: how can we do it even better? There’s always room to grow, and it’s great to see so many students and educators returning year after year.