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. 

Meet Seattle JazzED's New Executive Director

For the last year, the staff and board have been working with Clover Search Works to find our next Executive Director. We were looking for a leader responsible for driving strategic initiatives that enhance our programs, build inclusive and effective staff, and strengthen relationships with external stakeholders. The search is officially over.

On January 6, we welcomed our new Executive Director, Liz Riggs Meder, to the team!  

To learn more about Liz and her journey to Seattle JazzED, we had the chance to sit down with her for a conversation. 

A Little Bit About Liz 

Liz is an educator and nonprofit leader with a background in guiding organizations through growth and change to expand their reach and impact. She is passionate about creating access for diverse audiences and has done that for programs ranging from science curriculum for youth to outdoor risk management for adults. Profoundly shaped by her music education experience through her school years, she is eager to return to the music world and to use her change management skills to support making rich music education more accessible to all students. 

Can you share a little about your journey and what led you to Seattle JazzED and this role?

Photograph by Chris Meder

I’ve always been an educator, but I started my career as an engineer, which gave me a problem-solving approach and design sensibility that’s shaped much of what I do. Later, I worked professionally outdoors as a mountain guide and ski patroller, which led me into nonprofit work supporting outdoor professionals. Education has been a unifying thread through all of it.  

I took on a leadership role in my last job, gaining expertise in change management and guiding teams through periods of transformation. When I found Seattle JazzED and this role, it felt serendipitous. All my past experiences seemed to align in a way that made this opportunity feel meant to be.  

What made me really feel warm and excited about this job is that I had such positive experiences in band during high school and college. As a parent of a musician in Seattle Public Schools, I see that you can’t take for granted that everyone will have access to those opportunities and experiences. I realize how important it is to create opportunities for music education and that’s what makes Seattle JazzED’s mission so compelling.  

What excites you most about stepping in as Executive Director?  

What excites me is the opportunity to build on what Seattle JazzED has already accomplished. There are a lot of similarities in the structure and educational mission between JazzED and my last organization. I’m eager to apply the lessons I’ve learned supporting their organizational transformation to my work leading Seattle JazzED.

The organization and staff are really committed to each other and our students and families. There’s hopefulness in this team that’s ready to go. All of the components are there, they just need someone to pull it all together to be successful.  

What are you listening to these days?  

I’m very omnivorous when it comes to most things, especially music. I love everything from classical to the Beastie Boys. Right now, I’ve been listening to Kishi Bashi’s ‘It All Began With A Burst’ on repeat.  

What’s a fun fact about yourself that might surprise people? 

I have a lot of hobbies. I love to sew and knit. I’ve even made some of my own clothes. Also, because I have worked from home for so long, I’ve become a pro at what I call ‘Iron Chef-ing' lunch. I just turn random leftovers in my fridge into something surprisingly good, at least to me, for lunch.   

What message do you want to share with the community as you begin as Executive Director?  

Each day, I’m struck by how deeply interconnected Seattle JazzED is with Seattle’s jazz history and its community of educators, musicians, students, and families. It’s a rich tapestry, and I’m honored to be woven into it. My goal is to build on JazzED’s strong foundation and continue the real community feel and connections with the music community in Seattle and the families we serve.

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We look forward to the future under Liz’s leadership and can’t wait for you to meet her in person at our Soundtrack for the Future Gala on March 6!