New Name, Same Vision: Femme Ellington Project

The Femme Ellington Project, formerly known as the Girls Ellington Project, was renamed based on group members' encouragement to better reflect their vision for the ensemble. This ensemble is specifically designed for individuals who have historically been marginalized due to their gender identity.

We welcome girls, nonbinary, and gender-expansive jazz musicians in grades 9 through 12 to join us in celebrating the joy of jazz music. The hope is to create more inclusive spaces for young people to create music and connect with one another.

We are currently enrolling for our next ensemble for Fall ‘24 to Winter ‘25.

From First Notes to Full Songs: Summer Foundations Camp

From July 8 to 12, we hosted our Summer Jazz Foundations Camp, welcoming over 70 campers in a one-week intensive music camp. This jazz camp was designed for new musicians to learn an instrument, and it was nothing short of inspiring to see students advance from playing their first notes to full songs in just five days.  

The Day-to-Day 

Day 1: Getting Started  

On the first day, campers were introduced to their chosen instruments. As these campers congregated in the gym, they met their lead teachers and interns for the week. After separating into their sectionals, they began learning the fundamentals of their instrument. Within the first few hours, a solid foundation was laid to ensure students felt comfortable and confident with their instrument. 

During the last hour of each day, all the campers come together for all-play where they learned essential conducting signs and how to play together, setting the stage for some musical communication.  

Day 2: Sound Painting 

Students practiced sound painting, a method of creating real-time compositions through hand and body gestures. Through sound painting, students use their instruments to play notes of different lengths and volumes. It’s a great exercise to experiment with new ways to express themselves. 

The campers also practiced “G Jam Blues” a variation of Duke Ellington’s “C Jam Blues” for their Friday performance.  

“My daughter has shown quick learning. I was impressed to see that by the second day, when we got home, she was already practicing different notes and parts of songs.” - Vivian 

Day 3: Collaborative Music-Making

Two Students practicing saxophone in their Sectionals

It’s mid-week! Students continued the music-making by working on individual songs in their sectionals and began learning a second whole-camp song, “Night Train.”  

The all-play session saw campers expanding their sound painting vocabulary after being introduced to loops of single and multiple notes. They were also treated to a live demo of a jazz jam session by our teachers who were able to spontaneously collaborate through a common melody and improvised solos.  

Day 4: Rehearsal Day 

Students rehearsed for their final Friday performance. They showed off what they’ve been learning during all-play. Their improvement from Day 1 to 4 was a reflection to their hard work and practice.  

“My son played the drums. He was nervous about coming and wasn’t sure if he was going to like it, but he ended up having a really good time. He would come home and be energetic in telling me what they learned. I think the way the camp is structured, teaching the students to work as a group and follow the conductor’s cues, is a fantastic approach. You can tell the kids were having a great time. I’m impressed with what the teachers accomplished in a week.” – Ann  

Day 5: Performance Day  

The final day! Mixed with anticipation and excitement, the students spent the final morning practicing in their sectionals and came together after break for a final dress rehearsal. 

For many, this was their first-ever performance. 

The show began with some sound painting led by all-play teacher Freddy Gonzalez. We then flowed into “G Jam Blues,” followed by sectional performances, and concluded with the lively “Night Train.”  

Freddy Gonzalez leading sound painting at Seattle JAzzED’s Summer Foundations Music Camp

Celebrating a Week of Music and Looking Ahead 

The Summer Jazz Foundations Camp was a resounding success. In just one week, our campers transformed into jazz musicians, displaying their new skills in an impressive performance. The enthusiasm and growth demonstrated were inspiring.  

The work in our Foundations level classes is both about introducing playing skills while emphasizing how important listening is when starting to play. If this is something you and your music-curious student are interested in exploring, we invite you to join us in our year-long Foundations program starting this fall. 

Community Invited to Shape the Future of Seattle JazzED

After 15 years of visionary leadership, Seattle JazzED Executive Director and co-founder Laurie de Koch is ready for her next adventure. As we prepare for this new chapter, a small search committee composed of board members and staff will work alongside an executive search firm to identify JazzED’s next leader.

Launching the Search for Our Next Executive Director

We are excited to announce that we are partnering with Clover Search Works to guide us in our search for Seattle JazzED's next Executive Director. To ensure we find the right leader, Clover Search Works is gathering a variety of input to develop a multi-dimensional perspective on the kind of leader we need.

We Need Your Input!

As part of this process, we are reaching out to our valued community members to complete an online survey. Community feedback is crucial in developing the key hiring criteria for this role, which will inform the job announcement and our recruitment efforts.

We kindly ask that community members complete this survey by the end of the day on Thursday, June 6, so that your perspective can be included in our synthesis of all input gathered during this phase.

Together, let's continue to make JazzED a vibrant, inclusive community where young musicians can thrive and grow.