Love for Performing

There are many ways in which music educators can inspire passion in their students, and encourage more than a passing interest in their performance programs.

The first is to instill music as a core value from a young age. In Chops, we meet two students who have been lucky enough to learn their instrument from an early age. Darren, a saxophonist, has been playing since he was barely big enough to hold the instrument. TJ, a trombonist, had been inspired by his grandfather, who was also a trombonist. TJ's parents helped him follow that inspiration all the way to the top of the Jazz Ensemble at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, a magnet school for students who excel in the performing and visual arts.

At DASOTA, we meet Ace Martin, a jazz ensemble director who well exemplifies how a music educator can guide young adult instrumentalists. While Mr. Martin's ensemble is a special case, being an auditioned ensemble within an auditioned school, he still faces pressures that all music educators face. For students who have not grown up with music like Darren and TJ, passion must come from the director and from the ensemble as a whole. Additionally, many students are under parental pressure to participate in a musical ensemble just to pad their resumés with an extracurricular activity. For those students, we must provide additional incentive to want to be there.

When a student is in an ensemble, and her friends are excited about performing, it becomes more likely for that student to become excited as well. But how do we foster that excitement?

Set a goal; something to strive for. Mr. Martin's jazz ensemble recorded an audition for the prestigious Essentially Ellington festival in New York, and were accepted into the competition. All year, members of the ensemble worked hard, fundraising for their trip from Florida, and practicing the music they would perform at Lincoln Center. While in New York, the performers met jazz legend Wynton Marsalis, who was the emcee of the festival. This added an additional layer of incentive, showing the students what could be possible if they kept pursuing their art. When the competitive spirit gets involved, each player has a personal stake in the success of the ensemble. For the DASOTA Jazz Ensemble, the hard work paid off. They won the competition, earning recognition and prestige, as well as a grant for their school. The ensemble would then keep that euphoria of winning in their minds, bringing it back to their lives in Florida, and beginning to think about the next challenge.

I highly recommend this documentary as required viewing for any jazz enthusiast or music educator.