The annual “Jazz House Goes to College,” event will be held on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m at Jazz House Kids, 347 Bloomfield Avenue. For nearly 10 years, Jazz House Kids has held the college fair with a variety of participating schools including The Juilliard School of Music, The Manhattan School of Music, Montclair State University and New York University just to name a few.
For the first time ever, a panel will be held in the morning exploring careers on or off the stage as part of their Giant Steps Careers in Music segment.
“We want students to be more empowered to know about different professional lanes and careers they could get involved in,” said Ted Chubb, vice president of jazz education at Jazz House Kids. The first segment will include a “Careers In Music” where students can hear about working in environments such as Broadway or in a recording studio or working in avenues such as talent management.
By starting this new initiative, Chubbs hopes students can find different routes to get to those careers and utilize the network that Jazz House Kids creates by meeting professionals or learning about different internship opportunities.
In the afternoon, a college fair portion of the program allows students to mingle with different representatives from over a dozen colleges that specialize in music. Not only will this event be a great opportunity for students, but Jazz House Kids will also hold breakout sessions for parents to discuss how to best support their children in moving on to higher education.
As the Jazz House Kids program gears up for another year, Chubbs wants everyone to know that finances do not have to be a barrier for students who wants to learn to play an instrument. “This is a community organization and we want to serve the community, “ Chubbs said. “Anybody who wants to learn this music should have the ability to have to take part in a place like this.”
For the last 20 years, Jazz House Kids has dedicated its mission to using jazz music to educate and provide experiences for students interested in music. The organization and students have received more than 135 awards and honors for excellence in jazz and jazz education. According to Jazz House Kids, the majority of students in their program go on to attend college and receive merit based scholarships.
“Jazz House Goes to College” is free for current Jazz House students and a $10 suggested donation for new families. RSVP is required for the event.