For the past several years I’ve had the privilege of being a faculty member of Jazz Education Abroad. JEA was founded by legendary jazz educator Gene Aitken. It supports jazz education in five continents, and hosts regular workshops in Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Cyprus, Lebanon, and in many other locations. JEA presents week-long workshops and festivals, where students just like youstudy jazz improvisation and theory, perform in small and large ensembles, and attend master classes and performances with a stellar international facultyand guest artists.
Age-wise, most of the students are in the 18-20 range. We’ve had students as young as ten, and as old as…well, let’s just say older than me! And the faculty is amazing, too. Saxophone, woodwinds, trumpet, trombone, strings, voice, guitar, piano, bass, drums—everyone is both a great player AND a great teacher.
I’d have to say that my #1 takeaway from these JEA workshops is the experience of sharing the music I love with so many dedicated students from around the world. I’ve had students from all of the host countries, but also from Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, Austria, Italy, Spain, France, Greece, and more.
If you live in Asia, Europe, or the Middle East, and this experience sounds like something you would love, please check out the Jazz Education Abroad web site, and check them out on Facebook. Hope to see you at a JEA workshop soon!