"Buzzin' In Brass is sponsored by The Smith Center Education Department with additional support from JOI supporters Greg and Shelley Bay and Nancy Schkurman.
Designed after a long-running program by Walt Blanton, Buzzin' In Brass is created by Jazz Outreach Initiative co-founder and Vice Pres. of Education & Programming, Gary Cordell. Entering its 7th year, Buzzin' In Brass is JOI's second oldest youth program behind the Essentially Ellington Las Vegas Regional High School Jazz Band Festival.
Sponsored by The Smith Center's education department and offered exclusively to local Title 1 "at risk" schools, Buzzin' In Brass features the JOI Jazz Brass Quintet in a unique learning opportunity for students in underserved populations to experience jazz during typically two back-to-back performances for the entire student body.
Each member of the brass quintet introduces their instrument, talks about how it is made, what makes it unique from the other instruments, and performs a small sample to experience the sound and range of the instrument. Brass instruments showcased include trumpet, piccolo trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone, French horn, and tuba. As each instrument is introduced, an age-appropriate recognizable tune is presented by the quintet so students can identify clearly how each instrument fits into the ensemble.
At the conclusion of each performance, the emcee "quizzes" the students on songs the quintet performs to see if they recognize them. Buzzin' In Brass is one of the highest rated and most requested musical education programs for these schools.
This fall, the quintet will present Buzzin' In Brass to seven schools across the valley reaching more than 2,400 students who may otherwise never experience the "JOI" of jazz up close. This fall will also include a special "Sensory-Friendly" performance for special needs students at John Miller Elementary School.
Jazz Outreach Initiative is so thankful for the strong support of the entire education team at The Smith Center for sponsoring and managing the school registrations for this outstanding program. Additional thanks to JOI volunteers and supporters, Greg and Shelley Bay and retired CCSD Elementary Fine Arts Coordinator, Nancy Schkurman whose supplemental donations help make these fall 2024 performances possible at no cost to either schools or JOI.
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