About Summer Jazz Workshop

The Summer Jazz Workshop is an exciting and challenging five week intensive summer youth camp which focuses on the fundamentals of music and its associated business aspects for young musicians. The program has trained over 15,000 student musicians in its 48 plus year history, with many students having gone on to become successful Jazz recording artists, band and music instructors, doctors, lawyers and productive members of our  community.

Come learn and be a part of a program that will celebrate its 49^th season of “Changing Lives Though Music.” The workshop is open to middle school, and high school students who have 2 years or more of formal music training and can read music. Students must have their own instruments to participate in the program.

The workshop is conducted Monday-Friday from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm; June 15-July 18, 2020. Each location is staffed by experienced faculty, musicians and volunteers who expose the students to various subjects and concepts not fully covered by private and/or public school systems.

For the 7th year in a row the SJW will offer it’s “Artist-in-Residence,” ( AIR ) and Advances N Music Technology (AMT) as part of the workshop’s curriculum along with the following subject areas, Music Reality (theory), Composition, Improvisation, Leadership, Public Speaking and Performances. The AIR program exposes students to musicians and professionals in education, business, performance and technology. The AIR program has included such notable artists as: Brandon Lee, Jason Moran, Robert Glasper, Ben Tankard, Chelsey Green and Kirk Whalum.

The Advances N Music Technology (AMT) will employ the “iRealb” an indispensable tool that helps in every aspect of Jazz studies including: ear training, practice, understanding forms and composition.

Students are able to demonstrate their musical skills by performing in a number of public venues held each week during the summer workshop. Performances have included: H-E-B stores, Midtown Live at Lunch.  Hermann and Methodist Hospitals, Papadeaux Restaurant, City Centre among many other sites.

Students enrolled in the workshop are given the opportunity to perform at the Houston International Jazz Festival and the Annual Mayor’s Scholarship Jazz Brunch. Become a part of this exciting summer program now.