Giving Tuesday 2022
On Thursday, December 1, join us on WBGO's YouTube page for an exciting livestream concert event featuring Bobby Sanabria!
Because you love jazz, you likely know that it is often referred to as America’s Classical Music, and sometimes, America’s cultural gift to the world. In fact, it was essayist and culture critic, Gerald Early, who said “There are only three things that America will be remembered for 2000 years from now when they study this civilization: The Constitution, Jazz music, and Baseball. These are the 3 most beautiful things this culture's ever created.”
But jazz hasn’t been America’s pop music for quite some time.
This presents a problem – how do we respect and uphold jazz as a thriving and evolving art form in the 21st Century?
Solving that problem is a collective effort, and WBGO provides a central location for this important work.
We do this work with you, through member support, by enabling the continuation of a long-standing tradition in our music – inter generational connection and mentorship.
In 1993, NEA Jazz Master Dorthaan Kirk, one of WBGO's founding staff members, created the WBGO Kids Jazz Concert Series. This series features world class talent, and provides a free opportunity for young people to connect to artists and the music.
The work Mrs. Kirk initiated 29 years ago, continues to be vital because without new audiences that appreciate Jazz, the genre will become a history lesson rather than a thriving art form.
After attending a WBGO Kids Jazz Concert, Jazz House Kids founder and director Melissa Walker was inspired to create a program for young people to grow their appreciation of the music through learning to play it themselves.
After attending a WBGO Kids Jazz Concert, Melissa Walker was inspired, by the coaxing of Gary Walker, to launch a place for young people to grow their appreciation of the music through learning to play it themselves - Jazz House Kids.
This year, WBGO launched the Jazz Media Workshop and engaged students from Jazz House Kids. The ten week program brought together a group of engaged youth who now have skills that are critical to the future of the music and public radio.