Dear Jazz Friends and Members of Emory Jazz Alliance,

2013-14 was a banner opening year for the Emory Jazz Alliance.  Designed to support the Jazz Studies Program at Emory, EJA has enabled jazz supporters from the Emory neighborhood, greater Atlanta, and beyond to become appreciated and vibrant participants in the Emory music and arts community.

This model, local support for the Emory Jazz Studies Program, has quickly gained recognition and encouragement from the Emory arts community.  The 2013 Creativity and Arts Award for the Volunteer Category was presented in recognition of our effort.

Funds raised in the inaugural year of EJA have had a remarkable and sustained impact on the Strickland Jazz Studio and equipment used in didactic and performance sessions with Emory jazz students.

• These efforts supported the purchase of new computers (Apple iMac) and associated musical software.  Professor Motley utilized iPads in a novel effort designed for extended training in recording and composition using control surfaces. This iPad-based training was presented at the 2013 Jazz Education Network Conference and subsequently published in The Jazzer’s Cookbook. This book contains tips from 57 of today’s most outstanding educators, performers, and industry pros in the jazz education world.  In addition to Professor Motley, other contributors include John Clayton, Dave Liebman, and Bob Mintzer.
• A brand new Yamaha N3 AvantGrand piano graces the Emory Jazz Studio with unsurpassed sound, touch, and electronic and network capability. This unique instrument will enable students to expand their compositional and performance horizons to achieve in the jazz realm.  I would like to thank Cooper Music for their support in obtaining this remarkable instrument.
• A new and improved interactive SmartBoard has been installed to assist Emory Jazz Instructors as they help the students with their performance capabilities.  SmartBoards operate by touch to enable unique utilization of musical training software. Pitch adjustment, recording, composition, tuning, practice tools, musical notation on the fly: instructional adjuncts that make learning a visual experience.

For the 2014-15 season, The Emory Jazz Alliance would like to focus fund-raising to support the following activities:

• Scholarships to support student lessons.  Individual lessons are essential to provide needed didactic instruction to the Emory Jazz Students.  This year, over 80% of the students will take private lessons, an improvement over past seasons.  Lessons cost $800 per semester.  Donations from EJA will hopefully enable 100% participation. A donation to EJA will support jazz education that will pay great dividends for students as well as jazz fans who attend Emory student performances.
• Program Development. EJA is committed to support Professor Motley and his excellent Jazz Affiliate Instructors.  EJA funding will offer improved access to instruments and support for interdepartmental and community outreach activities.
  • Local and regional junior high and high school jazz programs
  • Programs involving other sections of the Emory Music Department as well as unique programs designed to support and interact with other Emory Departments.
• National and International Outreach
  • Professor Motley will speak at the January 2015 Jazz Education Network Conference in San Diego on  “Counterpoint Techniques for the Jazz Pianist.”
  • In cooperation with the Emory’s Goizueta Business School, four Emory Jazz Studies students have been invited, along with Professor Motley, to travel to Medellin, Columbia in June 2015.  This trip is designed for jazz performance and instruction and cultural exchange.  It is the first international trip for the Jazz Students and worthy of your support. 
    • The Centro Colombo Americano in Medellin is a nonprofit organization that promotes human and social development through academic and multicultural experiences between Colombia, the US and other countries. The Committees for Inter-American Affairs began sponsoring cultural exchange programs in Medellin, Columbia 1947. Writers, artists, scientists and jazz orchestras and classical musicians have participated in this program. Since 2007, their jazz collaboration program has promoted cross-cultural understanding and international dialog between US and Colombian jazz artists at the university level. The US Embassy is a strong supporter of the jazz program as well as other community development initiatives.
  • The trip is scheduled for June 2015. The Emory Jazz Quartet is among three jazz quartets from US universities to be invited to teach and perform in Colombia.

Thank you so much for your financial support during the 2013-14 inaugural season for the Emory Jazz Alliance.  Please join us as we celebrate jazz performances, student jazz education, the recently improved Strickland Jazz Studio, and the future of the Emory Jazz Studies Program.  Let’s offer Professor Motley and his jazz instructors the support they need and deserve.

Sincerely,

Hank Siegelson
President
Emory Jazz Alliance