New Orleans Jazz Institute at UNO, Capital One-UNO Charter Schools Partner to Launch Saturday Music School
6/29/2009
(June 29, 2009, New Orleans, La.) - The New Orleans Jazz Institute at UNO (NOJI) and the Capital One-University of New Orleans Charter School Network have joined forces to offer a free Saturday Music School for youth beginning in the fall 2009 semester.
Unparalleled in scope and design, the Saturday Music School will provide rigorous and individualized music instruction to students ages 8 to 14 from Gentilly Terrace Elementary School (operated by a partnership between the Capital One-UNO Charter Network and the Recovery School District), as well as students recruited citywide by audition, said Dr. Andre Perry, associate dean of the UNO College of Education and Human Development and chief executive officer of the Capital One-UNO Charter School Network.
The Saturday Music School, to be held at the UNO Performing Arts Center on the Lakefront Campus, will offer training in strings, music theory, sight singing, music appreciation, woodwinds, horns, piano and percussion, along with multidisciplinary arts activities such as mural painting and dance.
The Saturday Music School program will provide group lessons for beginning students as well as private applied music lessons for more advanced students.
"This program is about making an investment in what is best about us: our children and our culture," said musician and civic leader Irvin Mayfield, artistic director of NOJI. "The yearlong, free Saturday Music School with rigorous educational standards and individual attention to each student serves the community with high-quality and engaging arts education for our youth."
"The arts matter at UNO and in New Orleans and a key mutual objective for both our Charter Schools and NOJI is to bring serious, comprehensive music education to the children of this city," said Dr. Susan Krantz, dean of the UNO College of Liberal Arts. "At UNO, we planned the Saturday Music School to be a continuing learning experience, so that students can gain the musical proficiency they'll need to advance academically and creatively."
Free to all participants, the Saturday Music School is designed to adhere to the National Standards for Arts Education as set forth by the National Association for Music Education. It will be staffed by faculty and music education instructors from UNO, NOJI, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and other contracted artistic personnel.
"This program epitomizes the best in university/school partnerships," Perry said. "We are at the beginning of an exciting chapter in this city's development where our institutions aspire to the highest levels of art and culture. Music development is one of our city's strengths. Our universities and schools should build on the rich musical heritage of New Orleans."
"The partnership between the New Orleans Jazz Institute, the Capital One-UNO Charter School Network and the UNO Department of Music represents the possibility of what we can achieve when we work together for the right reasons," Mayfield said.
"There has been a void of kids' programs in this city that created jazz. If we could create 1,000 programs like this it still wouldn't be enough. This is a win for kids and communities," he said.
Contact Robin Williams, director of programs for the New Orleans Jazz Institute at UNO, for audition and program information at rmwilli6@uno.edu or (504) 280-3303.
The New Orleans Jazz Institute (NOJO) at UNO links UNO's strengths in jazz education with professional practice. It serves to promote creative excellence and best practices in jazz composition, performance, scholarship, importation, exportation and education. The Institute serves as a community and capacity building organization for the New Orleans jazz industry and creative community, bolsters the activities and scope of UNO jazz programs, and acts as an ambassador for New Orleans jazz all over the world. For details, visit http://cola.uno.edu/noji/.
The Capital One-University of New Orleans Charter Network is a seamless prekindergarten through college learning community. Schools in the Network are operated by UNO's College of Education and Human Development. Teachers focus on the individual needs of every child, every day and prepare children for the next educational level. This prekindergarten through high school educational process is designed to provide access and placement in community colleges and the University of New Orleans. For more information on the Capital One-UNO Charter Network, visit www.unocharternetwork.net/.
Gentilly Terrace Elementary School is operated by the Recovery School District (RSD) as a University Partnership School with the University of New Orleans. For more information, visit www.gentillyterrace.net/.
The University of New Orleans (UNO), the urban research University of the State of Louisiana, provides essential support for the educational, economic, cultural and social well-being of the culturally rich and diverse New Orleans metropolitan area. It opened its doors in 1958 as part of the Louisiana State University System "to bring public-supported higher education to Louisiana's largest urban community." Today, UNO offers 43 undergraduate degree programs, 37 masters, and 11 doctoral programs. The 340-acre main campus sits on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain, offering easy access to all parts of the metro area. For more information, visit http://www.uno.edu/.
Johanna M. Schindler
Director of Public Relations
(504) 280-6939
Fax (504) 280-1080
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