Jazz House Kids is dedicated to improving the quality of life for young people through the medium of jazz. We provide young people with an innovative concept of understanding music. Working together with professional jazz musicians and educators we build a musical foundation wherein a blending of multiple intelligences, the arts and other disciplines are a natural component. At the Jazz House we embrace one of America's greatest contributions to the arts. Build a Jazz House ~ Build a Child's Future!

Quite simply, a Jazz House is the creative space where we come together with young people, their families and teachers to share, appreciate and learn about the jazz experience.

It is a mobile house, constantly in play, with wheels that turn on improvisation as it negotiates its way toward that incandescent goal: the celebration of jazz. It is a house whose foundation is built on:

• Respect for creativity
• Tolerance for diversity
• Harmony in teamwork
• Love for self and others
• An abiding passion to preserve the legacy, and ensure the future, of jazz.

It is the place where we live.

Jazz House Kids was founded in 2002 with a mission of introducing young people to the joy of jazz and providing them with a unique opportunity to explore the rich heritage of this great American art form firsthand. Students working with professional jazz musicians, build a musical foundation aka the Jazz House wherein a blending of multiple intelligences, the arts and other disciplines are a natural component. Jazz House Kids has been able to help fill the gap left by massive under funding for music education in public schools toward its broader goal of cultivating tomorrows' productive citizens and community leaders.

In 1999, Melissa Walker, an internationally recognized jazz vocalist, recording artist and educator, began presenting jazz education workshops for elementary school students. Jazz House Kids evolved from this partnership with the public schools and has developed into a multi-faceted arts organization. In 2001, JHK launched the innovative and interactive Let's Build a Jazz House Workshop Series^SM. The multi-media enrichment jazz workshops allow young people the opportunity to think creatively and approach tasks in new and different ways through the medium of jazz. This program has been featured across the state and will soon have its home a new home in Camden, New Jersey.

In 2003, JHK launched its In-School Vocal and Instrumental Jazz Residency Program with the support of the Newark Arts Council. The Vocal Summit Residency Program is a 12-week program bringing professional performing artists into the schools. Each Residency culminates with a public concert extravaganza that features both students and jazz educators in performance. This year JHK was awarded its first multi-three year grant from The Prudential Foundation to provide support this program and make it an on-going part of selected schools' music curriculum. Jazz House Kids, Inc. was awarded a 2005/2006 Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation education grant to conduct the Vocal Summit in the West Orange School District.

This year we hope to launch two new programs:

The Jazz Education Professional Development Series/The Winter Retreat for Music Specialists. JHK will offer sequential professional development activities specifically designed to serve New Jersey band and choral music teachers who do not have an advanced knowledge of the jazz idiom and those instructors looking to strengthen their music curriculum and are interested in gaining greater awareness of the musical trends in jazz. This program will qualify for professional development credits to its participants.

The second program is an intensive one-week Instrumental Jazz Residency Program at selected High Schools. The program will be offered free of charge to all participating students and audience members. The goals of the Residency are: to enable talented student musicians to interact with an established professional jazz ensemble; to increase audience members' understanding of and appreciation for the jazz art form; and to develop new audiences for live jazz.