Another full week of Scat Cat Sessions in Hastings, NE!
Where it all began...
Longfellow Elementary was the first primary school to explicitly request my services, back in 2016. So back then, with about 8 weeks' notice, I gave some thought as to what might be my learning goals for these bright young minds...?
What I wish I'd known...
I decided that one of the greatest services I could provide would be to make sure that these kids didn't have to wait, like I did, till college to finally figure out that jazz was what they already knew and loved!
So I scoured the internet for examples of Jazz, Swing, and Scat-related material from my own youthful experience...
And found a way to tie them in to several prime examples from some of the pillars of the jazz cannon, to boot!
Making the rounds...
That first program was such a success, straight out of the box, that it has since made the rounds of each of Hastings' 5 elementary schools with barely a few tiny tweaks over the years.
It's extremely gratifying to know that thanks to this program, EVERY SINGLE CHILD in the district has been exposed to (and hopefully remembers!) the names and music of :
Duke Ellington
Louis Armstrong &
Ella Fitzgerald
AND each of them has been given at least a tiny taste of jazz — along with some tips to demystify the improvisation process.
Back where we started...
So now that we've made the rounds... it's time to start back at the beginning! Any of those kids who were there in 2016 have now gone on to Middle school or higher... so, it was time to start in again with a fresh crop of youngsters, to carry the torch of America's Original Art Form :-)
We've been having a GREAT week at Longfellow. What can I say... the little "Duke's Place Dance" gets 'em every time XOXOXO
