Fall fun for Nebraska Scat Cats
- artsembassyintl
- Nov 8, 2025
- 2 min read
AEI artist - Keri Chryst - introduces a fresh round of young Nebraskans to the joys of jazz & improvisation
Scat Cat Sessions - Lincoln Elementary
It was another whirlwind week for our founding member artist, Keri Chryst, and the young Scat Cats at Lincoln Elementary in Hastings, Nebraska.
Ella, Louis & Duke
All 400+ students, ages K-5 got a chance to interact with this professional jazz vocalist to learn about some of America’s most treasured jazz artists. By the end of the week, the young Lincolnites knew the names, faces and sounds of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and the queen Scat Cat herself, Ms. Ella Fitzgerald.
Watchword for the week - Improvisation!
Besides learning about typical jazz instrumentation and the great jazz artists - students not only observed the master improvisers at work, but each and every student had a chance to throw their hat in the ring to try improvising themselves! Imitating animal sounds and instrument sounds as a gateway to exploring some more sophisticated scat “licks” and having a few “improvisation conversations”.
Lucky 5th Graders
The 5th grade “core group” got a little extra time with Keri to work up a short repertoire of jazz favorites to perform for the school (and parents). A long line of youngsters stepped up to bravely improvise some “Scat Converations” with Ms. Chryst during the final performance. And some even got to double in the jazz band which accompanied the rest of the singers on the closing number “Hit the Road Jack”.
Credit where it’s due
Shout out to everyone who made this possible through funding, blood, sweat and tears - namely (left to right) Rick Matticks, Chris Niemeyer and Carter Pursley - with generous funding from The Hastings Foundation, and the Nebraska Arts Council. Your collective support for such projects is immeasurable!
Jazz Lives
All in all - and amazing opportunity for the youth of Hastings, Nebraska to interact with, learn from, and take the stage with a practicing professional musician of America’s great art form - Jazz!
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