Jeremy Kern on tenor sax at the Anthology Jazz fundraiser. |
Six award-winning middle and high school jazz bands from San
Diego Unified participated in the first annual Jazz in the Schools fundraiser held
recently at Anthology in downtown San Diego.
University City High School sophomore Jeremy Kern introduced
the idea, and coordinated the event. Inspired by his love of music and desire
to support the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) program and its teachers, Kern gathered several
of the best jazz groups in the district to participate.
The nearly five-hour concert included performances from the
following schools: Pershing Middle School, directed by Mark Anderson;
Challenger Middle School, directed by Ted Foster; Marshall Middle School,
directed by Steve Steinberg; the School for the Creative, Performing, and Media
Arts (CPMA), directed by Richard Ciavarelli; Mission Bay High School, directed
by JP Balmat; and University City High School, directed by Cameron Brown.
The event raised over $5,000 for the San Diego Unified
School District's Visual and Performing Arts Department to promote and benefit
jazz music instruction and performances.
For more information on JAZZ in the Schools visit their
website, or contact VAPA director Karen Childress-Evans at 858-539-5349.