Jazz Aspen Snowmass has partnered with the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts (CCJA) to bring a version of CCJA’s existing She-Bop jazz workshop to Carbondale on October 18 and 19.
This two day jazz workshop is open to female jazz musicians ages 10-18 from across the Western Slope. The experience “will focus on providing high quality educational experiences in an environment that gives them a sense of belonging and community, a safe place to explore their artistic selves, and extra support and enlarged context for the role of women in jazz,” according to an announcement.
The workshop will be led by an all-star faculty of accomplished women musicians/composers including She-Bop creator Annie Booth (piano) along with Anisha Rush (saxophone) and Sonya Walker (trumpet/brass/general instructor).
Beginning on Friday evening, Oct. 18 and running all day Oct. 19, the workshop will include small group and big band playing, master classes, jam sessions and group activities.
The workshop will conclude with a live performance featuring all of the students and faculty at Carbondale Middle School beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Jazz Aspen began exploring initiatives aimed at female students last year after noticing how few women were being represented in their own programming across all levels.
“From JAS Café bands, to headliners for Labor Day, the majority of all JAS performers have been male,” senior vice president Andrea Beard said in an announcement. “When looking at over the applicants for the JAS Academy Summer residency, primarily consisting of musicians ages 18-25, only 15% were women, with only four of the twenty-three selected students being female.”
A study by USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative examining gender of artists and content creators across Billboard Hot 100 year-end charts as well as Grammy nominations in top categories showed that in 2017 that only 16.8% women.
“We know there are so many talented young women in our local schools, with She-Bop we hope to encourage and expand that talent, while creating a new community of young female musicians throughout the Western Slope,” said Beard.
The cost for the program is $150 per student. Full scholarships are available for those who need the assistance. Program details and scholarship application can be found at jazzaspensnowmass.org.