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overview

Jazz for Juniors is an engaging 45 minute- 1 hour interactive performance that takes elementary students (grades k-8) on a fun and educational journey into the world of Jazz.

There is also a more advanced workshop for secondary school students that delves into blues form and improvisatory techniques, as well as a new program that explores the link from classic jazz to modern hip hop called, From Bebop to Hip Hop.

Since 2000, the Jazz for Juniors group has entertained and educated thousands of students in the Toronto District School Board and Private School Systems like Upper Canada College, PACE and Sterling Hall about Jazz: the music, its instrumentation, and its history and influence on popular music today including rock and hip hop. The group has also been featured at various festivals including the Distillery Jazz Festival in Toronto and the All Canadian Jazz Festival in Port Hope. They have also toured across Canada and performed in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and BC, along with giving Masterclasses and workshops at postsecondary institutions like Carleton University, Western University, Guelph University, Mohawk College and Grant Macewan College. The program has also put on workshops on behalf Jazz Performance and Education Centre and Jazz FM 91.1.

The players of Jazz for Juniors have featured such Juno winners as Laila Biali and Elizabeth Shepherd in the past and currently features members of the acclaimed multicultural group, Worst Pop Band Ever who have played with a who's who of Canadian Musicians from Rich Underhill, Blue Rodeo, Amanda Martinez, Kelly Jefferson and the Sultans of String. The Program can be performed as a trio or quartet. More musicians can be added upon request, including MC's and turntablists.