Multimedia:
Click here to see the video
About eight 12- to 18-year-old musicians filed in to a small Hyattsville basement Saturday, lugging their instruments down a tight stairwell and arranging their chairs and music stands for yet another improvisational jam session.
This is the weekly routine of the Prince George’s Youth Jazz Orchestra, said Cheyney Thomas of Hyattsville, who directs the middle and high school-aged musicians and offers his home for rehearsals.
Thomas and Antonio Parker, Inner City Jazz Foundation founder, said they formed the group as a way to keep jazz alive and teach children.
“We’re rich in jazz history. We love the music and we don’t want to see the music die,” Thomas said. “The only way to keep it alive is through the children.”
August marked the start of the fall season and the group is currently lining up performances. Thomas said they typically play several free shows per year at various picnics, functions, festivals and promotional-type events.
The nonprofit has rehearsed in Thomas’ basement since it first formed in August 2010.
Thomas said they are looking into other rehearsal spaces and are hoping to find an inexpensive or free venue to use.
“We’re trying to find some place, but it’s hard when you don’t have any money,” Thomas said. “This is a nonprofit and we don’t charge the kids.”
Vernon Jones, II, a DeMatha Catholic High School senior from Hyattsville, plays alto saxophone in the orchestra and has been practicing performing with the group since its inception.
“I like to play jazz and I didn’t have a place to play it except for school,” he said. “It’s a nice place to learn jazz and we also get to teach other people techniques.”
Ideally, Thomas said they would like to have enough members to start a traditional big band of 12 to 25 musicians, where they can have a number of small ensembles and more options for arrangements, but the group needs to raise more money to purchase instruments for students who don’t already own them.
“We don’t just want to stop here. We want to continue to build a program,” he said.
Aspiring members must be able to practice regularly and be proficient in reading music.
Thomas’ wife, Tonya, said ICJF backed the youth orchestra as a way to provide jazz scholarships and awards for talented students and performers in an effort to preserve jazz.
“[The orchestra is] an opportunity for school-aged students who may otherwise, due to school budget restrictions, teacher shortages and socioeconomic conditions, have limited access to jazz educational opportunities and experiences,” she said.
The youth performed at the Lake Arbor Jazz Festival in Mitchellville in mid-July and will next be performing from 1 to 3 p.m. Sept. 17 at Calloway United Methodist Church in Arlington, Va.
djgross@gazette.net
Copyright © 2012 Post-Newsweek Media, Inc./Gazette.Net