Savannah Music Festival Education

Trailblazer Workshop and Jam Session with Naledi Masilo and the Jazz Academy at Front Porch Improv last Friday was a swinging time! Thank you to all who came out to play, listen, and learn, and a big thank you to our venue host Front Porch Improv!

Come meet one of SMF’s Resident Artists Naledi Masilo and learn from her while getting to jam with SMF Jazz Academy at the always fun Front Porch Improv! Bring an Instrument! Parking is Limited so please park on Barnard St. Friday, Jan. 19th from 4 pm-6 pm.

The Community Family Jam hosted by SMF Jazz Academy was a Success! All our students gave it their all on stage, our invited guest performances Windsor Forest High School Marching Band, Savannah Arts Skylite Jazz Band and DEEP Slam Poetry, really brought their A-Game and gave amazing performances! All photography credit is to

SMF Jazz Academy is made possible by its founding sponsors, Ron & Susan Whitaker, with investment by the and our generous supporters.

This program is supported in part by Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from its partner agency the National Endowment for the Arts.

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how NEA grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.org

Did you see our New York Ensemble at the Phil the Park event last Saturday? Our SMF Jazz Academy students knocked it out of the Park for over 20,000 people! Thank you Savannah Philharmonic! Savannah Philharmonic Savannah Music Festival

Last week our Instrument Day for our 5th graders at Juliette Low and Shuman Elementary went off with a lots of excitement!

Our first SMFJA performance is just around the corner, {insert title of October 21st event, day, time, and location.

SMF Jazz Academy is made possible by its founding sponsors, Ron & Susan Whitaker, with investment by the and our generous supporters.

This program is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from its partner agency the National Endowment for the Arts.

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how NEA grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.

Meet our Wonderful Saxophone Instructor, Dr. Jordan Van Hemert!

VanHemert regularly works with music organizations to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. He also serves as a co-chair on the Columbus State University College of the Arts Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee and the North American Saxophone Alliance Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility. He holds degrees from Central Michigan University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. VanHemert is a Vandoren Artist-Clinician, Selmer Paris Saxophones Performing Artist, and Key Leaves endorsing artist. He performs exclusively on Vandoren reeds and mouthpieces and Selmer Paris saxophones, and he uses Key Leaves products on all of his saxophones. You can learn more about Jordan at his website, jordanvanhemert.com.

SMF Jazz Academy does the Jazz Festival. Learning and watching the wonderful documentary on Miles Davis: The Birth of Cool. Students got to ask questions and hear from family members of Miles Davis. All in all 10/10!

Do you have a small business/service that you offer?

Advertise your business with a booth or bring your food truck to our Savannah Music Festival Community Family Jam! Presented by SMF Jazz Academy! If you are the parent/guardian of a Jazz Academy Student-we will waive the vendor fee for this event!

Copy and Paste the link to Sign Up!

If you have questions please reach out to SMFJA staff.
Aubrie Racies
386-601-4571 [email protected]
Jenny Woodruff
(404) 421-2229 [email protected]

Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepYYcs8ZEzhSgMyDkuR5xkhO-LajCwZohD9Blxn2L4MsCtsw/https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepYYcs8ZEzhSgMyDkuR5xkhO-LajCwZohD9Blxn2L4MsCtsw/viewformhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepYYcs8ZEzhSgMyDkuR5xkhO-LajCwZohD9Blxn2L4MsCtsw/viewform

SMF Jazz Academy is made possible by its founding sponsors, Ron & Susan Whitaker, with investment by the and our generous supporters.

This program is supported in part by Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from its partner agency the National Endowment for the Arts.

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how NEA grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.

Welcome Back to School Chatham County! Jazz Academy Interviews start next week, and rehearsals start Sept.5th! The SMFJA team cant wait!

Photos of SMF Jazz Academy student Jaden Cooper representing SMFJA at the Pooler Juneteenth Celebration last month! We are so proud of you Jaden!

During our masterclass tonight, our awesome trailblazers will be leading a discussion with SMF artist, Alexa Tarantino.

The trailblazers team has prepared wonderful questions for Alexa including topics such as: jazz and gender justice, bandleading, practice techniques, musician lifestyle, and music in the age of social media.

Be tuned to see highlights from this masterclass! So many wonderful opportunities for our students!