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MyspaceNext summer, the Santa Barbara City College campus will host aspiring jazz musicians from across the nation for an intensive six-week program taught by some of modern music’s best. The program, which is an exclusive partnership with New York’s prestigious Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, is led by Santa Barbara music instructor Winnie Swalley, Grammy-nominated jazz musician Ted Nash, and Pulitzer prize and multiple Grammy-award winning jazz legend Wynton Marsalis.
On Monday morning, Nash, Swalley, and other program administrators formally announced the program to potential contributors and the press at the Santa Barbara Club. Over the next academic year, Swalley said she hopes to secure full funding for the program through grants and contributions from local and national donors, eventually making scholarships available for talented students unable to afford the course’s enrollment fees, which will range from $5,000 to $8,000, depending on whether the student pays for room and board. While the price tag may look steep, JALC-SBCC offers more for the money than other summer institution programs like Interlochen and Stanford. In addition to the full-time, six-week program, local students will be able to audit the course for a one-time fee of $1,200.
The course spans six weeks, during which students from across the nation will eat, sleep, and breath jazz music, either commuting to the campus daily or housed in an apartment complex adjacent to the school. Roughly 90 students will be chosen through a highly competitive application process. 30 of the program’s spots, however, will be reserved for local musicians commuting to the campus from their homes in the area.
JALC-SBCC, as the new institute has been dubbed, will offer an advanced, individualized curriculum devised by Marsalis and Nash, two musicians at the forefront of jazz education. As opposed to other traditional jazz schools, Nash said JALC-SBCC’s curriculum will focus on each musician’s individual style, allowing young artists the freedom to develop their voice on their instrument. In addition to a rotating list of professional instructors, members of SBCC’s music department faculty will teach courses, including classes in music business management and career development. JALC-SBCC is geared toward young adult musicians over the age of 18 at the beginning of their careers.
The 90-odd JALC-SBCC students will comprise two full “big band” jazz ensembles, which will perform a show for public audiences each week of the six week program. Swalley said students will also be encouraged to participate in lunchtime “jam sessions” outdoors on the SBCC campus, which will be open to the public each day. Though the program itself will not begin until June of 2013, the JALC-SBCC website will be live and accepting applications on October 31. The application deadline is January 31, 2013. For more information on the program, call 965-0581 ext. 2379.
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Comments
Awesome. Thanks, Winnie, for your hard work and leadership to make this happen.
JohnDouglas (anonymous profile)
October 17, 2012 at 1:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
As a musician from Santa Barbara, I'm really excited to see this program established and moving along! Anybody who is interested should definitely apply when October 31st comes around. Thanks so much, Mrs. Swalley, for taking the initiative and doing so much for this awesome venture!
MattRaphaelian (anonymous profile)
October 18, 2012 at 9:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I am a Presidential Scholar student at Berklee College of Music. As a college student I find the number of summer programs offered to accommodate the needs of a semi pro musician very limited. This is just the type of program that many of my peers from New England Conservatory, USC, Cal Northridge, Harvard Music, New School, Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, Goldsmith University and Berklee College of Music have been discussing needed to be put into place and supported by a city and staff that could facilitate such ambitious needs. Winnie Swalley and Ted Nash thank you for making our student vision a reality I look forward to applying to your program.
RaulHernandez (anonymous profile)
October 21, 2012 at 11:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yay, this is amazing! As a jazz trombone student at the New School in New York, this will be a fantastic addition to my college education and I look forward to having the opportunity to work with such great musicians and mentors. A summer jazz program designed for college students is rare, and I'm sure it will get 100% positive response from the jazz community both in Santa Barbara and the rest of the country and internationally. Thank you so much for creating this program and I will be spreading the word to my peers!
MarielBildsten (anonymous profile)
October 22, 2012 at 2:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Q: What's the difference between a bass trombone and a chain saw?
A: Vibrato.
(extra credit answer): It's easier to improvise on a chainsaw.
Q: How do you get a trombone player to play slower?
A: Put a page of music in front of her.
Q: How do you get her to stop completely?
A: Put notes on the page.
Chester_Arthur_Burnett (anonymous profile)
October 22, 2012 at 4:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)