The school year may have ended for most BFS students but a dedicated group of young musicians eager to delve into jazz stuck around for an extra week for Middle-Upper School music teacher Jessica Jones' 5-day jazz camp.  "14 Middle School and three Upper School students worked with great musicians," said Jessica, herself a professional tenor sax player.  "This is the first time we’ve done the camp but I've run similar programs in California. The BFS camp was for rising 6^th through 9^th graders. It might expand next year."

Jessica sought out some stellar co-teachers from among her pals in the top-notch New York City jazz world to help her run the camp. They each not only come from stellar musical backgrounds but they know each other well and formed a kind of family during the week, combining high musical standards with an open and flexible attitude. "The very different personalities and the generational spread of the teachers also validated the diversity in jazz that I find so refreshing," she said.

Brass teacher Art Baron played trombone with Duke Ellington. "I new that Art's enthusiastic physical approach to music would be infectious with the kids," she said. "He also has an ability to mix a deep devotion and seriousness of purpose with a smart aleck sense of humor."

She met saxophone teacher Yosvany Terry at Stanford Jazz Camp where they both taught. "His warmth and patience with the students there struck me," she said, "as did his mastery of the saxophone and his experience as a percussionist. He brings a unique perspective having grown up in Cuba and trained at a music conservatory there."

Dayna Stephens, who taught bass in the camp, is also a well-known, working saxophonist who plays in Kenny Barron's band. "He has played with many jazz greats," boasted Jessica. "I met him when he was 15 and just starting out on the saxophone. I soon hired him as a counselor and teacher at the programs I ran in California." She admires this self-taught musician's "unquenchable curiosity about music" and knew he'd be a terrific match for the BFS kids.

"I had heard about Julian Pollack, our piano teacher, from a parent of one of his students." It turns out Jessica also knew his father because he was both her and her husband's first music composition teacher. "I remembered him as a deeply encouraging and inspiring presence and was heartened to find he same qualities in Julian."

With Jessica's guidance, the cmp emphasized jazz music's oral tradition, "ear training and passing on the culture of the music along with the sounds. I don’t know of many places where middle school kids can find this." Most of the camp's student participants are already budding jazz women and men, having already taken Jessica's BFS courses Jazz Explorations or Middle School Jazz Band earlier this year. "It was nice that we also were able to include some Chorus and Orchestra students who had not been in jazz situations before," she added. "There are a number of kids in the Middle School who are just starting to play jazz and are becoming excited about it, and I wanted to make sure that is nurtured." 

On Tuesday, June 14th the camp culminated in a concert in the Meeting House made up of small combos and a big band featuring lots of solos. For those who still didn't get enough jazz fix to get them through the summer, all of these teachers perform regularly outside of BFS so be sure to look them up online including Jessica's own Jessica Jones Quartet.