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The Jazz Academy

In an effort to spread the love of jazz to my community’s youth, I have accepted an invitation to serve as Musical Director of The Jazz Academy in Greenville! The Academy runs from July 27-August 14 and serves junior high and high school students age 11-18. Week A (7/27-7/31) will be for instrumentalists (age 14-18) including brass, winds, guitarists, bassists, drummers and pianists. Week B (8/3-8/7) will feature vocalists and rhythm section players (age 11-14). Week C (8/10-8/14) will showcase vocalists and rhythm section players (age 14-18). Applications are currently being accepted online at BluesBoulevardJazz.com/foundation.

This jazz camp runs weekdays only, each camp lasting for one week, meeting from 10am until 4pm Monday through Friday. Campers will enjoy daily exposure to group lessons, music warmups, workshops, jam sessions and rehearsals targeting jazz history, jazz theory, improvisation and performance. A final concert for campers’ parents will be offered at 3pm each Friday that camp is in session. While no jazz performing experience is necessary, instrumental students are expected to have a working knowledge of how to play their instrument. Lunch will be provided daily at the camp location, Blues Boulevard (300 River St., Suite 203), in downtown Greenville, SC.

As the current Director of Jazz Studies at University of South Carolina Upstate I am looking so forward to directing this series of jazz immersion day-camps for the youth of Upstate South Carolina! Non-residents of Greenville and Spartanburg counties are also welcome to attend these day-camps. These educational experiences are supported in part by the Blues Boulevard Foundation which aims to spread the love of jazz to the youth of our community. Scholarships are also available (please see the official camp website). Camp counselors assisting me daily include a jazz performance major from Loyola University in New Orleans and a commercial music major from USC Upstate, both having excellent performance chops as well as prior experience working with children in a jazz/music camp setting. For additional information about my jazz career, please see my website, www.tishoney.com, and for camp information please consult our Blues Boulevard Foundation website, clickable in the link above. Please feel free to forward this information to any youth in our region who may be interested! Thank you for your support of jazz education… and may your summer be filled with wonderful music!

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