Sponsor spotlight: Here’s how you can help keep music programs in our schools — attend May 18 Edmonds Jazz Connection

Yes, you can make a difference in school programming. On Saturday, May 18 come to downtown Edmonds and enjoy the Edmonds Jazz Connection, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Edmonds Daybreakers.

Edmonds Jazz Connection is a local festival showcasing some of the best high school jazz programs from throughout the Pacific Northwest. These programs feature many very highly talented student musicians and many have performed at prestigious jazz competitions nationwide. At the end of the academic and competitive year, Jazz Connection is an encore for these hardworking students to perform for families, friends and their community, and showcase their improvisational talents while playing side-by-side with professional musicians.

Connecting the Community and Supporting Musical Arts

While the principal goal of the event is to connect our community with its many wonderful student jazz musicians, this event is pivotal for raising funds that directly support school music programs and students. We work in partnership with the school district leadership and choral and band directors to identify the most pressing needs of school music programs then we provide the funding, volunteer hours and other support to ensure the success of these initiatives.

This year we have four primary areas of focus:

– Scholarships for student musicians continuing their education at a college or university

– Promote and expand middle and high school female jazz bands

– Classroom grants that support music education

– Clinician sessions for each program in the district. Clinics provide an opportunity for each jazz ensemble to meet regularly with professional musicians to build improvisational musical skills

Learn more at jazzconnection.org

When and where:

Saturday, May 18, 2024

The Edmonds Center for the Arts showcasing the Big Bands

The Edmonds Theater featuring Combos

The Old Opera House featuring Choral Groups

The events start at 9 a.m. in all three venues simultaneously.

In addition to raising funds to support an exceptional music education experience in Edmonds Schools, the Jazz Connection has become a wonderful annual spectator event, bringing 3,000-plus attendees each year to Edmonds — an incredible performance experience for all performers and audience members alike.

This is the Edmonds Daybreakers Rotary Club’s premier community fundraising event for the students of the Edmonds School District and surrounding districts. Our goal is to raise $45,000 to implement these programs, help as many students as possible and cover event costs. We appreciate all past donations and we are hopeful this year to do more to help make our program even greater.

Learn more at www.daybreakersrotary.com.

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