Education
Inspiring the Next Generation
CCJO EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Jazz grows when it is performed, shared, and passed forward.
The Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra brings professional musicians and educators directly to students throughout Greater Cincinnati through interactive performances, workshops, mentorship, and real-world performance opportunities.
Our goal is simple: help young people experience jazz, understand its history, and discover what is possible through music.
The CCJO believes in the power of music to transform lives for the better and seeks to bring the beauty and elegance of Jazz to students and audiences alike. To learn more about how you can help the CCJO transform the lives of children in the Greater Cincinnati community through informative and engaging jazz education programs with the CCJO, contact CCJO Education Manager Rich Notter.
Learn It. Play It. Perform It.
CHOPS! Workshop
CHOPS! — Collaborative Honing of Performance Skills gives young jazz musicians the opportunity to learn directly from CCJO professionals and experience what it feels like to perform in a professional setting.
Participating junior high, high school, and collegiate jazz ensembles may have the opportunity to:
- Perform as an opening ensemble at a CCJO concert
- Play for a live jazz audience in a professional venue
- Attend the CCJO performance
- Receive a workshop, lesson, or masterclass from CCJO musicians
For many students, it is their first opportunity to perform jazz outside a school setting and experience a professional big band up close.
Discover the Connection Between Jazz and American History
Let Freedom Swing!
CCJO partners with Jazz at Lincoln Center to bring Let Freedom Swing! to schools and community organizations throughout Greater Cincinnati.
Through live, interactive jazz performances, students explore the connections between jazz, democracy, communication, history, and social change.
Programs include:
Jazz & Democracy
Discover how improvisation, collaboration, and individual expression connect jazz with democratic ideals.
Jazz & Civil Rights
Explore the role jazz musicians and music played during the Civil Rights era.
Jazz & the Harlem Renaissance
Experience the music, culture, and creativity of one of the most influential periods in American history.
Jazz & Communication
Learn how musicians listen, respond, improvise, and communicate with one another through music.
Let Freedom Swing! meets multiple national and state Social Studies and Music Education standards.