This is an extraordinary moment in our history. We, the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, are proud to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter global movement for justice and accountability, to root out the systemic racism that has been embedded in American life for centuries. Similar crimes against marginalized people all over the world can no longer be ignored.
With schools across the country and around the world closed to limit the spread of the coronavirus, we are working diligently to offer our free educational resources to students, teachers and educators making the difficult transition to learning at home. During this unprecedented time, we need your help to ensure we are able to continue offering our enriching programs to public school students across the country.
The Institute’s worldwide, highly regarded Jazz in the Classroom programs are tailored for elementary, middle, high school, and college students to help them develop an understanding of and appreciation for jazz music. The series strives to share the positive aspects of jazz with young people who would not otherwise have opportunities to learn about this great national treasure.
The Institute has shifted its free music education programs fully online in response to COVID-19, allowing students across the United States and around the world to continue to engage with jazz masters like Gerald Clayton and Terri Lyne Carrington throughout the year. These virtual initiatives have already reached millions worldwide by leveraging the latest digital learning technology.
The Institute presented the first-ever Virtual Global Concert for International Jazz Day, hosted by Institute Chairman Herbie Hancock, Morgan Freeman and Forest Whitaker and featuring performances by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Marcus Miller, Dianne Reeves and dozens of other world-renowned artists. We also offered an all-virtual suite of free education programs featuring Danilo Pérez, Oran Etkin, Tarek Yamani and others.
Through the Institute’s Peer-to-Peer Jazz Education Tours, gifted student musicians from twelve public performing arts high schools served by the Institute present weeklong tours for their peers in other cities.
The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance is a tuition-free two-year program that accepts one ensemble of musicians for each class. All of the students receive full scholarships, as well as stipends to cover their monthly living expenses. The students study both individually and as a small group, receiving personal mentoring, ensemble coaching, and lectures on the jazz tradition.
With an initial gift from the Northrop Grumman Foundation, in 2016 the Institute launched its free STEM learning curriculum for students throughout the United States and around the world. With funding from additional partners, the Institute is in the process of expanding these groundbreaking curricula.