“Buzzin’ In Brass!” - The sounds of a trumpet, trombone, french horn, and tuba unite to give life to arrangements of the only true American musical art form, Jazz music. The highly-trained and professional musicians of the Jazz Outreach Initiative Brass Quintet demonstrate through performance the unique and wonderful qualities of brass instruments.
In collaboration with the The Smith Center, and the Music Performance Trust Fund, Jazz Outreach Initiative recently launched its educational outreach program for children, “Buzzin’ In Brass!” The program is designed for children ages preschool through fifth grade. The “Buzzin’ In Brass!” program is designed to be an interactive program with the students directly participating and interacting with the musicians. The program changes and is updated frequently as new songs and themes become popular from year to year.
“Buzzin’ In Brass!” presents Jazz music through songs that these students know and can identify with while teaching them about brass instruments - how they work, how they sound, and how to recognize them in music. Each instrument is discussed, demonstrated and individually featured on a song.
Current songs performed for instrument demonstration are:
Trumpet - Ain’t Misbehavin” by Thomas “Fats” Waller
Flugelhorn - Kermit the Frog’s “Bein’ Green” from Sesame Street
Piccolo Trumpet - “The Prince of Denmark’s March” by Jeremiah Clarke
French Horn - “Arabian Nights” from Aladdin
Trombone - “Lassus Trombone”
Tuba - Ernie’s “Rubber Duckie” from Sesame Street
Then students participate in a “guessing game” of television and movie themes. Themes such as Disney (Frozen’s “Let It Go”), Pixar (The Incredibles) and Nickelodeon’s Sponge Bob, Square Pants are used to see if the students can identify them and to illustrate to them that music is a part of their everyday life.
The program concludes with a demonstration of all the instruments performing together on “Friend Like Me” from Aladdin.
The program has been presented at the following Elementary schools: Fong Elementary. Schorr Elementary, McWilliams Elementary, and Opportunity Village - Engelstad Campus. It has been well-received and with much appreciation.
The performance was amazing!!! The students and I can’t wait to have you return.
Thank you so much for this wonderful gift.
-Andrea Womack - Principal, JT McWilliams Elementary School
JOI will continue to present Buzzin’ In Brass throughout the year.