(Montclair,
NJ—April 5, 2016) High Tech High School Music & Audio Tech students took
the stage for this year’s Chica Power
Jazz Night, a five-week, free workshop at Trumpets Jazz Club, which focuses
on empowering young women in musical performances, announced Dr.
Joseph Giammarella, Principal
of High Tech High School.
Three
High Tech freshmen music majors and North Bergen residents, Daniela Garcia-Escobar,
an alto sax player, Brenda Gutierrez, who plays tenor sax, and Sarah DeCaro, a
drummer, performed at Chica Power Jazz
Night, the first time any of them had done so. This annual event at Trumpets, sponsored by Jazz
House Kids, provides girls 19 and younger the opportunity to learn about jazz
performance and play in an ensemble, even with little or no prior experience.
Girls
like Garcia-Escobar, Gutierrez, and DeCaro only have to play an instrument. At the conclusion of the workshop, they actually
perform before a live audience.
Jazz House Kids, the only community arts organization in New
Jersey exclusively dedicated to educating children through jazz, ensures that
every child has access to music, education, mentoring, and apprenticeships. Founded by vocalist Melissa
Walker, wife of Grammy award-winning bassist—and Artistic Director—Christian McBride,
Jazz House offers students musical education, sponsors various year-round activities,
and provides scholarship opportunities.
