Jazz Foundation Of America Inc

Jazz and Blues in the Schools/Creating Employment: Dignified work that keeps the music alive. Most often, the best way to help blues, jazz, and roots musicians in crisis is to keep them working. Musicians who used to play six nights a week now have few or no options. The Jazz and Blues in the Schools program continues to be a vital source of income and optimism for our legendary elders. JITS serves multiple purposes: 1) providing dignified work for artists to continue doing what they love most; 2) presenting live music to underserved audiences at a variety of community venues and creating access to enrichment and entertainment; and preserving the legacy of jazz and blues through concerts by veteran audiences reaching new listeners. Many of the thousands of young attending their concerts have never heard live music. By sharing this music at schools that otherwise have limited access to arts and enrichment, we can help to build future audiences. In a digital world, this interaction provides the opportunity to learn how music is actually made. Through Jazz and Blues in the Schools, musicians feel alive with purpose, sharing their life stories with hundreds of new fans and passing on valuable lessons about the history and practice of blues, jazz, and roots music. JFA created 1,927 paid work opportunities for musicians in need through the Jazz and Blues in the Schools Program in 2024.

The Gig Fund /Provide Jazz and Blues Music Free to the Public. The Gig Fund produces free, pop-up performances for underserved audiences. The shows take place in public spaces as opposed to traditional and costly venues, and engage new audiences who would not otherwise have the chance to hear these accomplished players. Our dream is for this program to return us to the days when a band would just start playing during lunch hour or after-work, and people would gather to listen, dance, and sing, and there would be this shared experience, reminding us that We Are All In This Together. In 2024 the JFA provide 530 work opportunities for musicians through the Gig Fund Program.