For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Rockland Band Students to Attend All-Day Jazz Clinic, Followed By Live Performances

ROCKLAND — Superintendent Alan Cron is pleased to announce that Rockland’s middle and high school band students will participate in a full day jazz clinic, followed by a concert featuring professional jazz musicians next month.

On Oct. 6, students in sixth through 12th grade will spend the day with instructors from All Ears Jazz. The clinic will feature a step-by-step, immersive learning experience designed to help young musicians express themselves through improvisational music.

That evening, students will put on a brief demonstration for members of the community ahead of a performance by the South Shore Jazz Collective, which includes some of the finest musicians from the region and counts Superintendent Cron and Director of Music John Piazza Jr. among its ranks.

The collective also includes well-known local drummer and big band leader Kenny Hadley, who has shared stages with some of the most legendary names in music, including Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and the Count Basie Orchestra.

The day’s events were made possible by a contribution from the Rockland Education Foundation.

“I’m excited that our band students will get to spend an entire day exploring a musical culture that is the origin for all of today’s popular music,” Piazza said. “Jazz is a language that must be passed on from older, more experienced musicians to the next generation and this whole program is really meant to help kids find their voice in a musical conversation.”

The community concert begins at 7 p.m. in the Rockland High School Auditorium with a performance by the middle and high school bands, followed by the South Shore Jazz Collective at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free for students, though community donations benefiting Rockland’s music program will be accepted at the door.

###