JazzReach

Music talks, and these students listen. They listen to the notes, the tunes, the beat. They hear it and feel it. It becomes a part of them.

For nearly seven years, JazzReach has provided USC's neighborhood students the opportunity to pursue their musical interests. Their only investment: a serious commitment to the program. And, serious it is. The students must sign a contract in order to enter the program, one that requires each student to accept personal responsibility for the care of his or her instrument and that requires each student's attendance at all after-school practice sessions for the entire academic year (or excellent justification for missing one). In return, each student receives an instrument and individual private lessons from USC undergraduate students in the music program.

"Our passion for music is where it starts," says Bruce Eskovitz, who has been the director of JazzReach since its inception. And, these students are passionate. You can see it on their faces, you can hear it in the music they play.

But, what's so special about jazz anyway? Why not rock n' roll or rap?

"Jazz enters the realm of improvisation," says Bruce. It requires musicians to think on their feet; it teaches them to react. On the first day of the program at High School, two students are warming up separately before practice formally begins. One plays a few notes: "ba-bomp-ba-ba-bomp-bomp-bomp-bomp"; the other responds in kind: "ba-bomp-ba-ba-bomp-bomp-bomp." Both smile at one another and then return to the task of warming up.

JazzReach operates five different programs at five different schools within USC's Family of Schools. Students may range in age from 6 to 18. And, all participants are expected to have some prior experience playing an instrument. For more information about JazzReach or to schedule an opportunity to sit in on a rehearsal, contact JazzReach Director, Bruce Eskovitz, by phone at (213) 740-3129 or email at bruceskov@aol.com.

"Music…can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable." (Leonard Bernstein)

Article by Teresa Wechsler