Inspiring young musicians
Aspire Middle School participates in the Jazz Festival.
Gaiser Student Center was swinging with the sounds of big-band jazz during Clark College’s renowned Jazz Festival from January 30 through February 1. The event brought 60 jazz bands from middle and high schools around the region to compete in multiple divisions.
But while the sounds were big, some of the musicians were still quite small: The first day of this annual tradition was devoted entirely to middle school performers. Festival director and Clark College music professor Rich Inouye explained the importance of including these young performers in the competition.
“Encouraging jazz performance at the middle-school level is very important to ensuring young people realize how important jazz music is to our culture,” he said.
