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GOOD WORKS
Jazz students will improvise with donated instruments
By SANDRA ECKSTEIN
Most people, when their kids go off to college, tuck away no-longer-needed musical instruments along with other high school memorabilia.
Now a local jazz organization is hoping parents will drag those trumpets, flutes and other items out and donate them to a summer camp for young jazz musicians.
(pictured at summer camp last year) The Georgia Youth Jazz Orchestra is seeking instruments for this year's sessions in June.
"We decided, as a jazz group, that we need to support people like professor James Patterson at Clark Atlanta University," said Phil Clore, co-founder of the Southeastern Organization for Jazz Arts.
In February, the group launched an instrument drive that runs through April 29.
"We'll take pretty much any instrument, from brass and woodwinds to a guitar or triangle," Clore said. "We'll take a piano if it's in good enough shape."
The instruments will go to Patterson's Duke Pearson Summer Camp and the Georgia Youth Jazz Orchestra, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this summer."We teach them jazz history and theory as well as play," said Patterson, who has taught music at the college for 45 years. "We try to saturate them in as much music as we can."
This year's camp for elementary to high school students runs June 11-15, culminating in a jazz concert.
(*added by SOJA:This year's camp is June 11-15, 2007 in the Park Street Music and Arts Complex. The camp ends with a 90-minute Jazz Concert for parents and other guests.)
Patterson said some students learn on school instruments, so they don't have an instrument to bring to camp.
In addition to the instrument drive, Clore said they've also planned several jazz concerts to raise money for sheet music, instrument repair and scholarships to the camp. Concerts are scheduled for April 15 at Paris on Ponce, April 22 at Studio 281 and April 29 at Clark Atlanta. The concerts are free, but donations for the summer camp are requested.
Donated instruments can be dropped off at Paris on Ponce at 716 Ponce de Leon Place in Midtown (404-249-9965) Wednesdays through Sundays, noon-6 p.m. Information: www.soja-events.org.
*This article can also be accessed if you copy and paste the entire address below into your web browser.
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/living/stories/2007/04/04/0405lvgoodworks.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Phil Clore
SOJA, Southeastern Organization for Jazz Arts, Inc.
P.O. Box 5825
Atlanta, Georgia 31107
678 687 0421 THE SOUTHEASTERN ORGANIZATION FOR JAZZ ARTS, ANNOUNCE THE "DONNEZ VOS INSTRUMENTS" CAMPAIGN
Atlanta, Georgia -February 5, 2007
George and Judi Lee, owners of Paris on Ponce and Phil Clore, Board President of SOJA, the Southeastern Organization for Jazz Arts, are announcing a musical instrument collection campaign called "Donnez Vos Instruments" (translated "donate your instruments"), in support of the Duke Pearson Summer Camp and the Georgia Youth Jazz Orchestra, directed by Clark Atlanta University Music Professor, James Patterson.
"As the owners of Paris on Ponce and Le Moulin Rouge, Judi and I have always personally sponsored the Arts and we especially know how important it is to encourage young people to stay in the momentum of musical education. This is our way of supporting Professor Patterson and the Duke Pearson Summer Camp."
"This campaign, "Donnez Vos Instruments", will provide an opportunity to encourage families who struggle financially to purchase a musical instrument for their budding musician. We are asking the community to donate anything from a tuba to a piccolo or a harp to a triangle", states SOJA Co-Founder, Phil Clore
All donations of musical instruments, large or small, can be dropped off at Paris on Ponce 716 Ponce De Leon Place (the big orange building near City Hall East) beginning February 14th from Wednesday to Sunday from 12 noon to 6 PM.
The campaign will end Sunday, April 29th. A receipt of donation is available upon request.
For more information:
Paris on Ponce
716 Ponce De Leon Place
Atlanta, Georgia 30306
404 249 9965
info@parisonponce.com
http://www.parisonponce.com |
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