Events
DC Jazz Festival Education
Overview
Inspiring the next generation of DC's jazz artists
DC Jazz Festival® (DCJF) Education provides free-of-charge and affordable jazz education programs to students of all ages, teachers, and families, especially in underserved communities. From early childhood through adult learners, DC Jazz Festival Education engages and enhances the lives of a vast demographic of the DC-metropolitan community with robust and comprehensive programming. Our dynamic, interactive, and immersive DCJF Education program has received numerous awards including the Wells Fargo Cultural Excellence Grant and the DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Creative Industries.
DCJF Education prides itself on providing top-quality music educators and teachers who have dedicated their lives to teaching the true essence of jazz. They take joy in sharing their talents with youth.
To learn more or to book an education program at your school or community center, contact Heidi Martin, DCJF Education Program Manager, at heidi@dcjazzfest.org.
Early Childhood Music Education
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DC JazzBops!
DC Jazz Bops!, our literacy-based early childhood education program, uses jazz-inspired books and interactive lessons to establish children’s early music skills, encourage good social and behavioral development, and promote an early interest in reading and math. Each session is paired with a playlist that encourages young learners and their parents and caregivers to sing, dance, read and explore in their own home.
he 2025-2026 DC JazzBops! program is made possible, in part, with major grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities; with awards from Galena-Yorktown Foundation, Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, The Venable Foundation, and the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation. ©2026 DC Jazz Festival. All rights reserved.
Elementary, Middle and High School Education
Jazzin’ InSchool
Jazzin’ InSchool engages elementary-aged students in an interactive exploration of jazz, its development in the U.S. and its relationship to other global musical art forms. With live music experiences, Jazzin’ InSchool includes singing, instrument interaction, social studies, history and geography. Focus areas include Jazz and Hip Hop, Jazz and South Africa, Blues Harmonica Workshop, Guitar Ensemble Program and more.
Session Time - 60 minutes
Ages - 7-11
“The DC Jazz Festival offered students (and teachers!) a wonderful learning experience that pushed their thinking and gave students the opportunity to explore the major elements of jazz, go-go, and hip hop in a unique way!” - DC Public Schools Office of Teaching and Learning
The 2025-22026 Jazzin’ InSchool programs are made possible, in part, with major grants from the Government of the District of Columbia, Muriel Bowser, Mayor; DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities; National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts; and with awards from the Galena-Yorktown Foundation, Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, The Venable Foundation, Les Paul Foundation, and the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation; with corporate support from Amazon. ©2026 DC Jazz Festival. All rights reserved.
Jazzin’ AfterSchool
In partnership with Sitar Arts Center, Jazzin’ AfterSchool provides year-round weekly instrument training and jazz history sessions for Sitar music students. Each semester, students enrolled in the course are joined by upwards of 80 other Sitar music students for a lively masterclass session focusing exclusively on jazz performance, history, and appreciation. A core group of students performs in a culminating concert at Sitar Arts Center for their peers, teachers, and families.
The 2025-2026 Jazzin’ AfterSchool programs are made possible, in part, with major grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities; and with awards from the Galena-Yorktown Foundation, Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, The Venable Foundation, and the Les Paul Foundation. ©2026 DC Jazz Festival. All rights reserved.
JazzDC Youth Ensemble
JazzDC Youth Ensemble is hosted in partnership with Sitar Arts Center and the DC Youth Orchestra. Directed by Elijah Balbed, this program engages young musicians in jazz repertoire, providing mentorship, performance opportunities, and a connection to D.C.’s rich jazz heritage.
JazzDC™ is made possible by major support from the Galena Yorktown Foundation and the Leonard and Elaine Silverstein Family Foundation. Additional support provided by Tanner Powell, Peter Gillon, Leslie Whipkey, Debbie Veney, Carmencita Whonder, Erik Moses, Stephen Riddick, Jeffrey Freund, Sunny Sumter, D'Qwell Jackson, Pamela Frazier, and Patricia Sarcone.
Field Trip: International Rhythms of Jazz
This field trip provides an experience for artists to guide students through the connections between jazz and international rhythms including Afro-Cuban rhythms and DC’s unique musical art form, go-go. These connections include and demonstrate each musical genre’s overlapping themes of improvisation, blues, sampling, signifying and swagger.
The 2026 FTE: International Rhythms is made possible by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, with additional support provided by the Galena-Yorktown Foundation, the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, the Leonard and Elaine Silverstein Family Foundation, and the Venable Foundation.
All Ages Music Education
DCJazzPrix™ International Band Competition
DCJazzPrix is an annual international band competition that provides a unique professional and adjudication platform for emerging bands, outside of the traditional academic and commercial arenas. Unlike other performance-based contests, DCJazzPrix puts the emphasis on the essential interactions between band members and recognizes these relationships as the core pursuit of the jazz aesthetic. Young and emerging jazz bands from around the world are encouraged to apply for our premier global competition. DCJazzPrix applicants will have their music heard by a prestigious jury of jazz luminaries. Three finalist bands will be selected to travel to compete at the DCJazzPrix Finals to Washington, DC before an enthusiastic crowd of jazz fans during the annual DC JazzFest. The winning band will receive a $15,000 grand prize, and a yearlong association with the DC Jazz Festival that includes customized business development and career impact services, extensive publicity training, and a highly visible 2025 DC JazzFest engagement with commensurate compensation.
The 2026 DCJazzPrix program is made possible by major support of The Leonard and Elaine Silverstein Family Foundation and Venable Foundation. The DCJazzPrix award is made possible by the generous support of the Gillon Charitable Fund and the Galena-Yorktown Foundation.
Meet the Artist
Meet the Artist provides a rare opportunity for DCJF audiences to get “up close & personal” with the artists we present. Free-of-charge, the one-on-one interviews engage artists in dialogue on their artistic and career development, including insights on their creative process and artistic journey. Meet the Artist sessions are designed to engage listeners off the bandstand, presenting unique opportunities to learn about the creative artist who make the music. These sessions “demystify” the art form providing lively, informative, and insightful opportunities to learn more about the music we call jazz.
Artist-In-Residence Program
The aim of the Artist-In-Residence program, part of DC Jazz Festival Education, is to foster deeper connections between artists, DC Jazz Festival and our jazz community. During the residency, artists engage in a number of activities including serving as guests curators, collaborating with other artists, participating in master classes or interviews, and supporting DC Jazz Festival Education community engagement activities.
Internationally acclaimed pianist and bandleader Emmet Cohen, and distinctive DMV pianist, composer, and educator Janelle Gill will serve as the Festival’s 2026 Artists-in-Residence. The dual residency brings together two generations of jazz innovators for a year of performances, master classes, creative collaborations, and community programs throughout the nation’s capital.
“The DC Jazz Festival has built something rare—a residency that truly serves the broad music community and the jazz audience. Emmet Cohen and Janelle Gill bring imagination, discipline, and spirit to that mission. I’m pleased to stand (and sit) with them as the Festival looks toward its next horizon,” said Ron Carter, NEA Jazz Master and DC Jazz Festival Board Member.
The DCJF Artist-in-Residence Program is a signature initiative of DC Jazz Festival Education, designed to deepen connections between artists, students, and audiences while celebrating jazz as a living, evolving art form. “It’s a true honor to serve as Artist-in-Residence with the DC Jazz Festival and to keep creating music that brings people together in this extraordinary community,” said Emmet Cohen.
Cohen and Gill will serve as Festival ambassadors and guest curators, leading educational workshops, artist talks, and neighborhood engagements that reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Washington, D.C.’s jazz ecosystem. The residency unfolds as Washington, DC and the nation mark DC250 and America250, highlighting jazz as a living expression of American creativity, dialogue, and community in the nation’s ongoing story.
For more information about the Artist-in-Residence program and to sponsor this program, email Raeanna Grey at rae@dcazzfest.org.