A Year of Jazz, Learning, and Community

By Heidi Martin, DCJF Education Manager

At the start of 2026, I had the pleasure of attending the Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference in New Orleans! Inspiring lectures, workshops, and student ensemble performances created a dynamic space for artists, music directors, instructors, and presenters to exchange ideas and share education strategies that are part of the national dialogue. It was a great way to refuel just before launching DC Jazz Festival’s 2026 year-round education programs.

I returned inspired by the creativity and dedication of jazz educators across the country. These qualities are also at the heart of DC Jazz Festival Education. At DCJF, I am proud to work alongside exceptional teaching artists Herman Burney, Kyle Rice, and Elijah Balbed, as we bring jazz education to life for students across our community. Together, our artistry, commitment to cultivating curiosity, and ability to foster self-discipline and creative expression provide the foundation for our programs. Community investment by our generous funders enabled DCJF to serve more than 6,400 students, teachers, and their families this year.

Our DC JazzBops! program used jazz music as a living language to bridge identity, history, and expression for students beginning in Pre-K. This year, we made joyful visits to KIPP DC Arts & Technology Academy and KIPP DC Pride Academy. Through jazz-inspired storytelling, rhythm, movement, and music, students developed early literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills. We also sent curated playlists home to families to encourage learning together. DC JazzBops! expanded to include a summer curriculum serving Pre-K to 4th-grade students at DC Scholars, deepening early childhood engagement through jazz-based learning.

Jazzin’ AfterSchool – Beginning Guitar completed its second year at KIPP DC Inspire Academy. Teaching artist Kyle Rice guides students in jazz chords, rhythm, and ensemble listening, strengthening foundational musical skills in a supportive, creative environment. At a June awards ceremony, students who participated in the program for the full two years received a brand-new acoustic or electric guitar!

At Sitar Arts Center, the Jazzin’ AfterSchool Ensemble, led by teaching artist Herman Burney, builds musicianship through collaborative performance and improvisation during weekly instrumental training and jazz history sessions. A core group of students performs in a culminating concert at Sitar Arts Center for their peers, teachers, and families.

Each semester, DCJF invites students enrolled in the program and upwards of 80 additional Sitar music students to attend a lively Jazzin’ AfterSchool Masterclass focused on jazz performance. This year’s masterclass, “The Piano as a Secondary Instrument,” led by acclaimed pianist and DCJF Artist-in-Residence Janelle Gill, was a highlight! Students explored the piano as a tool for composition, arrangement, and accompaniment, expanding their understanding of musicianship beyond their primary instruments while deepening their creative and technical skills.

Throughout the school year, the JazzDC Youth Ensemble directed by Elijah Balbed, in partnership with Sitar Arts Center and the DC Youth Orchestra Program, engaged young musicians in jazz repertoire, providing mentorship, performance opportunities, and a connection to DC’s rich jazz heritage.

A defining event of the season was our Jazzin’ In-School Field Trip Experience, International Rhythms: Global Jazz Beats. This immersive program blended live performances with global history, geography, and cultural storytelling, featuring the Yilian Cañizares Trio and Akua Allrich & The Tribe. More than 1,000 students, educators, and staff from across the DC education community participated, exploring the global roots of jazz and its ongoing dialogue with musical traditions worldwide.

During the 2026 DC JazzFest’s Meet the Artist interviews over Labor Day weekend at Arena Stage, audiences had rare opportunities to engage more deeply with DC JazzFest headliners. World-renowned artists including Dee Dee Bridgewater, Lisa Fischer, Bill Frisell, Cory Henry, Danilo Pérez, Joshua Redman, Nate Smith, Ben Williams, and many others discussed the life experiences, musical influences, mentors, and artistic philosophies that shaped their sounds and creative journeys.

During DC JazzFest 2026, we proudly presented two dedicated Education Stages showcasing the extraordinary talent of DC’s student ensembles, youth orchestras, emerging artists, and jazz combos. Featured performances included a DC JazzBops! pop-up led by yours truly; Jazz Academy of Music, directed by Paul Carr; Duke Ellington School of the Arts Jazz Combo, directed by Reginald Cyntje; Blues Alley Youth Orchestra, directed by Michael Bowie; JazzDC Youth Ensemble, directed by Elijah Balbed; FAME, directed by Langston Hughes II; Capital City Voices, directed by Dr. Reginald Bowens; American University Jazz Orchestra; Stuart-Hobson Ensemble; and Little Beasts, directed by Brad Linde.

The Education Stages also welcomed the Victor Collins Trio, Goodner/McCormick Duo, Max Frank Trio, Jasper Batty Trio, Gracie Jay Quartet, Jackson Dunkin Quartet, Alanah LeNay Quartet, Baddie $quad United, Josie Lucian Duo, Josie Luke Duo, Kyle Rice Quartet, Emile Dez San & Ben Trackman Duo, Colie Aziza Quartet, Goodner/Bleiweis Duo, and Nick Aparicio Trio. These performances celebrated the next generation of jazz artists while providing meaningful opportunities for young musicians to share their creativity and artistry with festival audiences. Many of their peers showed up to cheer on their fellow classmates. DCJF distributed more than 2,100 tickets, free of charge, to DC students, teachers and their families to attend DC JazzFest 2026, attend education activities and discover jazz!

Together, DC Jazz Festival Education programs affirm jazz as a living global art form, one that connects communities, honors culture, and inspires the next generation of artists, educators, and storytellers.

DC Jazz Festival is grateful to our DC Jazz Festival Education major funders: DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Galena-Yorktown Foundation, Leonard and Elaine Silverstein Family Foundation, Amazon, Venable Foundation, Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, Guitar Center Music Foundation, The Charles and Margaret Levin Family Foundation, The Les Paul Foundation, and our Circle of Friends.