Jazz Band/Chamber Trip
to Memphis
March 6-10.

So many roots of American Music as well as cultural identity have evolved through the city of Memphis that it only makes sense to experience what it has to offer through performance. We are currently scheduled for three to four performances on the tour.

On Wednesday, March 6, we returned to perform at Wally’s Jazz Café in South Boston from 6-9 pm and fly directly to Memphis the next morning.

We spend Thursday and Friday sightseeing and enjoying the music scene, with a potential performance at Graceland Friday afternoon around 4pm.

On Saturday, March 8, we have a shared performance with the students of the Stax Academy Ensemble, which will also involve a tour and learning other information and history about the studio. We are scheduled to perform at Alfred’s on Beale Street Saturday, from 8-10 PM. We will also more than likely sit in and perform with the Memphis Big Band at Alfred’s on Sunday evening.

The rehearsal space can only offer so much in regards to completing a musician. It is the social component where music is realized either from an audience perspective or performers’ contribution that completes the artistic process and ultimately shapes the creative intentions of an artist or performer. These tours not only help to bring the band members together in a new environment but also provide meaningful memories and experiences for your child, musically speaking and otherwise, of a place that has defined American culture. To this day, I hear from past parents, and students, who are grateful to have been able to experience and perform in New Orleans before Katrina, or Wally’s in South Boston.

Sincerely,

T.J. Thompson, Instrumental Music Director