Minnesota Jazz Education

Minnesota Jazz Education Minnesota Jazz Education is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization, creating and supporting access to quality jazz education for Minnesota youth.

Since 1997, Minnesota Jazz Education (MJE), formerly the Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education, has provided opportunities for young jazz artists to learn and experience jazz music in new ways, while engaging and employing community artists and educators from across the community. The organization is operated by a volunteer working board and one contracted staff member. In an average year, we emplo

y up to 20 teaching artists and engage hundreds of Twin Cities students. Our programs include:

• ‘Experience Jazz’ is a genre-bridging music ensemble program for instrumentalists, vocalists, rappers and DJs, with a goal of fostering creativity and collaboration by bringing together aspiring artists from diverse backgrounds with a common desire to make new music rooted in jazz, blues, pop and hip-hop. Presented in partnership with High School for Recording Arts, this program runs weekly for several weeks in the spring semester. Students rehearse together in HSRA’s state-of-the-art Studio 4.

• Jazz Artists in the Schools and Community (JAISC), which connects professional artists and educators with students for music residencies.

• Community-wide workshops, which bring together students from across the community to advance their skills in a specific aspect of jazz music (e.g., improvisation, piano skills)

• Youth performance opportunities, such as the Youth Stage at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, which offer multiple chances for area bands and combos to play in front of real audiences. Learn more at mnjazzed.org. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: A Transition for Minnesota Jazz EducationFor 25 years, Minnesota Jazz Education (MJE), formerly th...
02/09/2023

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: A Transition for Minnesota Jazz Education
For 25 years, Minnesota Jazz Education (MJE), formerly the Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education, has worked to create and support jazz education opportunities for Minnesota youth. If you’re reading this, you’ve been an important part of our journey, whether as a student, teaching artist, donor or volunteer. Thank you.

Today, we’re excited to announce the next evolution for MJE. Starting in 2023, we’ll be integrating our programs with Walker West Music Academy in St. Paul. Throughout our history, we’ve learned that working together makes us all stronger—it helps reach more young people who might not have access to music education.

Walker|West is an iconic cultural institution of St. Paul, founded in 1988 by musicians Rev. Carl Walker and Grant West to provide piano instruction to children in the Summit-University/Rondo neighborhood. Their vision to create a safe space on Selby Avenue where children and adults could pursue something positive and life-affirming has become a music school that offers music instruction across all instruments and ages, including strings, voice, and digital music, from infants to elders.

Rooted in the African American music traditions and idioms, Walker|West, for over 35 years, has been a center where jazz, gospel, R&B, blues, and western classical music are taught to generations of musicians and music enthusiasts. Many of its teaching artists and jazz students are involved in MJE programs. With its long-term connections with MJE, Walker|West is poised to strengthen its relationship with another music institution committed to jazz, America’s classical music. You can learn more at walkerwest.org.

What does this mean?

- Executive Director, Katia Cardenas, who has led so much of MJE’s work over the past seven years, will begin work as the Program Director of Walker|West Without Walls in February.

- MJE programs, including “Experience Jazz,“ will operate under “Walker|West Without Walls,” a strategic outreach initiative.

- Look for updates on MJE later in 2023 as we transition.
Please don’t hesitate to share questions about this transition.

We are happy to share what we know as things evolve. In the meantime, please welcome Katia in her new role at Walker|West and in her continued support of the successful MJE programs that will be sustained under Walker|West. Both institutions are completely jazzed about what’s to come.

Sincerely,

Justin Christy, Board Chair
& Ykatirina “Katia” Cardenas, Executive Director

Learn more at:
https://mailchi.mp/2a9a4d154634/a-transition-for-mje?e=599ddb1716

Shoutout to our Experience Jazz Students on an awesome Showcase this past Saturday at Jazz Central Studios! Keep an eye ...
01/23/2023

Shoutout to our Experience Jazz Students on an awesome Showcase this past Saturday at Jazz Central Studios! Keep an eye out for these players coming up!! We had a packed house, witnessing the hard work of our students over the last 12 weeks. Thanks so much to our teachers, Claudia Medina Music, Cody LeDuc and Mickey Breeze, along with Chet Carlson and Chris Watkins, and Hsra Live support from Gabe Moore & Max Cutshall, and program direction from Katia Cardenas! We are so honored to co-present this program with High School for Recording Arts and Studio 4. Keep an eye out for auditions for next year!

Join us at Jazz Central Studios next Saturday 1/21 12:45 for the Experience Jazz student showcase! Also live-streaming o...
01/14/2023

Join us at Jazz Central Studios next Saturday 1/21 12:45 for the Experience Jazz student showcase! Also live-streaming on jazzcentralstudios.org!

01/14/2023
We’re in the final hours of Give to the Max day! Your gift will support Experience Jazz presented in parntership with Hs...
11/18/2022

We’re in the final hours of Give to the Max day! Your gift will support Experience Jazz presented in parntership with Hsra Live and provide transformational music experience for youth. Donate by midnight at https://www.givemn.org/organization/Mnjazzed

We’re in the final hours leading up to Give to the Max day! Your gifts can help support young musicians finding their vo...
11/16/2022

We’re in the final hours leading up to Give to the Max day! Your gifts can help support young musicians finding their voice and confidence

Help us give the gift of music this Give to the Max Day🎁 Donations can be made online through the link in our bio! ...
11/15/2022

Help us give the gift of music this Give to the Max Day🎁 Donations can be made online through the link in our bio!

Do you wanna support young musicians and their experience with jazz? Donate today through the link in our bio!
11/14/2022

Do you wanna support young musicians and their experience with jazz? Donate today through the link in our bio!

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Saint Paul, MN
55104

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+12067698418

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Introducing Minnesota Jazz Education

With the mission of bringing quality jazz education to Minnesota youth, Minnesota Jazz Education carries forward the legacy of The Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education, as a resource for the Minnesota jazz community for year-round free education programming. After 22 years as DFJE, we will continue our impactful community programs, including Jazz Artists in the Schools & Community, jazz workshops, the annual Youth Stage at Twin Cities Jazz Festival, The Dakota Combo and Experience Jazz, presented in partnership with MacPhail Center for Music and High School for Recording Arts, respectively.