United Jazz Foundation is a non-profit organization created by Nicole Parson and drummer/educator Dion Parson to provide music education and mentoring to underserved youth. Through its music education program, “Mentoring Through the Arts of Music,” the organization seeks to
• Connect world cultures through music
• Cultivate talented music students from within the local communities of various cou
ntries
• Establish collaborations with the local education and performance institutions
• Employ first-rate jazz musicians to mentor students and to help nurture inter-cultural conversations and exchanges
Mentoring Through the Arts of Music
In 2009, drummer and native US Virgin Islander Dion Parson recognized the need to create an environment on the US Virgin Islands where students could grow creatively and explore music of all genres. In collaboration with United Jazz, he created and established “Mentoring Through the Arts of Music,” an initiative that is strongly committed to elevating the music education of disadvantaged students who traditionally do not have access to more advanced means of education or private lessons. Sanctioned by the Government of the US Virgin Islands, the program works with the schools within each community to ensure that participating students have access to the tools they need to build successful careers in music and provides students with opportunities to engage with professional musicians both in the classroom and on the stage. These musicians also serve as mentors to students—from elementary school through college—helping them to understand their own local musical traditions, while introducing them to, or broadening, the concepts of all music, including the American musical heritage, jazz. The Six Principles of Mentoring Through the Arts of Music
United Jazz’s commitment to ensuring cross-cultural exchanges is reiterated in the six principles, which provide the foundation in which students can both establish and build a legacy of music. o Education
o Mentoring
o Performance
o Cultural Relations
o Community Building
o Awards & Scholarships
Education
“Mentoring Through the Arts of Music” helps students hone their craft through Master Classes, workshops, band performances, and hands-on instructions, which includes music fundamentals and the theory of jazz. Teachers at each participating school review the curriculum and work with mentoring instructors to ensure continuation of the program throughout the year. While all students in elementary school receive some form of instruction, students in junior high and high school are selected based on proficiency. These students are then assigned an instructor and mentor who will guide them through the initial learning stages and, eventually, their lifelong career. Mentoring
Mentorship is a key component in “Mentoring Through the Arts of Music.” Once students have been selected, each one is assigned a mentor, based on their selected instrument, who will guide them through the education stage, live performances during their school career, and eventually act as a liaison in the professional world of music. Mentors generally provide advice on the choice of music education (when students are applying to college), some financial guidance, and help students understand the business of music and how to grow and access their network. Performance
“Mentoring Through the Arts of Music” is all about empowering the students and helping them build their confidence as they strive to achieve their goals. The initiative accomplishes this by providing opportunities for all students to perform on some level. Many of the students are encouraged to sit in on local jam sessions, some perform with their schools, and eventually all of them are showcased in the local community concerts presented by Dion Parson and his ensemble 21st Century Band each year. In addition, many mentors may recommend students (particularly high school or college-aged students) to venues seeking small acts. The program hopes to eventually have enough students graduating each year to create and showcase its own youth ensemble. Cultural Connections and Exchanges
In 1998, Dion Parson, who grew up in the US Virgin Islands listening to reggae, calypso, African music and much more, co-founded 21st Century Band with fellow US Virgin Islander Ron Blake. The band features a mix of the native rhythms of the USVI and the rich musical traditions of jazz, America’s music, forming the new sound of Caribbean jazz. “Mentoring Through the Arts of Music” helps perpetuate this kind of creativity and provides a relaxed, yet challenging, environment which encourages the exploration of various musical cultures. This provides an opportunity for students to broaden their knowledge of music and someday create a new jazz sound or elevate the music of their own cultures. Community Building
“Mentoring Through the Arts of Music” is designed to encourage participants to give back to their communities—whether it’s through free community concerts or mentoring a new crop of music students. Each community concert is executed in conjunction with local performance spaces, hotels, and restaurants of the community where the concerts are being produced. The concerts showcase participating students as they perform with local as well as visiting world-class musicians. President Dion Parson also enrolls the members of his band to do their part by mentoring, teaching, and performing each year. Awards & Scholarships
The program produces a GALA/Awards night rewarding students who excel within the program, and acknowledging returning mentors and instructors. Community Concerts
Dion began the free community concerts as part of “Mentoring Through the Arts of Music” in an effort to give back to his community. The concerts are held several times per year and serves to help high school music students gain confidence and self-esteem as performers and to provide visibility for local vendors and other community interests. Mentoring Through the Arts of Music Presents...
These concerts are geared toward engaging students and providing them with opportunities to perform with professional musicians on stage. One concert is held each week of the MTAM program in each territory— St. John
WICO and Dion Parson Present...
In conjunction with West Indian Company Limited (WICO), one concert is held on the third Tuesday of every month on St. Thomas at the WICO Docks. Summer Band Concerts
In collaboration with the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) Summer Music program, for one week every July “Mentoring Through the Arts of Music” works with the percussion section in Jazz Band and The Concert Band. By the end of the UVI Summer Band program, all students perform at Reichhold Center for the Performing Arts.
