Who said “there ain’t no cure for the summertime blues”? Take five very gifted middle and high school students (and their teacher) from the Baltimore School for the Arts who play brass, wind, percussion and stringed musical instruments; stir in a gifted jazz instructor, Dr. J.B. Dyer, who can make the complexities of jazz simple; and toss in, Sean Jones, an off-the-charts trumpet player who trades notes with the greats, yet wanted to give back to teaching music education; and you are part of a joyful and soulful explosion of risk-taking, spontaneity, individuality, collaboration, teamwork, trust, and freedom that exemplify the American spirit and the principles of leadership at its finest. That this demonstration was held on the 75th Anniversary of D-Day made it even more fitting.
In a crowded assembly hall at the U.S. Department of Education (in collaboration with the Herbie Hancock Music Institute), history was made and remade. If you ever doubted that students of all ages can learn, that good teachers can teach even the most difficult of subjects, and that people of all views can get engaged and come out of their comfort zones to collaborate for a greater good, your doubts were put to rest in ninety short and shining minutes. The power of music, the power of teaching and learning, the power of being open to new views and ideas, the power of taking risks and learning from the mistakes that might come, all came together through the sounds and the silence of a diverse team of gifted yet humble student musicians and teachers. This was truly a lesson for the ages.
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