Don Jamison Heritage School Of Music
New Orleans is a city of musical dynasties. The sounds of our culture have been passed down through the generations, to be refreshed or reinvented by the creativity of our children. For the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc., this mission could not be complete without a vibrant education component. The Don Moose Jamison Heritage School of Music is the cornerstone of that effort. Started in 1990 by Edward Kidd Jordan, the patriarch of one of our leading jazz clans, the Heritage School of Music provides free, weekly after-school instruction to teen-agers from throughout the New Orleans region. From the beginning, Jordan's philosophy has been to give young musicians a solid grounding in the basics of music performance and theory, so that as they mature they can find their own voice. I try to help them with their instrument and with the jazz vocabulary, Jordan says. Then they can take it and do something with it. Students who have passed through the Heritage School of Music include some of the hottest names on New Orleans' music scene, among them Troy Trombone Shorty Andrews, Sammie Big Sam Williams and Shamarr Allen. Heritage School students also have gone on to attend some of the most prestigious conservatories in the country, including the Berklee College of Music and The Juliard School.