Music as an instrument to develop global competence - International Education Week panel, Thur Nov 18

You are invited to celebrate the signing of an exciting new bilateral agreement between the Alamo Colleges and Jerusalem Academy of Music & Dance, with the Alamo Colleges Jazz Allstars Mentorship (A-JAM) program as the catalyst. 

The conversation will be about student success and global citizenry through music. The event is free and open to the public via Zoom. Click here to register. 

Thursday, November 18, 2021 

8:30 a.m. CDT | 4:30 p.m. Israel Time 

Moderator 

LaTanya Kurney, Coordinator of International Programs for Alamo Colleges District 

Participants 

Alejandra Bueno, Executive Director of International Programs for Alamo Colleges District 

Dr. Katharine (Katchie) Cartwright, Professor of Music for Alamo Colleges District, Northwest Vista College 

Prof. Michael Klinghoffer, President of Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance 

Sarah Meltzer Golan, Head of International Relations Office for Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance 

Dr. Arnon Palty, Professor of Music for Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance

The panel will open with a short video presentation entitled "It's Not About the Music," followed by a discussion of the cultural orientation process that is involved in being a student musician and the role global competencies play in preparing students as global citizens and ambassadors to their countries. The conversation will touch on how technology has improved during the pandemic and how it has aided student success and innovative networking among students and professors of music, including a short video presentation of an innovative real-time remote musical collaboration made possible by new technology at Jerusalem Academy of Music & Dance. Panelists will describe the impact of music as a cultural artifact and global language on observers and how the A-JAM project and the work of the International Association of Schools of Jazz engages this concept. Panelists will discuss the value of this collaboration for students of both institutions and possible projects in the pipeline, and close with opportunities for students and community to take part in a question and answer period. 

International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education.  The Office of International Programs of the Alamo Colleges leads the event in cooperation with our five colleges. 

Each year the Alamo Colleges participate in International Education Week in an effort to celebrate diversity, increase awareness of international learning experience benefits, and to continue advancing the mission of globalizing the Alamo Colleges. Join us, as we bring internationalization home and build on the global competencies of our students and community.

Invitation to attend the IASJ research conference on Nov 11-12, 2021 - Free and virtual

A-JAM community! We are all invited to attend (virtually) the IASJ research conference on November 11 and 12, 2021, to take place at the headquarters of the International Association of Schools of Jazz (IASJ) in the Netherlands. As you may know, the capstone event for the IASJ--and for the A-JAM program--is the annual jazz meeting, where students, teachers, and administrators representing each school gather to make music, learn about the musical culture of their host school, and discuss mutual interests, curricular and artistic. 

Unfortunately, the Coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc with the logistics of that meeting recently. This is a different event, however, that occurs periodically within the organization. It is focused on research rather than teaching and learning. It's a great chance to see who some of our fellow jazz musician-educators are and hear what they're doing and thinking. 

This year's conference is available virtually for free. Please spread the word and invite fellow students, faculty, and friends to drop in! Do you want to be fully updated? Check the conference website. Do you know someone else in your school or outside the IASJ who wants to follow the presentations of the 2021IASJ Conference? They are welcome to apply here.

Highlights include presentations from Dr. Damani Phillips on "The State of Black Cultural Influence in Collegiate Jazz Pedagogy," and Dr. Felipe Salles on "The New Immigrant Experience."

International jazz meeting in Munich - Free online participation for A-JAM community!

The A-JAM capstone event, the annual meeting of the International Association of Schools of Jazz (IASJ), takes place July 5-10, 2021 in Munich, Germany this year. Last year's meeting was cancelled due to the pandemic, and this year--again due to COVID restrictions--the meeting is hybrid, with limited local onsite participation. We are all disappointed that Andres Montez, our A-JAM student honoree, and his teacher Joe Caploe won't be able to participate in person this year. But the great news is that participation in all online activities is free and open to all institutional members of the IASJ, which includes the A-JAM community, i.e., YOU! 

For all of us, this is a rare opportunity to get a birds-eye view of this extraordinary event (Links to an external site.). So please help us spread the word! Mark your calendars and invite fellow students and adjunct faculty to tune in! For updated information, stay tuned to the IASJ news page (Links to an external site.) and keep your eye on the full meeting site for schedules, participants, master classes, lectures, concerts, and other information. See you there!

for schedules, participants, master classes, lectures, concerts, and other information.  (Links to an external site.)

   

International Jazz Master Class with Dr. Arnon Palty and A-JAM student honoree, Monday April 12

Don't miss it! Live from Jerusalem and San Antonio! International jazz master class with bassist and composer-theorist Dr. Arnon Palty and 2021 A-JAM student honoree, Andres Montez, and his combo. Monday, April 12 at 12 noon CST. Hosted by Musical Bridges Art Gallery. FREE and open to all students and public via Zoom. Information, including the Zoom link is at alamo.edu/nvc/AJAM

This is Dr. Palty's second visit to Northwest Vista College. Read more. 

MONDAY, APRIL 12 @ 12:00pm 

Congratulations to Andres Montez: 2021 A-JAM student honoree!

Please join us in welcoming drummer Andres Montez into the A-JAM program for 2021.

"One thing that drew me most to jazz is the freedom in the music. I love how open and free flowing it can be and the ability of being able to “trade” off with other musicians. Another reason is the passion and respect jazz musicians treat the craft and the tradition yet also, try to enhance and build upon it. Thus, always trying to push new limits with the music while keeping true to the original."

Read more of Andres Montez' personal statement about his road to jazz and his hopes for the coming year in A-JAM.

Dr. Arnon Palty

Teaching Areas: Jazz Double bass, Bass Guitar, Jazz Guitar, Theoretical Subjects and Music Theory

Dr. Arnon Palty is one of Israel's Jazz main musicians, both as a composer, arranger, author, educator and Jazz bass player. Arnon is a significant lecturer at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. His areas of expertise include Jazz and traditional harmony, counterpoint, advanced ear training, jazz composition, arranging and orchestration, leading the "Blood-Sweat & Tears" and the representative ensemble, and a variety of survey seminars concerning the music of Charles Mingus, Horace Silver, Wayne Shorter, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and Frank Zappa. Arnon has been, and still is a guest- lecturer, at top Jazz institutes worldwide: Berklee (Boston), Dublin City U, Cuny at Queens NY, Michigan U, Northwest Vista College (Texas), and many others.

About A-JAM

Intercollegiate, intercultural, and intergenerational, the Alamo Jazz Allstars Mentorship annual program is open to music majors in any of San Antonio's five Alamo Colleges. One lucky student is invited to the unique annual international jazz meeting of the International Association of Schools of jazz (IASJ) in June, where s/he performs with fellow students from all over the world for one intensive week. 
For more info contact A-JAM Program Director Katchie Cartwright, Ph.D., Professor of Music, Northwest Vista College: kcartwright2@alamo.edu

Drummer Andres Montez named 2021 A-JAM student honoree!

Please join us in welcoming drummer Andres Montez into the A-JAM program for 2021! Andres is a student of Joe Caploe and Dr. Armin Marmolejo at Palo Alto College. Read Andres Montez' personal statement about his road to jazz and his hopes for the coming year in A-JAM. On behalf of the distinguished A-JAM panel of judges, Aaron Prado (piano, theory) and Brian Christensen (reeds, theory) / Northwest Vista College), Joe Caploe (drums, percussion / Alamo Colleges), Gregory Gonzales (reeds, voice / St Philip’s College), Joan Carroll (voice), Richard Oppenheim (saxophone), and Ron Wilkins (trombone, voice), I wish Andres a wonderful year as our A-JAM honors student!  Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s auditions. Congratulations and thank you for your continued hard work! - Dr. Cartwright

 

"My personal experience with jazz started in high school, where I attended South San Antonio High School and joined the jazz ensemble there under the direction of James Morales. Hearing the rhythm of the jazz music and the bass of the drums within it for the first time sparked my interest in jazz which later turned into an obsession. Since then I have strived to learn as much as I can about jazz drumming and the language itself. I studied at San Antonio College for a year under Joe Caploe and was in the Jazz Ensemble under Andrew Gignac. Currently I am attending Palo Alto College where I am in the Jazz Ensemble under Dr. Armin Marmolejo. 

 

One thing that drew me most to jazz is the freedom in the music. I love how open and free flowing it can be and the ability of being able to “trade” off with other musicians. Another reason is the passion and respect jazz musicians treat the craft and the tradition yet also, try to enhance and build upon it.Thus, always trying to push new limits with the music while keeping true to the original.

Although some may shy away from auditions, I relish in the opportunity in which I can take my playing and musical comprehension to the next level. It would truly be a dream come true to surround myself in an environment full of great musicians and educators willing to share their knowledge with me. My professor Joe Caploe was the first to tell me about the A-JAM program last year. I auditioned last year but was not selected. At that moment, I made it my goal to audition again to demonstrated how much I have grown as a musician and that I have what it takes to be selected for the A-JAM Mentorship program. I hope to gain invaluable lessons in music and life itself. 

I am confident that it can change the course of my music career, not only as a player but as an educator for the future. Learning and having to adapt to the various styles that will be introduced to me will not only help me but will develop me into a better musician pushing the limits of my own playing techniques. Not only will I contribute my playing skills and musical comprehension, I will also bring heart and discipline for the music during this opportunity. 

I am eager to represent not only myself but also my professors and school with my continued hard work and dedication to increase my knowledge of jazz music. I was informed about the A-JAM mentorship program by my professor Joe Caploe and my fellow colleague, former winner of the program, Fernando Munoz. Both shared how the A-JAM Mentorship program is an awesome, one of a kind, experience. Being able to play and learn in an environment with top tier musicians, can only help the participant to become a better player. Traveling to a different country, meeting others with the same passion, and experiencing the different forms of jazz music will make for a lifetime experience culturally, educationally and but most importantly, musically. Accordingly, I would like to thank you and the panel of judges for giving the wonderful experience within the A-JAM Mentorship and looking forward for a chance at a lifetime opportunity to enhance my passion and career.

Now having been selected, I would first like to thank the panel of judges and the A-JAM mentorship program for the once in a lifetime opportunity. I am truly honored and excited for the opportunity. Thank you once again.” – Andres Montez, Palo Alto College

 

 

 

DEADLINE EXTENDED ONE WEEK! Online application due Friday, February 5, 2021 at 11:59 PM

APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED ONE WEEK!  Online application due Friday, February 5, 2021 at 11:59 PM. Contact us for more information. You can do it! 

Calling all Alamo Colleges jazz students! Now is the time to apply for A-JAM 2021!  Application deadline is January 29, 11:59 PM for all materials. The process is online and remote this year due to the pandemic. So you'll need to record a prescreen video and then participate in a remote audition interview on Tuesday, February 9 at 5 PM via Zoom. Contact Dr. Cartwright if you have any questions. Good luck and keep swinging! 

Calling all Alamo College jazz students! Check out this unique opportunity to up your game exponentially and have fun while you're at it. You'll have to work really hard, but the rewards are great. Join us. Complete your application during the winter break and hit the ground running in February. Click the link, download the sheet music and play-alongs, and get cracking. Contact me or your applied instructor if you have any questions. May the fourth be with you!

A-JAM JAZZ ALLSTARS PROGRAM AUDITIONS
OPEN TO ALL ALAMO COLLEGES STUDENTS

APPLY ONLINE VIA CANVAS:
Application materials available to all Alamo Colleges students and faculty 
via the A-JAM collaborative CANVAS COURSE LINK
Questions? Contact Katchie Cartwright, PhD, Program Director 
kcartwright2@alamo.edu / Facebook / A-JAM blog

MATERIALS TO PREPARE:
Download: two required play-along tracks and sheet-music
Scales/arpeggios: major, harmonic minor, dorian, and mixolydian, all keys
Sight-reading: chordal (lead-sheet), rhythmic, and melodic

COREQUISITES:
Current registration in the following courses: improvisation (MUSI 1131), applied lessons, and jazz ensemble (if available)

IT COULD BE YOU NEXT YEAR!
One lucky A-JAM student may be invited to the annual meeting of the International Association of Schools of Jazz (IASJ) to perform—virtually or in person--with top students and professionals from all over the world.

Featured in the photograph above is Fernando Muñoz, A-JAM allstar who represented Alamo Colleges at IASJ, Zagreb, Croatia. Read about his journey on the A-JAM blog.