Building on the success and growing popularity of GET JAZZED, the educational arm of Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest, Berks Arts announces the launch of a larger scholastic jazz festival during the 2023 Berks Jazz Fest. The intention is for this “festival within a festival” to become a local, regional, and eventually national draw for students, educators, and families to enjoy an incredible jazz education experience through workshops, masterclasses, performances, jams and much more.
To support the GET JAZZED committee, headed by professional jazz saxophonist and retired educator Mike Eben, Berks Arts has added Scott Litzenberg to the team; he will serve as Educational Events Coordinator. Litzenberg has spent 34 years as a high school band director prior to his recent retirement; he has also led and managed events in the music education and performance world across the nation. He now lives in Millsboro, Del.
“Adding Scott to this already impressive team allows us to expand the ways in which we fulfill our mission,” said Justin Heimbecker, Berks Arts executive director. “Building on what the GET JAZZED committee has done over the years, we will mesh our existing successful initiatives with these new ideas and programs.”
In recent years, on the first Sunday during Berks Jazz Fest, GET JAZZED has been holding Doc Mulligan Day, in which several local school jazz bands perform in an exhibition and are critiqued by three adjudicators. The following evening, the committee has been hosting the RMF/Project Penske Jazz Jam at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Reading. This popular session is open to all students, who perform alongside BJF artists in front of an audience.
“I’m hoping that we can extend our reach to include younger musicians, as well as address teacher issues, especially for music teachers for whom jazz is not their forte,” Eben said. “I’m also hoping that we get more opportunities to have student musicians rub elbows with renowned Berks Jazz Fest musicians, giving them more chances to perform with and learn from the pros.”
Beginning in 2023, the scholastic festival will expand to Monday through Thursday during Berks Jazz Fest, which is scheduled for March 24 to April 2. Plans are underway for activities including performances, workshops, clinics, master classes, competitions, opportunities for interaction with professionals, and much more. Band directors from local and regional middle schools and high schools will be invited to participate, Heimbecker said. “There’s going to be a place for every type of group, at every level, in this festival,” he said. “We’ll meet them where they are at every level, from beginners to advanced players.”
Litzenberg said he is excited to help take the educational program to the next level, and welcomes “the opportunity to help establish something that I would have enjoyed taking my students to. We can leverage the high quality of the Berks Jazz Fest to get more students excited about jazz. It’s a unique opportunity to use the great talent and infrastructure to make this a really special event.
“Teaming with Scott with Mike, Millie and other members of the education group will allow the Get JazzED program to expand and develop new opportunities that will become a major part of the Berks Jazz Fest,” said John Ernesto, the festival’s general manager. “Creating an education fest to be part of Berks Jazz Fest is an exciting challenge.”
Litzenberg said the added bonus of attracting more students to the scholastic events is that kids and their families will also become patrons of the larger festival, perhaps throughout their lives, he said.
“It’s about opportunity, access, participation and inspiration,” Heimbecker concluded. “We’re taking the GET JAZZED concept and making it available to thousands of students and their families in creative and exciting ways.”
CALLING ALL JAZZ ENSEMBLE DIRECTORS!
As Berks Arts begins to plan educational events for the 2023 Berks Jazz Fest, you can click to fill out an INTEREST FORM to share information about your program and interests. Interest Forms will be collected in the coming weeks, and additional details about registration and the final schedule will be released at the beginning of the school year.
Stay abreast of developments by visiting www.berksarts.org.
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