JCMC Outreach Program

The John Coltrane Memorial Concert Educational Outreach Program (JCMCEOP) is an educational endeavor started over 20 years ago. The purpose is to bring live performance of creative improvisational music to elementary and secondary students in select Boston and Cambridge schools. Currently, we are involved with 3 participating elementary and secondary schools: Paige Academy (private) in Roxbury, Roland Hayes Division of Music at Madison Park (BPS), and Cambridge Rindge & Latin School (CPS).

The JCMCEOP is designed to introduce the music and artistry of John Coltrane to a young audience by bringing experienced professional musician educators into the schools to expose students to the world of creative musical expression and to help enhance their appreciation, enjoyment, and where appropriate, performance of it. The program is organized as follows: A select number of student and faculty chaperons from each participating school are provided free admission to the John Coltrane Memorial Concert.  Later in the school year, follow-up performance lectures are held at each of the schools in order to reach even more students with a program that solidifies and underscores the artistic, creative, academic, and life lessons learned through exposure to the legacy of creative music in the African American tradition.

Directed by Dr. Leonard Brown, emeritus professor of African American Studies & Music, Northeastern University and JCMC co-founder, the John Coltrane Memorial Concert Educational Outreach Program has impacted over 10,000 students in Boston and Cambridge elementary and secondary schools.

Some Student Comments after experiencing the JCMC

“The audience was fairly large and very diverse in terms of age; from kids to pensioners; the median age was about 40 years. Everyone seemed to enjoy the music, listened carefully and politely stayed quiet and clapped after every solo and at the end of each song.”

“The performance couldn’t have been any better – it was exceptional in terms of instrumentals and the concert set a fantastic mood that helped you feel and understand jazz music better. I would definitely attend another concert given by this ensemble.”

“I like jazz music very much and this is the first time that I attended a jazz music concert. The musicians played really good and I like all the pieces. I would really like to go again if I have another chance.”

“I honestly do not know how this concert experience could have been improved. It is easy to see myself becoming a regular of the annual Coltrane Memorial Concert, and I am honored to have the chance to witness it this year.”