Jazz Power Initiative

The Mission of Jazz Power Initiative is to ignite the power of jazz music education and transform lives by fostering creative self-expression, community, teamwork, and diversity.

Jazz Power Initiative (JPI), a non profit, 501 (c) (3) organization, serves over 3100 New Yorkers and visitors annually – students, teachers, artists, seniors and general audiences, ages 8-80+, to promote youth development, and build more creative and inclusive communities through jazz music, theater and dance education and performance.

Led by highly experienced teaching artists who are award-winning jazz, theater and dance professionals, JPI offers multidisciplinary training, scholarships and performance opportunities to New York City youth, ages 8-19, from every economic and social milieu through our “open-door” policy, with extended outreach to students in under-served New York City public schools in Upper Manhattan. We currently engage over 600 students and their teachers annually, providing after-school instruction mainly in Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood (where our offices are located) and the Bronx.

Our programs include after-school youth masterclasses at the United Palace; our monthly INTERGENERATIONAL JAZZ JAM at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem; local community senior center workshops, and our annual summer institute at Lehman College (CUNY) for teaching artists and educators.