Surrey Arts and the Cheryl King (Hirst) Trust is delighted to partner with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) in the delivery of an exciting opportunity for schools in the county. NYJO will be visiting around 12 local schools (both primary and secondary) in March 2020, for a series of performances and workshops designed to introduce children and young people to jazz and improvisation, inspire them to take up instruments and grow the confidence of young musicians. In these sessions, NYJO musicians will work with your students to lift the lid on jazz –addressing the fundamentals such as groove, playing by ear and improvisation. In both primaries and secondaries the performance or workshop will be tailored to your group. The workshops are being planned for the week commencing 23 March 2020

• One half-day afternoon workshop in school led by a NYJO Associate Educator, with vast experience of delivering jazz workshops, supported by five NYJO Ambassadors (young members of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra who are receiving training in workshop leading);   
• NYJO workshops are designed to cater for young musicians across the whole range of technical levels and experience and should enhance musical understanding in general as well as improve specific jazz knowledge. 
• NYJO will discuss and work with individual schools to tailor a bespoke workshop according to the technical level and experience of the young people taking part;    
• For up to 30 students.

• A performance / presentation by the NYJO Associate Educator and the NYJO Ambassadors as a sextet  
• For large groups (e.g. in the school hall / performance theatre)  
• These sessions will take the form of an interactive concert, getting the whole class grooving.  
• The aim is to introduce children to jazz and hopefully inspire them to take up instruments either in primary or secondary school  
• Primary performances will take place in the morning.

• Please note : – NYJO visiting musicians can provide all the equipment they require. – There is support from NYJO available if you are developing or setting up an improvising ensemble within your school. 
• Surrey Arts will work with your school to help ensure that children inspired by NYJO can take up relevant instruments and receive appropriate tuition

• Provide an enthusiastic audience and suitable group(s) of young musicians to take part. 
• Provide equipment to enable your young musicians to participate (if applicable). 
• Pay a modest fee of £ 50 for the primary school performances and
• £150 for the secondary school workshops   
• Respond to subsequent evaluation surveys 
• Signpost participants towards instrument lessons and local jazz activities and educational opportunities

Next steps If you would like to take part, please contact Alex Bondonno by email on alex.bondonno@surreycc.gov.uk before 17 January. Please indicate any times in the week of 23 March that would not work for your school. (but please be as flexible as possible to aid programming) If you would like to take part but cannot make the week of 23 March, We would still like to hear from you.