

Jazz Girls Day DC
Saturday, March 25th, 2023
Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) Alexandria AFA Building
Jazz Girls Day DC empowers girls and non-binary gender students to have the skills needed for self-confidence in the performance of jazz. Jazz Girls Day DC is open to all students grades 6 – 12 interested in playing or singing jazz. Beginners to advanced and all instruments/voice are welcome. Jazz Girls Day is focused on empowering women and non-binary students in a safe supportive atmosphere where all students are welcome.
- When: Saturday – March 25th, 2023
- Time: 11 am – 5 pm
- What: Workshops and Mentoring
- Cost: Free
- Where: AFA Building Room 118, NOVA Alexandria, 5000 Dawes Ave, Alexandria, VA
- Deadline to register: Wednesday, March 22nd
- Snacks provided, bring your own lunch
- Instrumentalists, bring your instruments. Drum sets, keyboard, microphones, and amps will be provided.
- Park in any of the B lots for free
- Students will be required to follow NOVA Alexandria Policies around masks and bell covers
- Parent volunteers: sign up as a volunteer and fill out paperwork by March 10 (contact Shannon Gunn for details)
- Parents must come inside the AFA Building to register their students at 11 am
For more information, contact Shannon Gunn at sgunn [at] nvcc.edu.
To register, fill out the form below.
Campus map: https://www.nvcc.edu/alexandria/_files/alexandria-campus-map.pdf
Schedule
Schedule
11:00 am Registration
11:15 am Masterclass
11:45 pm Improvisation
12:45 pm Lunch (bring your own)
1:30 pm Improvisation
2:30 pm Masterclass
4:00 pm Culminating Concert for Friends and Family with professional faculty
Jazz Girls Day DC Faculty:
Shannon Gunn, Jazz Trombone, Jazz Ensemble Director, NOVA
All teaching materials will be pulled from my Women Jazz Composers Curriculum, designed as a professional development project for Shannon Gunn’s K-12 recertification.
Why do we need a Jazz Girls Day DC?
See my blog post, Why We Need Jazz Girls Day DC – Women in Jazz Research for full research and details.
According to music education research, there is a “gender gap” within the jazz art form, as evidenced by jazz bands consisting of less than 25% women, despite 50% in music programs, across schools and universities in the United States. The Jazz Girls Workshop aims to ensure that gender does not get in the way of a young person’s desire to play jazz. The Jazz Girls Workshop instills self-confidence, provides examples of other women as successful jazz performers, and gives networking opportunities to the youngest students who wish to pursue jazz. By instilling a strong foundation in leadership and performance skills, students can strive for excellence without boundaries.
Here is an article about how women are treated within the jazz industry: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/feb/16/female-uk-jazz-musicians-face-sexual-harassment-and-discrimination-says-report
Here is an article on Melba Liston’s experience in the jazz industry: https://indianapublicmedia.org/nightlights/proving-melba-liston-arranger-lady-trombone.php
Source: McKeage, K. M. Gender and Participation in High School and College Instrumental Jazz Ensembles. Journal of Research in Music Education, 52(4). Winter 2004.