Esteemed jazz musician Ron Carter is conducting a residency at the Aspen Middle School this week.
Professor Carter literally wrote the book on jazz education. The textbooks are popular throughout colleges. Steve Heldt, a former student of Carter’s and Aspen School District’s Instrumental Music Director, said it’s important for kids to have an authentic experience in learning the art of jazz.
“It’s this vocally derived art form, and I want them to not learn this from a book or from a recording but to experience it in person,” he said. “Having the kids work with someone who is the jazz pedagog … just one morning has taken them so far.”
Carter is the former director of Jazz Studies and professor emeritus of the Jazz Ensemble at Northern Illinois University. He retired in 2014 but still travels to schools in North and South America as well as Canada. He said he loves seeing the students musicianship evolve.
Carter will lead a concert with the Aspen Middle School’s fifth grade band and the AMS Big Band on Thursday, June 1 at 6 p.m. at the District Theatre.
