At The Hop!

POPS IN SCHOOLS: JAZZ The Philly POPS launched its innovative POPS in Schools program in June 2015 with the AllCity Jazz Festival. This annual celebration of music features a full day of activities, including masterclasses led by POPS musicians and performances by the best student jazz musicians in the School District of Philadelphia.

Each year, the festival culminates in a performance by the All-City Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Terell Stafford, the recently appointed Artistic Director for Jazz for The Philly POPS and the Director for Jazz Studies and Chair of Instrumental Studies at Temple University.

Stafford provides valuable insight for the next generation of jazz musicians each year by leading this stellar ensemble.

On April 16, the POPS and its partners held the Fifth Annual All-City Jazz Festival. The festival included performances by the Temple University Jazz Band under the direction of Terell Stafford and the University of the Arts “Z” Big Band under the direction of Matt Gallagher, leader of The Philly POPS BIG Band. This program connected Philly’s best jazz students with the best jazz musicians in the city, many of whom are Temple University and University of the Arts professors.

Today, POPS in Schools is an EITC-certified program that impacts 3,000 students in the School District of Philadelphia with supplemental music instruction at four elementary schools and 11 high schools. Jazz music and education continue to be a key component of the program.

POPS in Schools is committed to crafting the jazz leaders of tomorrow with mentorship from the jazz leaders of today!

12 | Encore! | The Philly POPS