🎶 FREE WORKSHOP FOR MUSIC EDUCATORS 🎶
The ColaJazz Foundation’s Jazz Band Director Academy is a FREE, one-day training designed to help music teachers confidently bring jazz into their classrooms.
This hands-on workshop will equip you with practical tools and creative strategies to bring jazz into your classroom with confidence. From improvisation techniques and ensemble rehearsal tactics to resource fairs and lightning labs, you’ll gain fresh approaches to inspire your students and strengthen your program. One day of training can spark a lifetime of impact.
With expert and seasoned leaders in the field of Jazz and Jazz eduction, you'll experience an engaging, informative and fun day of talks, performances, practical applications, resources and more. You will walk away equipped to better teach, lead and build your jazz program.
Highlights include:
• Expert-led breakout sessions for band directors
• Live rehearsal clinics covering count-offs, feel, and endings
• Big Band tactics for rhythm section set-ups, phrasing, and reading
• Improvisation workshop to help unlock creativity in your students
• A resource fair
You’ll leave with ready-to-use tools, valuable connections, and renewed inspiration to empower the next generation of musicians.
🕘 SCHEDULE
8:30–9:00 | Check-In & Coffee Grab a cup and connect! 🎶 Our house rhythm section will be warming up to set the vibe.
9:00–9:15 | Welcome & Kickoff
9:15–10:15 | Panel Discussion
10:30–11:30 | Middle & High School Band Topics
11:45–12:30 | Demystify the Rhythm Section
12:30–1:30 | Lunch
1:30–2:30 | Clinic: Jazz Band Rehearsal Tactics
2:45–3:15 | Lightning Labs ⚡ Groove Warm-Ups ⚡ Tech Tools
3:30–4:30 | Improvisation Clinic: Interactive improv deep-dive
4:45–5:00 | Wrap-Up & Networking Certificates awarded + time to connect with peers.
Location
Dutch Fork High School
1400 Old Tamah Rd, Irmo, SC 29063, USA
CLINCIANS INCLUDE
Dr. Mitch Butler, William-Patterson University
Ronnie Ward, Westview Middle School (Goose Creek)
Mark Yost, Riverwalk Academy
Nicholas Vlandis, Jazz Educator
Xavier Breaker, SC State University
Sam Edwards, Director of Jazz Education, ColaJazz
Mark Rapp, Executive Director, ColaJazz
Ronnie Ward is a highly accomplished music educator with deep roots in North Carolina and a career predominantly spent in South Carolina.
Top-Tier Education: He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Winthrop University and a Master of Music Education with a minor in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas.
Decades of Impact: His career spans multiple roles and districts, starting in 1993, with his current position being the Director of Bands at Westview Middle School.
Proven Success: Under his direction, his students have consistently achieved the highest ratings at numerous events, including the State Concert, Marching, Jazz, and Solo and Ensemble Festivals. Additionally, his individual students are frequently selected for prestigious ensembles like All-County, All-Region, and All-State Bands.
Professional Leadership: Beyond the classroom, he is an active professional, serving as an adjudicator, clinician, and performer across the Carolinas. He holds key leadership positions in professional organizations, notably as the State Treasurer for the American School Band Directors Association and the State Jazz Chair for the South Carolina Band Directors Association.
