Music Student Interviews Secretary of Education about Jazz

U.S. Secretary of Education Roderick Paige Sits for Interview by Middle School Jazz Band Student Jonathan Grocki as Part of Jazz Appreciation Month

RESTON, VA (PRWEB) April 2, 2003 -- U.S. Secretary of Education Roderick Paige recently sat for an interview by middle school jazz band student Jonathan Grocki. Secretary Paige answered questions about his experiences with jazz music for Grocki to contribute to the Jazz In Your Community" Oral History Project, a part of Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) sponsored every April by the Smithsonian Institution. The interview was facilitated by MENC: The National Association for Music Education, one of the Smithsonians partners in sponsoring JAM.

The jazz oral history project gives teachers and students from all over the country a great way to talk to jazz musicians and jazz fans, ask some questions about jazz, and then contribute to an online archive," said Michael Blakeslee, MENC deputy executive director. Teachers can use our introductory lesson on jazz and then follow up with the oral history extension. Or, they can just participate in the oral history on MENCs Web site."

The interview was a lot of fun," said Grocki. I learned a lot about jazz and how it affected [Secretary Paiges] life." Grocki studies under Mike Kamuf at John T. Baker Middle School in Damascus, Maryland. Kamuf, a member of MENC, is currently the Director of Bands and the Music Department Chairperson at Baker Middle School.

The full length text of the interview is available on MENCs Jazz Appreciation Month Web site at www.menc.org/guides/jazzappreciation.html.

For more information, call MENC at 1-800-336-3768.

MENC, the worlds largest arts education organization, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. Nearly 100,000 members represent all levels of teaching from preschool to graduate school. Since 1907, MENC has worked to ensure that every student has access to a well-balanced, comprehensive, and high-quality program of music instruction taught by qualified teachers. MENCs activities and resources have been largely responsible for the establishment of music education as a profession, for the promotion and guidance of music study as an integral part of the school curriculum, and for the development of the National Standards for Arts Education.   
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