Written by Jim Eigo: jim@jazzpromoservices.com

Videogames and Jazz:
The National Jazz Museum in Harlem and the World Wide Workshop team up for new youth program that blends music and digital literacy

The National Jazz Museum in Harlem (NJMH) announces a new partnership with the World Wide Workshop to teach youth jazz and digital literacy through Globaloria, the first-of-its-kind youth network for learning how to make videogames.
Starting this summer and throughout the school year, NJMH will run a series of a new kind of creative education workshops for youth ages 13-19. The workshops are led by Jonathan Batiste, a music curator at the museum, who comes from a celebrated family of musicians in New Orleans. At 24, Batiste has performed in 40 countries and collaborated with Prince, Jimmy Buffet and Wynton Marsalis. He is a Juilliard graduate, a Movado Future Legend award recipient and the youngest ever Steinway Performing Artist. He is featured on HBO's "Treme" and has conducted clinics and master classes worldwide.
"In my Globaloria workshops I want to collaborate with teens from Harlem and other NYC communities to create games and programs about the history of Jazz," reflects Jonathan Batiste. "The experience is going to be super-interactive, with live performances and trips to historic jazz locations in Harlem to give us ideas about games and programs we want to design."

"The special program we designed for Batiste blends jazz music appreciation and game design skills in order to empower kids from the Harlem community to figure out digital computational skills and jazz history at the same time. That's how they get engaged these days," says Dr. Idit Harel Caperton, president & founder of the World Wide Workshop.

"Jon Batiste and his Band will be an integral part of the learning experience," adds Loren Schoenberg, NJMH executive director. "Our overall objective is to create a fun learning space inside our museum, and get Jon and the kids to create a playful game together, that can teach young people and adults alike, with captivating ideas and designs, and good facts about jazz."
This week, NJMH launched the first Globaloria-Jazz Summer Workshop. Batiste and his young mentees formed a game-design team. Guided by the World Wide Workshop team of experts and the Globaloria digital curriculum, they'll work together 3-hours daily in creative sessions straight through mid-August. They'll listen to and play jazz, and at the same time, learn how to imagine, research, design, and develop their ideas into an interactive game demo with music and animations. On the final day of the workshop, they will present their vision to a live audience, including their parents. Later, during the school year, they'll have the opportunity to complete and publish their games online, with the support of professional Flash and game design experts from the World Wide Workshop. 3-4 such Globaloria-Jazz Workshops are planned for 2011-12.
The National Jazz Museum in Harlem(www.jazzmuseuminharlem.org) is dedicated to fostering this spirit and music of jazz as a living, breathing entity that looks as far into the future as it does into the past. The museum was founded to make the rich history and experience of jazz accessible to all, and to ensure that the heart and soul of the music remain forever entwined with the Harlem community. In the words of jazz pianist and Duke Ellington mentor Willie "The Lion" Smith, "I'd rather be a fly on a lamppost in Harlem than a millionaire anywhere else." NJMH offers a range of free concerts, exhibitions and educational programs, and is thrilled now to include the Globaloria-Jazz Workshops.

The World Wide Workshop(www.WorldWideWorkshop.org), creators of Globaloria-Jazz, is a NYC-based educational foundation for developing applications of social media technology and game production to enhance learning, innovation, entrepreneurship, and an understanding of the world in economically-disadvantaged and technologically-underserved communities. Committed to improving education opportunities for all youth, we work with forward-thinking leaders, corporations, foundations, school systems, museums, universities, and research centers to enrich existing formal and non-formal education systems with the latest technology and innovative learning opportunities for all.

The National Museum of Jazz in Harlem is the newest participant to join the vibrant Globaloria Network, which is currently active in many communities in 5 states--New York, West Virginia, Texas, Florida, and California--within schools and after-school programs, engaging over 2000 students and educators, and growing.
Funding for the Globaloria-Jazz at the NJMH was made possible by NJMH Board Member Jonathan Scheuer and NJMH Member Jim Lecinski….. and donors like you….
NJMH welcomes support from people who care about jazz, children and computer literacy!

CONTACT:
The National Jazz Museum in Harlem:Loren Schoenberg, 212-348-8300, ljs@jmih.org
World Wide Workshop:Amber Oliver, 646-895-9167, amber@WorldWideWorkshop.org

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