Launched in 2008 as a highly successful pilot Outreach Initiative, WE ARE ONE JAZZ PROJECT (a registered Canadian charity) was founded by Canadian jazz musician, educator and author, Howard Rees. Our mandate is to bring together young ‘at-risk’ children and master jazz musicians in an enriched mentorship and performance environment.
Research and our own experience points to a richer, more successful educational experience for children exposed to the arts. Thus, the purpose of our Project is to empower participating children by exposing them first hand to the beauty and power of jazz music.
Our five-year initiative will deliver this innovative jazz music project to a different high-priority community in each of the next 5 years. The Project will directly impact upwards of 4,000+ students, extended family, teachers and community members annually. Thousands more will become aware of the Project via the media including print, radio, television and social networks.
“I’ve seen bad boys become good boys…” Dr. Barry Harris
Each year of our five-year initiative will target a different high-priority community of the GTA, ensuring that this unique and innovative music project reaches a maximum number of children. Further, our plan calls for prior participants to take part in each successive year’s concert, encouraging community bonds to develop around the region.
Each annual project will run from February to June. During that four-month period, we will develop a children's jazz choir (grades 3-6) drawn from all interested schools across a school district. The choir will be open to all students. There will be no auditions nor is previous music training required.
Weekly rehearsals (at one hosting school) are conducted by internationally renowned, Toronto based jazz musicians Howard Rees and Brian Katz. They are assisted by our professional vocal coaches and coordinating team. In addition to the children's choir, there will be a teen/adult choir, big band, string section and professional guest soloists that will all come together to perform a high profile, public performance at the project’s conclusion. In past years, we have performed at the Toronto Centre for the Arts and at Koerner Hall, Royal Conservatory of Music.
On several occasions throughout the project, legendary jazz master Barry Harris will conduct the rehearsals. Dr. Harris has taught, performed and recorded with a virtual who's who of the jazz world. He continues to be jazz music’s senior ambassador traveling the globe, inspiring new generations of young musicians. A recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Grammy Foundation, Dr. Harris’ music will form the ensembles’ repertoire. Dr. Harris and two of his protégés, Charles McPherson (San Diego, CA) and Howard Rees (Toronto) will be guest artists at the concluding concert.
“It made me feel happy in my heart.” 9-yr.old boy
The children’s choir is representative of the diverse ethnic fabric of our city. It is open to all students, welcoming those with no formal music background. In ’09-‘10, the choir size was over 400 children!
Dr. Harris is recognized internationally as the greatest living Jazz pianist and teacher of Jazz music. A Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Dr. Harris lives in New York and spends much of his time crisscrossing the globe performing, teaching, composing and inspiring young people.
Founder Howard Rees is an internationally known jazz pianist, educator, author and founder of Canada’s oldest independent jazz school. Howard’s model for empowering young Canadians through jazz is based upon his 30+ year association with Dr. Harris as his protégé.
Howard Rees & Brian Katz conduct preparatory in-school workshops.
Vocal Coaching Teams conduct weekly in-school workshops.
| WEEK | DATE | Time | |
| Week 1 | Feb. 23 | 9:30-11am | Rehearsal (Dr. Harris' 1st visit) |
| Week 2 | March 1 | 9:30-11am | Rehearsal |
| Week 3 | March 8 | 9:30-11am | Rehearsal |
| March 12 to March 16: MARCH BREAK | |||
| Week 4 | March 22 | 9:30-11am | Rehearsal |
| Week 5 | March 29 | 9:30-11am | Rehearsal (Dr. Harris' 2nd visit) |
| Week 6 | April 5 | 9:30-11am | Rehearsal |
| Week 7 | April 12 | 9:30-11am | Rehearsal |
| Week 8 | April 19 | 9:30-11am | Rehearsal |
| Week 9 | April 26 | 9:30-11am | Rehearsal |
| Week 10 | May 3 | 9:30-11am | Rehearsal (Dr. Harris' 3rd visit) |
| Week 11 | May 10 | 'All-In' Rehearsal | |
| Week 12 | May 17 | 'All-In' Rehearsal | |
| Week 13 | May 24 | 'All-In' Rehearsal | |
| Week 14 | May 31 | 7pm | Concert: Toronto Centre For The Arts |
1) Use the model of the Outreach Initiative that was created in 2008 and finessed in 2009, culminating in a final concert that will inspire ‘at-risk’ children across Canada.
2) Bring together ‘at-risk’ students and master musicians, including jazz legend, Dr. Barry Harris.
3) Create an environment for the children to experience the beauty and power of jazz music through their own active participation - thereby nurturing their creative energies from a fundamental place of self-awareness and empowerment.
4) Provide Canadian communities with a critical “good news” success story involving a targeted group that is all too often associated with violence and divisiveness.
5) Continue to reach a larger audience through alliances with various media, including TV, radio and print. To date, the We Are One Jazz Project has been featured and/or reviewed by several key Toronto media including the Toronto Star, Global TV, CTV, CityTV, JazzFM and Classical 96.3.
Founded in 2008, this annual project provides a creative answer to the needs of ‘at risk’ youth in Toronto. Born out of Mr. Rees’ own experience with jazz as a force for social change, and his observations of how the world is losing knowledge at a rate far exceeding that at which it’s being replaced, the project matches master musicians with ‘at risk’ youth. The concept of organizing children in ‘high priority’ neighborhoods into large-scale jazz choirs, was so successful in its pilot year, that an ongoing plan was soon developed. Weekly rehearsals over a four-month period lead to a high profile public performance. The ensemble consists of a large children’s choir, (300 participants from North Etobicoke in ’08/’09, 400 inner city participants in ’09/’10 and 350 participants from North Scarborough in ’10/’11), a teen choir, big band, string section and the Toronto Jazz Chorus. Dr. Harris is the project’s mentor, leading special rehearsals and performing as guest artist along with Charles McPherson and Howard Rees at the Project’s concluding concert.
From February to June, ninety-minute rehearsals will be held every Thursday morning in a central location to which all participating students travel. Classroom teachers will accompany each school’s participants. These teachers must commit to spending a minimum of 30 minutes per week reviewing the songs with their students.
Additionally, professional vocal coaches will give weekly singing workshops in those schools that have no other source of music education.
Dr. Barry Harris will fly in from New York for three rehearsals plus the final performance. Internationally renowned musicians, Howard Rees (Director) and Brian Katz (Children’s Choir Conductor) will direct rehearsals between Dr. Harris’ visits, assisted by our professional vocal coaches who will also visit each school’s classes weekly to rehearse the children in smaller groups.
We Are One Jazz Project’s yearly operating budget is $120,000. Last year, we successfully met our target through the generosity of private donors, TD Financial Group and KPMG.
There is no financial cost to the participating schools. However, for the last two years, the Toronto District School Board has generously provided busing transportation for their students to the weekly rehearsals and to the final performance – an annual value of $10,000 - $15,000.
Please help to empower the children through this powerful initiative. All donations will be used to continue the current project and to help to expand the project in the future. Examples of what donations will be used for include, but are not limited to:
For more information, please call Howard Rees at 416-937-8620.
“Please can we come again next year?” 11 year-old girl
