essentially ellington down under
Essentially Ellington is a free program for high school jazz bands which aims to elevate musicianship, broaden perspectives and inspire performance.
Duke Ellington’s music is at the very heart of America’s 20th-century musical heritage and the core of the rich cannon of jazz music. Jazz at Lincoln Center, committed to instilling a broader understanding of this music, created the Essentially Ellington (EE) during the 1995-96 school year to make Ellington’s music accessible to as many high school musicians as possible and to support the development of their schools’ music programs.
EE is unique among educational resources for high school jazz bands. Each year Jazz at Lincoln Center transcribes, publishes, and distributes charts, along with recordings and additional educational materials.
The Jazz Music Institute (JMI) has been in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center since 2014 delivering the Essentially Ellington program in Australia, bringing out clinicians from the United States to deliver conferences, workshops and adjudicated performances throughout Australia.
26
690
26
259
275
5179
statistics
Professional Development workshops for music teachers from 2014-2022
Teachers attended teacher workshops & conferences from 2014-2022
High School Big Band Festivals held in major capital cities from 2016-2023
High School jazz bands performed at Essentially Ellington Down Under festivals 2016-2023
Workshops with high school jazz bands delivered by Jazz at Lincoln Center clinicians from 2014-2023
High school students participated in Essentially Ellington festivals 2016-2023
past clinicians
vincent gardner
Lead Trombonist, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Essentially Ellington Down Under Teachers Conferences 2014-2015
Essentially Ellington Down Under Festival 2016-2023
jerome jennings
Drummer, Lecturer, Jazz at Lincoln Center Swing University
Essentially Ellington Down Under Festival 2017-2022
reggie thomas
Pianist, Head of Jazz Studies, Nortern
Essentially Ellington Down Under Teachers Conferences 2014-2015
Essentially Ellington Down Under Festival 2016
nicole glover
Tenor Saxophonist, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Essentially Ellington Down Under Festival 2023
sherman irby
Alto Saxophonist, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Essentially Ellington Down Under Festival 2023
testimonials
“The Essentially Ellington Regional Festival is the hippest event on our yearly calendar. Getting feedback from musicians who my students know are such heavy cats in the jazz industry gets my students incredibly motivated and inspired… Overall this is a slammin’ festival and you guys are awesome!”
Eric Dunan,
Musical Director at Woollongong Conservatorium
“We really enjoyed the EE Festival Down Under in Melbourne. Vince and Jerome are great! Please pass on to the powers that be that it really is a highlight, not only for our kids but directors as well, to be able to access such knowledge directly. The weekend was delivered with warmth, passion and humility. Great to be a part of.”
Bernard Hicky,
Musical Director at Killester College (Melbourne)
“The Essentially Ellington Teacher Workshop is a must see event for anyone interested in teaching the jazz tradition. Hearing about the history of jazz and the context of its origins re-ignited my passion for the genre, and motivated me to pass that information on to my students. The workshop also taught specific hands-on techniques and exercises to help beginning students get involved in the music and improvisation. I would highly recommend this workshops to teachers involved in primary or secondary school jazz ensembles.”
Maddy Shearer,
Teacher at AIM (Sydney)
“This was the first year that we have participated in Essentially Ellington. It was unlike any other festival we have in Sydney. The atmosphere was non-competitive, relaxed, and totally focused on education. It was wonderful to come away not having had to compete for a place in an atmosphere focused on destinations. Instead, the students came away a far better band than when they went in, and with a much better understanding of the journey of learning and music-making they are on. The only thing they’d like to change would be to do this more often, and spend more time with the clinician.”
Matthew Manchester,
Fort Street High School (Sydney)