Hot Jazz Jubilee Music Scholarship

My musical journey began at age 9 when I started studying clarinet with Scott Dailey at Clock Tower Music in San Carlos. Within two years, I earned a Superior rating at the CMEA Solos and Ensembles Festival. My passion for jazz clarinet was sparked during morning car rides to middle school, listening to Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Johnny Dodds, and Sidney Bechet. In late 2020, multi-instrumentalist, jazz historian, Teagarden Jazz Camp Director, and KCSM radio host Clint Baker became my mentor, introducing me to early jazz. About a year and a half later, New Orleans clarinetist Evan Christopher took me under his wing. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to learn from many professional musicians who have shaped me both as a sideman and a bandleader. I began performing jazz professionally in 2021 at age 14 and have since played hundreds of shows across the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, and North Carolina. My performances have taken place in dance halls, jazz clubs, festivals, livestreams, and private events, at venues ranging from the intimate Mr. Tipple’s Jazz Club in San Francisco to the legendary Birdland Theater in New York City. Most recently, I played five consecutive nights with the Jonathan Stout Orchestra at Lindy Focus, one of the world’s largest swing dance festivals, performing on clarinet, tenor saxophone, lead alto saxophone, and soprano saxophone. In addition, I have served as the Principal Clarinetist for the Peninsula Youth Orchestra and Carlmont High School’s Symphony Orchestra, and have performed chamber music as the clarinetist and ensemble leader in a woodwind quintet. I’ve recently accepted an offer to attend a prestigious jazz conservatory in New York City, the heart of the jazz world. I’m excited to equip myself with the skills, discipline, and artistic depth needed to grow as both an artist and an educator. My ultimate goal is to honor and preserve the tradition of jazz through high-level performance and education. It’s been a privilege to perform at the Hot Jazz Jubilee over the past few years, sharing the stage with incredible musicians like Adrian Cunningham, Dave Bennett, Dan Barrett, Bob Draga, Katie Cavera, Clint Baker, etc.. Applying for a scholarship or grant from the HJJ is deeply meaningful to me. The festival’s mission of providing opportunities for young musicians has nurtured my growth in meaningful ways, and I would be incredibly grateful for the opportunity to carry that support into the next chapter of my journey. Financial assistance would make it possible for me to continue pursuing my passion and give back to the jazz community in the years to come.

In 3rd grade, observing my 5th-grade sister’s ardor for learning the flute greatly inspired me to learn to play music myself. I began my musical journey on the flute in 4th grade, but the more I played, the more I found a particular interest in jazz saxophone. In middle school, I began absorbing myself in jazz music, practicing every day to try to learn to play how great jazz musicians played so well. At this time, I was deeply interested in the melodies and the way musicians could sound like everything they played so easily, and I knew I wanted to play like that one day. When I entered high school, I was introduced to a pool of extremely skilled upperclassmen musicians that motivated me even more. Since my freshman year, I have been a member of my school’s jazz ensemble, wind ensemble, and marching band, as well as indoor percussion for the past two years of high school. My high school experience in all the advanced instrumental ensembles my school offers, I have learned to love and appreciate many different forms of music while maintaining jazz as my core. In my time in many different ensembles at school, I have had many different music instructors from marching band and indoor percussion to wind ensemble and jazz. All the instructors and directors I have had the opportunity to have taught me different lessons in music that I can apply to all the different instruments I play. In addition, all their instruction and passion for music encouraged me to be more inspired by all the music I play and my desire to learn more. In college, I plan on participating in various music ensembles to deepen my overall knowledge of music. I see myself primarily performing in classical and jazz ensembles, to improve my skills as a saxophone player. Additionally, I plan on pursuing music education to one day be a band director with a strong and diverse music program that reflects my diverse musical background. Primarily, I am looking forward to learning more about jazz music to learn how to teach a big band ensemble as a middle school or high school band director. Outside of career goals, I would love to have my jazz combo after college to play jazz gigs in my community. As a music teacher, I see that there are not many ways to play your instrument as the teacher is busy teaching. In hopes of continuing my passion for playing my instrument, I would love to engage with my community and play the music that I love to play with other like-minded musicians. Playing in my jazz combo will allow me to continue my passion for playing music while also being involved in music as a teacher. In all, my excitement for jazz began my ever-growing passion for music and desire to continue after high school. I hope with my music education in college, I can touch the hearts of young musicians so they can share the same excitement for music that I have experienced. From playing in college ensembles or jazz combos, music will always be a part of my life, and I am excited to see where my passions will lead me in the future.

When I was in 1st grade, my parents made me go to my first piano lesson. At the time, I hated it, I couldn't understand why they were making me go once a week for lessons on an instrument I had no interest in. Over time, however, I grew to understand it, to love it. I started to see it as a way to express myself and a way to connect with the music I loved. Then, after a couple of years, I joined my school's band program, and I was enamored. I developed a deep love for brass instruments that carried me from trumpet, to euphonium, to tuba, and finally to trombone. It was during my time at Rio Americano High School that I discovered jazz music and the dedication of the students there, which led me to decide I had to be a jazz musician. Throughout my time at high school, I was helped by so many local musicians who have encouraged me and pushed me to do my best. The Sacramento Jazz Education Foundation has been especially encouraging in my process. From the first time I attended the Teagarden Jazz camp in 2022 to when I joined TNT in 2023, everyone involved has been incredibly supportive. All the great teachers I have been able to learn under have given me one thing above all else, a deep love and appreciation for Jazz music. Mentors like Brandon Au and Bob Williams have inspired me to continue the tradition by teaching the future generations of jazz musicians in the same way they taught me. The love for the music has blossomed and has become much more than a simple desire to play jazz; it has become a necessity. Jazz is an important music, and to continue its tradition, I knew I had to go to college to study it. I am very excited to be attending the New School in the fall, with a major in Jazz trombone performance. The New School is a great college to study jazz, with its world-class faculty and ideal location in New York City. I chose New York because it is a city with a rich jazz history; however, it is also very expensive, especially for an artist. This scholarship would greatly help me with all the costs associated with living in such an important city while studying Jazz at a great college.