Jazz Power Initiative Information

Jazz Power Initiative (JPI, the d/b/a of The Jazz Drama Program) is a non profit, 501 (c) (3) organization that has been located in Inwood in Northern Manhattan since its founding in 2003. What started as a fledgling startup founded by a jazz musician and a teacher has grown into a a thriving community-based arts provider offering high quality youth music education at low or no cost to families, community concerts, and artist and teacher training to hundreds of students and thousands of audience members annually. Our unique youth education program introduces, engages, and immerses students in jazz music and culture through multidisciplinary in-school and after-school voice, theatre, movement, and piano musicianship workshops for youth ages 6-18 primarily in Washington Heights, Inwood, Harlem, and the Bronx; our community concerts at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center, and United Palace feature veteran performers playing alongside rising stars; our annual Jazz Power Institute at Lehman College (CUNY), offers professional development for artists and educators; and Intergenerational Jazz Power Festival brings diverse audiences together each summer in Inwood Hill Park. JPI centers top level artistry combined with community advocacy rooted in the African American and Latin American cultures we serve and celebrate. Each year we teach over 800 youth, produce over 30 concerts for over 6000 audience members, employ over 100 professional artists, providing a total of over 10,000 program impact hours to uplift and enrich our community. Our students earn admission to NYC arts specialized high schools and scholarships to leading university programs inside and outside of the arts. Our performers grace the world’s most prominent stages before and after gracing ours in Northern Manhattan.