Young Middle School student grooves at the Juilliard Summer Jazz Residency

UPDATE: Watch bassist/instructor Ben Wolfe teach his Big Band class.

This is the third year around for Young Middle School student James Robertson at the Juilliard Summer Jazz Residency, which means he’s been involved with it as long as anyone. The rising seventh-grader has gotten a lot out of the program, which keeps growing despite the disappointing trend in cuts to arts education across the nation. But it’s talented and promising players like Robertson who show that the program is money well spent, as this video shows. Here he discusses the program with jazz bassist and Juilliard instructor Ben Wolfe (Harry Connick Jr., Diana Krall, Wynton Marsalis). Wait to the end, where the saxophonist Robertson performs a piece from “Parker’s Mood” by his idol, Charlie Parker. Big thanks to North Atlanta High‘s Reginald Colbert and Sutton’s Natalie Colbert for their work on this camp. (We’ll have more coverage tomorrow!)