Issue link: http://saihq.uberflip.com/i/1481012
FALL 2022 49 S i g m a A l p h a I o t a Annual Philanthropies Awards The 2022 Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference, held in Dallas, TX this past January, was truly a remarkable event. From learning how to include personality in a vocal performance to teaching how to properly stay on beat, the JEN Conference offered a vast array of techniques to improve jazz learning and education. One of the presentations that really struck me was the intertwining history of jazz and hip-hop and jazz's influence on hip-hop. Both are American genres started by African-Americans. They were vilified for a while after their inception, but eventually became a part of mainstream culture. The call- and-response method is used in both genres of music. In jazz, the band leader is usually the one who makes the call and waits for the band members to respond. In hip-hop, the artist or their hype man creates a call for the audience to respond to. (This is also mimicked in African-American churches, i.e. when the pastor says "Amen?" and the congregation replies "Amen.") The presenter went on to list examples of how hip-hop artists sampled some notable jazz melodies like A Tribe Called Quest's sample of Miles Davis' recording of On Green Dolphin Street on their song "Jazz (We've Got)." This presentation provides an innovative way to help young musicians become enthusiastic about jazz music. Another presentation dealt with artists promoting themselves on social media. He gave valuable tips and tricks for aspiring and professional artists for successfully running their social media. He discussed how it's more than just sharing random pictures about food or anything else that's not related to yourself as a musician. To use his words, "You are not Kim Kardashian." Artists should have one main focus for their page but need to make sure to add value. One should ask themselves, "How can I help my audience?" "What knowledge and skills do I have that can help others?" Focusing on value creates a know, like, and trust factor that encourages people to follow your content. To my SAI sisters, the JEN Conference isn't just for educators or students; it is for music professionals as well. You will learn and network with the best of the best in the jazz world and leave with so much information to make yourself better. Again, I thank SAI Philanthropies, Inc. for helping in my professional development. — Submitted by Imani Mitnaul, Gamma Theta Chapter Professional Development at the JEN