Sean OKelley

I first heard jazz music in middle school. After band class, our substitute teacher Mr. Michael Weeks would put on these amazing recordings and, eventually, I suggested we start a jazz band - we didn’t have one before. He pulled together some sheet music and we made it a quick and fun after school activity. He allowed me to discover the joy of improvisation and during one of our first concerts, I made the connection that what and how I played could affect the audience in a deeply moving and positive way. From that moment on, I knew that Jazz was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.