Making Jazz -- Moawad Style at Central Washington University
ELLENSBURG, WA.,--When certain people walk into a room, their presence is immediately felt. Whether it's a certain quality or personality trait that person radiates, others instantly pay attention. John Moawad, Central Washington University professor emeritus of music is that way. “He is very charismatic," says Chris Bruya, CWU director of jazz studies and Central alumnus (B.A. '83 & M.A. '85). “When someone is like that, you can't explain what it is that makes them that way. They just are."
Touted as the dean of jazz educators on the West Coast, and influential in building up the Pacific Northwest as a jazz mecca of sorts in the early 1970s, Moawad has instilled the passion of music in the hearts of many.
A consummate musician and teacher, Moawad made a major impact at CWU throughout his 28 years of dedicated service from 1970 to 1998. “He challenged and inspired our students to be the best musicians they could be," says Dr. Jerilyn S. McIntyre, CWU president. “His unfailing ability to recognize and nurture potential built careers and produced some of the finest musicians in the United States. His idiom was jazz, and there is simply no one that does it better than John."
Moawad started a legacy at CWU nearly 40 years ago. That legacy continues today with the first ever John Moawad Jazz Scholarship Concert on Saturday, June 3, in Benaroya's Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall in Seattle. Featured performers include CWU's Vocal Jazz I and Jazz Band I, CWU Alumni Jazz Ensembles, as well as guest appearances by several other prominent alumni.
Former students often use the words “distinguished", “inspiring" and “charismatic" to describe Moawad. He gained quite a reputation as one of the finest jazz music educators in the United States.
The success of Central's music department and its premiere jazz studies program is largely due to Moawad's inspiration and energy. Referred to often as coach, teacher, mentor and father figure, Moawad has touched the lives of future musicians in ways they never thought possible. “He would inspire you to reach levels of excellence you never would have thought you could reach," recalls Bruya. Anyone who has crossed paths with this master musician has been inspired by him and continues to share their personal Moawad experiences today.
Norm Wallen, award-winning composer/arranger from Olympia, Wash., and Central alumnus (B.A. '77, B.A. '77 & M.A. 78) was in junior high when he first met Moawad in 1968. “He was teaching music at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle at the time," remembers Wallen. Nathan Hale jazz bands, directed by Moawad in the late 60s, were undefeated in more than a dozen consecutive contests in less than five years. This includes winning the “West Coast Championships" in Reno, Nev., two years in a row. Reno was the largest contest in the nation at the time with nearly 200 bands competing.
Recalling one of his fondest Moawad milestones, Wallen explains, “Moawad entered the Hale Jazz Band during that string of wins and stunned the crowd when he revealed this was his junior varsity. He had left the top band at home and still won the festival." To Wallen's knowledge, that feat is unprecedented and unmatched to this day.
A Central alumnus himself (B.Ed. '59 & M.Ed. '63), Moawad started his professional career here in 1970. It's evident that his passion for music reached beyond the students in his department. “I've actually heard stories of students from different majors taking John's history of jazz class to meet their basic breadth requirements," describes Bruya. “That one class changed their lives forever. Many are now life-long jazz fans because they became so inspired by the passion John showed for the music."
Moawad's combined depth of understanding and experience in the jazz idiom coupled with his personal charisma and style made him an unparalleled jazz leader. “John could say more in a silent glance than most people can say during the month of May," explains Michele Weir, faculty member at UCLA and USC, internationally respected arranger/vocalist, and CWU alumna (B.Ed. '82). “When he stood in front of the band and slowly crossed his arms, no one would dare utter a word because they knew that something important was about to be said."
David Aaberg, director of jazz studies at Central Missouri State University and a Central alumnus (B.A. '78) says Moawad had quite a presence and quite a sense of humor in class and on stage. “It was always amazing to me to see how John could hold the attention of 200 plus students in those history of jazz classes."
The impact Moawad has had on musicians he's come in contact with is immeasurable. From all the high school students who have taken part in the John Moawad Invitational Jazz Fesitval at Central and CWU students who studied under the jazz pioneer, to the alumni involved in the All-Star Big Band at “Jazz in the Valley" in Ellensburg, Wash. or CWU Alumni Jazz Ensembles, Moawad's message is always the same. “The most important thing to John is how to make the band sound great," says Bruya. “To him, that's what it's all about."
And for Moawad, knowing how to create a great sounding band was his specialty. His teaching style has been truly hands on. “He would get right in there and show you how to play it right, instead of just telling you," recalls Bruya. “He really taught us how to teach the concepts of what it would take to make the band sound good." In fact, many of Moawad's former students have become public school band directors and college music professors all across the U.S.
Holding back tears, Bruya adds, “He always called me his jazz son. And I know I'm not the only jazz son out there. There are a lot of them." Through the years, what Moawad has really accomplished is so much more than making the band sound good. He's helped raise an entire family of jazz sons and daughters -- Moawad style.
Central continues to build on the legacy Moawad initiated nearly four decades ago. He took jazz to a place most had never seen. Today, Central thanks him for his tireless dedication to music by presenting a premiere jazz concert in his honor. Proceeds benefit the John Moawad Jazz Scholarship Endowment.
“In order to attract and retain the finest students around, we must have scholarships available to support them and high quality faculty to teach them," says Marji Morgan, dean of Central's College of Arts and Humanities. “We have the faculty. We have many outstanding students. We're always trying to create more scholarship opportunities to allow even more students to experience the music in a way that will touch their lives forever."
The John Moawad Jazz Scholarship Concert was made possible by the CWU Foundation's Carrico Endowment. Tickets are $35 for adults, $25 for students and seniors, and may be purchased through any Ticketmaster outlet, at the ticketmaster.com Web site, or by calling the Benaroya Hall Box Office at (206) 215-4747.
ELLENSBURG, WA.,--When certain people walk into a room, their presence is immediately felt. Whether it's a certain quality or personality trait that person radiates, others instantly pay attention. John Moawad, Central Washington University professor emeritus of music is that way. “He is very charismatic," says Chris Bruya, CWU director of jazz studies and Central alumnus (B.A. '83 & M.A. '85). “When someone is like that, you can't explain what it is that makes them that way. They just are."
Touted as the dean of jazz educators on the West Coast, and influential in building up the Pacific Northwest as a jazz mecca of sorts in the early 1970s, Moawad has instilled the passion of music in the hearts of many. A consummate musician and teacher, Moawad made a major impact at CWU throughout his 28 years of dedicated service from 1970 to 1998. “He challenged and inspired our students to be the best musicians they could be," says Dr. Jerilyn S. McIntyre, CWU president. “His unfailing ability to recognize and nurture potential built careers and produced some of the finest musicians in the United States. His idiom was jazz, and there is simply no one that does it better than John."
Moawad started a legacy at CWU nearly 40 years ago. That legacy continues today with the first ever John Moawad Jazz Scholarship Concert on Saturday, June 3, in Benaroya's Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall in Seattle. Featured performers include CWU's Vocal Jazz I and Jazz Band I, CWU Alumni Jazz Ensembles, as well as guest appearances by several other prominent alumni.
Former students often use the words “distinguished", “inspiring" and “charismatic" to describe Moawad. He gained quite a reputation as one of the finest jazz music educators in the United States.
The success of Central's music department and its premiere jazz studies program is largely due to Moawad's inspiration and energy. Referred to often as coach, teacher, mentor and father figure, Moawad has touched the lives of future musicians in ways they never thought possible. “He would inspire you to reach levels of excellence you never would have thought you could reach," recalls Bruya. Anyone who has crossed paths with this master musician has been inspired by him and continues to share their personal Moawad experiences today.
Norm Wallen, award-winning composer/arranger from Olympia, Wash., and Central alumnus (B.A. '77, B.A. '77 & M.A. 78) was in junior high when he first met Moawad in 1968. “He was teaching music at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle at the time," remembers Wallen. Nathan Hale jazz bands, directed by Moawad in the late 60s, were undefeated in more than a dozen consecutive contests in less than five years. This includes winning the “West Coast Championships" in Reno, Nev., two years in a row. Reno was the largest contest in the nation at the time with nearly 200 bands competing.
Recalling one of his fondest Moawad milestones, Wallen explains, “Moawad entered the Hale Jazz Band during that string of wins and stunned the crowd when he revealed this was his junior varsity. He had left the top band at home and still won the festival." To Wallen's knowledge, that feat is unprecedented and unmatched to this day.
A Central alumnus himself (B.Ed. '59 & M.Ed. '63), Moawad started his professional career here in 1970. It's evident that his passion for music reached beyond the students in his department. “I've actually heard stories of students from different majors taking John's history of jazz class to meet their basic breadth requirements," describes Bruya. “That one class changed their lives forever. Many are now life-long jazz fans because they became so inspired by the passion John showed for the music."
Moawad's combined depth of understanding and experience in the jazz idiom coupled with his personal charisma and style made him an unparalleled jazz leader. “John could say more in a silent glance than most people can say during the month of May," explains Michele Weir, faculty member at UCLA and USC, internationally respected arranger/vocalist, and CWU alumna (B.Ed. '82). “When he stood in front of the band and slowly crossed his arms, no one would dare utter a word because they knew that something important was about to be said."
David Aaberg, director of jazz studies at Central Missouri State University and a Central alumnus (B.A. '78) says Moawad had quite a presence and quite a sense of humor in class and on stage. “It was always amazing to me to see how John could hold the attention of 200 plus students in those history of jazz classes."
The impact Moawad has had on musicians he's come in contact with is immeasurable. From all the high school students who have taken part in the John Moawad Invitational Jazz Fesitval at Central and CWU students who studied under the jazz pioneer, to the alumni involved in the All-Star Big Band at “Jazz in the Valley" in Ellensburg, Wash. or CWU Alumni Jazz Ensembles, Moawad's message is always the same. “The most important thing to John is how to make the band sound great," says Bruya. “To him, that's what it's all about."
And for Moawad, knowing how to create a great sounding band was his specialty. His teaching style has been truly hands on. “He would get right in there and show you how to play it right, instead of just telling you," recalls Bruya. “He really taught us how to teach the concepts of what it would take to make the band sound good." In fact, many of Moawad's former students have become public school band directors and college music professors all across the U.S.
Holding back tears, Bruya adds, “He always called me his jazz son. And I know I'm not the only jazz son out there. There are a lot of them." Through the years, what Moawad has really accomplished is so much more than making the band sound good. He's helped raise an entire family of jazz sons and daughters -- Moawad style.
Central continues to build on the legacy Moawad initiated nearly four decades ago. He took jazz to a place most had never seen. Today, Central thanks him for his tireless dedication to music by presenting a premiere jazz concert in his honor. Proceeds benefit the John Moawad Jazz Scholarship Endowment.
“In order to attract and retain the finest students around, we must have scholarships available to support them and high quality faculty to teach them," says Marji Morgan, dean of Central's College of Arts and Humanities. “We have the faculty. We have many outstanding students. We're always trying to create more scholarship opportunities to allow even more students to experience the music in a way that will touch their lives forever."
The John Moawad Jazz Scholarship Concert was made possible by the CWU Foundation's Carrico Endowment. Tickets are $35 for adults, $25 for students and seniors, and may be purchased through any Ticketmaster outlet, at the ticketmaster.com Web site, or by calling the Benaroya Hall Box Office at (206) 215-4747.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
