Celebrating 29 Years of Inspiring and Impacting the Next Generation of Jazz Artists
October 3, 2026 – May 15, 2027; Classes are held every Saturday from 10:00am-5:00 p.m. ET.M
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), One Center Street, Newark, NJ.
Student musicians ages 13-18.
Register: $700 per semester or $1,200 for full year. Registration is required and closes October 10, 2026. Scholarships and financial aid are available. For more information, visit NJPAC.org or call 973.353.7058.
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the state’s anchor cultural institution, celebrates 29 years of nurturing young musicians through its popular TD Jazz for Teens program, which has provided exceptional jazz education and performance opportunities to thousands of high school students from Newark and beyond. One of NJPAC's earliest arts education initiatives, the program has grown into a nationally recognized training ground for emerging jazz artists, producing distinguished alumni including MacArthur “Genius" Fellow Tyshawn Sorey.
TD Jazz for Teens is a comprehensive, sequential jazz education program that provides students with rigorous musical instruction from world-class professional artists, opportunities for artistic collaboration, and guidance in exploring college and career pathways in music.
This year's curriculum includes jazz history, theory and composition, instrumental technique, small and large ensembles, music business, production, improvisation, and more. Students preparing for college receive personalized guidance throughout the application process.
Participants also perform regularly as members of the James Moody Jazz Orchestra and the George Wein Scholars Ensemble, which has appeared at the prestigious Newport Jazz Festival. Every student has the opportunity to compose and professionally record original music in a studio setting, while regular field trips to Rutgers University–Newark's renowned Institute of Jazz Studies—the world's largest archive of jazz-related materials—provide an unparalleled connection to the music's rich history.
Since 2015, Mark Gross has led TD Jazz for Teens as NJPAC's Director of Jazz Instruction. A multiple GRAMMY Award-winning alto saxophonist and composer, Gross has performed and recorded with jazz legends including Dizzy Gillespie, Buster Williams, Nat Adderley, Dave Holland.
Under Gross's leadership, students study with an outstanding faculty of more than a dozen accomplished working musicians, including guitarist Alex Wintz; drummer John Iannuzzi; and legendary Russian-born trumpeter and former Jazz Messenger Valery Ponomarev. Throughout the year, students also work directly with internationally celebrated guest artists through exclusive master classes, including nine-time GRAMMY Award-winning bassist Christian McBride, NJPAC's Jazz Advisor; acclaimed vibraphonist Stefon Harris; and MacArthur “Genius" Fellow and Doris Duke Artist Regina Carter.
In addition to NJPAC’s innovative In-School Programs, the Arts Center’s comprehensive Arts Education Department offers an Arts Training Program that helps students at every level learn their artistic and technical skills they need to study acting, dance, instrumental music, vocal music, and musical theater. NJPAC also presents a SchoolTime Performance Series, which introduces students and their families to a world of entertainment and culture. NJPAC’s Arts Education programs feature professional artists from a wide variety of traditions and performances of music, dance, storytelling, puppetry, and more.
October 3, 2026 – May 15, 2027; Classes are held every Saturday from 10:00am-5:00 p.m. ET.M
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), One Center Street, Newark, NJ.
Student musicians ages 13-18.
Register: $700 per semester or $1,200 for full year. Registration is required and closes October 10, 2026. Scholarships and financial aid are available. For more information, visit NJPAC.org or call 973.353.7058.
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the state’s anchor cultural institution, celebrates 29 years of nurturing young musicians through its popular TD Jazz for Teens program, which has provided exceptional jazz education and performance opportunities to thousands of high school students from Newark and beyond. One of NJPAC's earliest arts education initiatives, the program has grown into a nationally recognized training ground for emerging jazz artists, producing distinguished alumni including MacArthur “Genius" Fellow Tyshawn Sorey.
TD Jazz for Teens is a comprehensive, sequential jazz education program that provides students with rigorous musical instruction from world-class professional artists, opportunities for artistic collaboration, and guidance in exploring college and career pathways in music.
This year's curriculum includes jazz history, theory and composition, instrumental technique, small and large ensembles, music business, production, improvisation, and more. Students preparing for college receive personalized guidance throughout the application process.
Participants also perform regularly as members of the James Moody Jazz Orchestra and the George Wein Scholars Ensemble, which has appeared at the prestigious Newport Jazz Festival. Every student has the opportunity to compose and professionally record original music in a studio setting, while regular field trips to Rutgers University–Newark's renowned Institute of Jazz Studies—the world's largest archive of jazz-related materials—provide an unparalleled connection to the music's rich history.
Since 2015, Mark Gross has led TD Jazz for Teens as NJPAC's Director of Jazz Instruction. A multiple GRAMMY Award-winning alto saxophonist and composer, Gross has performed and recorded with jazz legends including Dizzy Gillespie, Buster Williams, Nat Adderley, Dave Holland.
Under Gross's leadership, students study with an outstanding faculty of more than a dozen accomplished working musicians, including guitarist Alex Wintz; drummer John Iannuzzi; and legendary Russian-born trumpeter and former Jazz Messenger Valery Ponomarev. Throughout the year, students also work directly with internationally celebrated guest artists through exclusive master classes, including nine-time GRAMMY Award-winning bassist Christian McBride, NJPAC's Jazz Advisor; acclaimed vibraphonist Stefon Harris; and MacArthur “Genius" Fellow and Doris Duke Artist Regina Carter.
About Arts Education @ NJPAC
NJPAC’s Arts Education offerings reach more than 60,000 students and families through live performances, in-school residency programs and arts training classes. These programs bring the joy of dance, music, theater, and poetry directly to the classroom. Through its innovative residencies, Teaching Artists create stimulating performing arts experiences that engage students’ imaginations and build self-confidence through positive self-expression. Its residencies help students learn to work together and develop their creative independence.In addition to NJPAC’s innovative In-School Programs, the Arts Center’s comprehensive Arts Education Department offers an Arts Training Program that helps students at every level learn their artistic and technical skills they need to study acting, dance, instrumental music, vocal music, and musical theater. NJPAC also presents a SchoolTime Performance Series, which introduces students and their families to a world of entertainment and culture. NJPAC’s Arts Education programs feature professional artists from a wide variety of traditions and performances of music, dance, storytelling, puppetry, and more.
About NJPAC
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is an anchor cultural institution for both the city of Newark and the state of New Jersey. It is an artistic, cultural, educational and civic center where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings communities together both on and off our campus – on stages, in schools and community settings – providing access to the arts for all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists, while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Social Impact programs, NJPAC leverages the arts to advance positive outcomes in education, health and well-being, civic engagement and community development. NJPAC has attracted more than 12.7 million visitors (including more than two million children) since opening its doors in 1997. Learn more at njpac.org.For more information contact AMT Public Relations.
