Romanian Jazz Education Summit

The first-ever Romanian Jazz Education Summit will begin June 26, and last until July 3, 2005. All jazz music educators in Romania will attend. The purpose of this summit is to provide intensive/detailed instruction of American jazz education techniques for Romanian educators through the assistance of dedicated American jazz educators.
The approximately 100 educators and/or selected performers will meet at a beautiful retreat in the Western Carpathian Mountains, away from the numerous distractions of cities like Bucharest. It is the first such forum for Romanian music educators ever undertaken.
There is significant need for such a meeting. For the past year, Fulbright professor Tom Smith has been working with Romanian musicians towards the initiation of a comprehensive jazz studies program in that country. A few months ago, certification of a jazz studies program at Tibiscus University in the western Romanian city of Timisoara was approved. The university is the sponsor of food and lodging for the participants. The International Association of Jazz Education helped sponsor some of artist based costs, while the Fulbright Commission of Romania provided significant one month extensions for two of its Senior Scholars. Moreover, the artists themselves delved very aggressively into this project. All are college/university professors. Several enlisted grants to have their travel compensated via their own universities. At least two artists will attend completely at their own expense, while the others are compensated with just enough money to make expenses. That is how serious jazz educators are about pursuing such endeavors via the Fulbright program.
Fulbright-based activities are the future wave for promoting causes related to American based music education, and their interrelationships with the rest of the world. What better way to share the American way of life with others? For more information contact Tom Smith.

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