Our Story
Founded in 2014 by Andrew Johnston, Jazz Empowers is dedicated to transforming the lives of young musicians through innovative music education. With a diverse board of directors sharing a passion for jazz, the organization developed a curriculum that emphasizes performing jazz standards, ear training, and improvisation. In the 2015-2016 school year, Jazz Empowers raised $10,000 to launch a pilot program in two underserved schools in Nashville, serving 30 students who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to learn music. Building on this success, the program expanded in the 2016-2017 school year and has since grown to serve 6,200 students across the country, providing over 1,050 instruments to partner schools and supporting jazz programs in 290 underserved schools.