The Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp was founded in 1995 with the support of the City of New Orleans. The camp has grown from a one-week affair serving 35 youth to a three-week intensive program training 100 young people, ages 10-21, in music and dance. Instructions in brass, woodwinds, piano, acoustic and electric bass, drums, percussion, guitar, music composition, swing dance and vocal music are offered.
The camp employs the services of leading New Orleans jazz educators and performers, and annually hosts a highly accomplished national jazz musician and swing dance icon as an artists-in-residence. The Armstrong Jazz Camp is now independent of local government and operates under the auspices of the nonprofit New Orleans Arts & Cultural Host Committee. The Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp has a proven, effective educational program that has achieved national recognition. The programs was housed at the University of New Orleans Medard Nelson Charter School, for 15 years.
Two thousand nine marked a significant change in the program’s existence. Jazz Camp relocated to the campus of Loyola University New Orleans, located in the Garden District of uptown New Orleans. It is one of the city’s most beautiful neighborhoods. Students now experience college life and have the opportunity to study in a state of the art music education facility.
In the past, the Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp offered three week-long training programs in music business, recording engineering and music notation technology for advanced students. Due to funding deficits, the workshop series is no longer offered as part of the program’s curriculum. Presenters hope to reinstate the workshop series in the near future.
An annual field trip is presented as part of the camp’s curriculum. Jazz Camp hours are 9:00a.m. to 3:00p.m. Monday through Friday.
