Michelle Obama Hosts White House Jazz Studio

By: Prerana Swami
Topics: Michelle Obama

5090192First Lady Michelle Obama kicked off a White House music series Monday with a Jazz Studio, honoring her commitment to the arts.

The first lady hosted 150 middle and high school jazz students in the East Wing. The students participated in workshops. Led by famous jazz musicians such as the Marsalis family, the seminars focused on the influence American history had on jazz, improvisation through jazz styles, and the influence of Duke Ellington.

"Today's event exemplifies what the White House, the people's house, should be about. This is a place to honor America's past, celebrate its present and create its future," Obama said in a speech concluding the day's activities. "And what better example of this is than jazz, America's indigenous art form."

Obama applauded jazz as a democratic art form and considers it "America's greatest artistic gift to the world."

"There's probably no better example of democracy than a jazz ensemble; individual freedom but with responsibility to the group," Obama said.

Eighteen-year-old former Los Angeles County High School for the Arts student Sammy Miller told the LA Times earlier today that working with legendary musicians was an honor.

"Usually when I'm learning jazz, I learn it from people who are great teachers, but these guys who we're going to be working with are some of the creators of jazz," he said. "To get a chance to work with them is beyond rare."

Playing the drums since he was five, Miller also expressed his appreciation for the White House's attention to the music genre.

"It's great that jazz can be honored in a workshop setting at a national level," he said. "Jazz usually doesn't get much recognition, but having the president recognize it in such a way is beyond amazing."

Including an anecdote about her childhood, Obama said that her grandfather had jazz playing "twenty four hours a day at the highest volume" as she grew up.

(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

First daughters Sasha and Malia also attended the event in the first lady's attempt to "keep them alive and aware of other kinds of music other than hip-hop." They are pictured above with the first lady.

Obama praised the students as "future guardians of music" in her speech, stating that she's counting on them to keep the music vital and evolving for generations to come."

After her speech, legendary jazz musician Paquito D'Rivera performed accompanied by four young musicians including fourteen year old pianist Tony Madruga.

(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

"We need the new generation to come and play music with us," D'Rivera said, advocating for youth music education and introducing his accompanists. He is pictured above (left), with Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.

The White House will continue the music series later this year, focusing on the country and classical genres.

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by ooklathemok February 22, 2010 8:35 AM EST

Where are the white kids? Are there no white children in America that are Jazz enthusiasts? Reverse racism seems more rampant than ever, with the invention of "Black" Entertainment Television, "Black" History Month, as well as "Black" only classes and scholarships in our colleges. The excuse is that every month is "White" History which is absolutely false because if it were it would be racist, every channel is "White" TV which is false because there isn't a TV show that has just white people on it like back in the 60's and 70's, although BET has programs that feature just blacks. Our colleges don't offer scholarships that can only be won by "White" children although they do for blacks. Now the First Lady is shown holding a Jazz concert at the White House and it appears that all or 99% of the children are Black. WTH world? Where is the equality?

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by sayitlikeitis September 5, 2010 9:54 PM EDT: Are you serious? Let me ask you a question... if you felt like you should a part of a particular group and thought you were part of a particular group but every time they have a party, or an award show, or a contest (beauty contest), etc....you were ALWAYS excluded, then what would you do? Would you fight against the group to try and make yourself included? Would you asked that the group be shut down because they don't include you? Would you stay at home and cry because you haven't been included? Or would you say FORGET JOINING THEIR GROUP and start your own? Well, minorities have done all of the above since their existence in the US. We've fought to be in your beauty pageants, to have our shows on your networks, to be nominees in your award shows, to be a part of your schools, to live in your neighborhoods, to go to your schools, (I'm sure this list could go on). So instead of fighting and crying over not being included, we started our own. If you feel that it's racist because of that, then you are correct. It was racism that shut us out of alot....and continues to shut us out. Reading your comment, I could on and on and on talking to you about what you wrote about Black History Month, even about what is shown on television, and even scholarships. But I'll say this, you wrote a comment about how majority of the students that Michelle Obama had at the jazz program were black. Did you ever comment on any of the choirs that sang for George Bush that were majority white (sometimes all white)? Probably not, because most people see it as the norm and it's never questions. Only when the situation is flipped do you see a problem with it.


by gravyboat3000 June 15, 2009 7:52 PM EDT: I hope they televise these Jazz Studios. I love Jazz, and would love to see some young people jamming with some of the best and brightest of jazz on stage.

(Wynton, you've gained some weight there bra, just sayin.); Reply to this comment