Monterey, Calif., February 23, 2022 – Since its founding in 1958 as a 501c3 non-profit
education organization the Monterey Jazz Festival (MJF) has made musical education the core
of its mission. Continuing that 65-year-old tradition, today, MJF unveiled a new partnership with
the online musical education platform Playbook, that will provide online musical education to
students in Monterey County Schools on a free trial basis.
Playbook was founded by Sammy Miller, a 2009 graduate of MJF’s long-running education
program, the Monterey Jazz Festival Next Gen Orchestra. Playbook’s focus is to make
conservatory quality music education available to all students in grades K-12, giving students
access to world-class musical mentors and educators wherever they are. The platform has
already created a musical curriculum for over 60,000 students of all levels with institutions like
Jazz at Lincoln Center, Los Angeles Unified School District, The Whitney Museum, and the
Juilliard School.
“Playbook is the most comprehensive and high-quality virtual jazz music program I have seen,
and makes learning jazz an accessible opportunity for students at all levels who want to develop
their skills,” says Colleen Bailey, the Managing Director of Monterey Jazz Festival “We are so
proud that this program was developed by one of our program’s graduates!”
The partnership with MJF, Playbook, and Monterey County Schools will enable over 78,000
students to have access to Playbook and its Grammy Winning mentors, expanding MJF’s Jazz
In The Schools program. This expanded program continues MJF’s mission of 65 years of
musical education, which in 2021 also included the Instrument Lending Library, the Next
Generation Jazz Orchestra, the Next Generation Women In Jazz Combo, and the Summer Jazz
Camp.
The announcement coincides with Katie Thiroux, artistic director of the Next Generation
Women In Jazz Combo, visiting Monterey in March for a series of student masterclasses and
development sessions with local music educators.
For interview opportunities, high-resolution photographs and other MJF information, please contact:
Elizabeth Welden-Smith, Deputy Director
Direct Line: 831.233.3711 / MJF Phone: 831.373.3366
elizabeth@montereyjazzfestival.org
www.montereyjazzfestival.org