Maine Motif Issue 3, Vol. II (Spring 2018) | Page 20
A Sense of Community
Among my most valued experiences in college was the sense of community we felt as
students of jazz. Spontaneous jam sessions, one-upping each other with amazing
moments in our favorite recordings, and passionate debates over where this music
should go next, cemented life-long friendships. One of my earliest goals in teaching was
to establish a similar culture of collective curiosity and exploration among my students.
Turns out the students who responded to me for this article were unanimous in naming
community and relationships paramount to not only the success of the program, but the
nourishment they gained from it.
Aspiring journalist Ryan McNamara (‘10) proclaims, “The program created such a
strong community that my fellow musicians became my best friends regardless of age,
defying typical high school allegiance to one’s grade-mates. A trumpet player four years
older and a guitar player three years younger were among my best friends.” Several
students echoed that sentiment including Bard College saxophonist Alden Slack (‘14)
who remarked, “Schumacher is the only instructor I’ve had whose homework
assignment might be ‘hang out with your band mates’. The result; more productive and