Education and Community Engagement
Music education is at the core of our mission to protect, preserve and perpetuate New Orleans musical traditions. Passing on the knowledge of this music to the next generation of New Orleans musicians is a primary focus of the Preservation Hall Foundation, as well as a personal focus and passion of many of the beloved musicians of Preservation Hall.
Over the COVID-19 pandemic, we launched Preservation Hall Lessons, offering students and educators free digital learning materials and classroom-ready lesson plans on New Orleans music and culture. Today, we are thrilled to resume in-person education programming like Kids in the Hall at Preservation Hall, and in partnership with music organizations around the country – providing unforgettable, experiential settings for students, learning by playing, and experiencing lasting mentorship with musicians, tradition bearers, and teaching artists from the Preservation Hall collective of musicians.
Programs
Learning the New Orleans Way:
Preservation Hall Lessons
The Preservation Hall Foundation has developed Preservation Hall Lessons: a free, online resource bank for teachers and music educators. The Lessons website includes a range of complete lesson plans for grades K-12, focusing on New Orleans style music, particularly traditional New Orleans Jazz and brass band music. The Lessons website is not just for regional use – it is now available for educators across the nation to help articulate the living art forms that exist in New Orleans on a national level, and ensure its inclusion in music education.
Brass Bandbook
The Preservation Hall Foundation Brass Bandbook is a free online resource for musicians and educators – complete with sheet music of 12 classic New Orleans tunes, like “Bourbon Street Parade and “Lil’ Liza Jane.” Complete with lyrics and historical context of the songs, this free sheet music is available for clarinet, trumpet, trombone, tuba, tenor sax, snare drum and bass drum at preshallfoundation.org/brassbandbook.
Kids in the Hall
Classroom lessons come to life with the Preservation Hall Foundation's Kids in the Hall Field Trip program. In this one-hour field trip, students engage and listen to a Preservation Hall Band, as well as have an opportunity for a Q&A session with members of the Preservation Hall Collective.
Workshops, Masterclasses, and Open Soundchecks
The Preservation Hall Foundation provides workshops, masterclasses, and open soundchecks to schools in the Greater New Orleans area and around the U.S., focusing on Brass Band and Traditional New Orleans Jazz. Open soundchecks are offered on 100% of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's touring dates.
To schedule a workshop or masterclass or to join us at an open soundcheck on any of Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s tour dates, email info@preshallfoundation.org.
Community Concerts
Community Concerts provides a range of free concerts in the Greater New Orleans area for communities limited in access to Preservation Hall by distance, economics, or other circumstances. These free concerts are performed by members of the Preservation Hall Collective and are designed for the whole family to attend.
Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more details about upcoming concert performances.
Sousafund
In the wake of Ben Jaffe's Sousaphone being stolen, the Sousafund was established in 2018 to provide young bass and sousaphone students with high quality instruments. Students in Orleans and Jefferson Parish have received instruments and mentorship on upright bass or sousaphone.