Greetings to all as we look forward to another exciting year of school. I know that many of you are currently in full marching band mode and not getting much sleep! "So hang in there," "November is just around the corner." As your new jazz education advisor, I would like to share with you a few things that I have been working on since summer.

The first item on my agenda was to hold discussions with a number of college jazz educators about how to improve the overall quality of jazz education in Kansas. There were several topics discussed, which included jazz improvisation, a jazz mentorship program, jazz literature, teacher training in jazz ensemble techniques, vocal jazz, clinics and workshops, summer camps, and offering supplemental programs in jazz education for teacher re- certification. From these discussions, it was determined that there was a need for improving teacher competency in the following areas: jazz improvisation, jazz pedagogy, vocal jazz, and jazz ensemble techniques. So the next question is "What type of jazz education programs can we implement to help improve teachers' inadequacies in jazz?"

Currently, the KMEA-sponsored mentorship program has proven to be a great resource for first-year teachers. But it is also important for first-year teachers and experienced music educators to have access to resources and mentors in jazz education as well. Research data from 1960 to 2012 in jazz education has indicated that students in teacher-training programs across the country were not required or encouraged to participate in any jazz related courses during their undergraduate years. Therefore, the majority of first year teachers entering the field are insufficient and poorly trained in the jazz idiom.

One way we can help combat these deficiencies is to offer a type of mentorship program that provides educators with an opportunity to seek the services of a highly skilled jazz educator through the use of SKYPE. Today, a number of college professors are using SKYPE to teach private lessons, performances, clinics, education programs, to grade studio juries, and to hear scholarship auditions. I am currently in the process of designing the "JAZZ SKYPE" program and hopefully we can make it available for everyone sometime in spring 2013. I have already contacted several collegiate jazz educators who are willing to do this for FREE! I am very excited about the possibilities of this program and what it could provide for all future endeavors. Please stay tuned! Much more to come!