Jazz in the Barn Sept. 16 supports Great Bend

Kirk Boxleitner | Aug 31, 20230

The Union-based Great Bend Center for Music has nabbed the jazz stylings of the Kareem Kandi World Orchestra, which will be featured at the center’s second annual “Jazz in the Barn Gala” fundraiser Sept. 16.

Kandi recently announced his impending stint as the new host of the “Jazz Northwest” show, which can be heard at 2 p.m. Sundays on KNKX 88.5 FM. The show highlights the jazz scene from Portland to Vancouver, so Great Bend Center for Music General Director Matthew Melendez touted this particular “Jazz in the Barn” as an opportunity for aficionados to get to know the tastes and talents of a Northwest jazz trendsetter.

“Kareem’s a really cool dude, who’s gregarious, collegial and game for just about anything,” Melendez said. “And the Salmon Center’s barn, which is among its facilities that’s available for rentals, has really great acoustics.”

The concert is from 5:30-10 p.m., in the barn at the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group’s Salmon Center at 600 NE Roessel Road in Belfair.

Melendez said attendees can enjoy the evening’s music with catered dinners and drink tickets to microbrews from producers High Steel Beer in Shelton and Potlatch Brewing in Hoodsport, and custom cocktails from The Hardware Distillery, all while helping to support Sound Scholars’ early learning program.

Melendez thanked state Rep. Travis Couture and state Sen. Drew MacEwen for securing money to allow Sound Scholars to launch as a pilot program, adding that the money wasn’t enough to cover the first year of the program. He said the program has helped close to 1,000 kids from nearly 40 states, plus half a dozen other countries.

“And this fall, we’ll be partnering with the Shelton School District, specifically to provide the program to more than 400 local preschoolers in the English, Spanish, Mam and Q’anjob’al languages,” Melendez said. “This area boasts one of the largest populations of expatriate Mam and Q’anjob’al speakers in the country, and it’s to everyone’s benefit that their early learning development should be made as successful as possible.”

Sound Scholars are divided into three grade groups — prekindergarten, kindergarten and first grade, and second and third grades. The groups are named after a Salish Sea animal and the program “uses play as a primary method of learning.” Melendez said students are exposed to “rigorous” 10-week terms of 30-minute sessions each day, five days per week, during the winter, spring and fall seasons, along with shorter, project-based terms during summer and winter holidays.

“They learn things like how to read music and how to identify pitch,” Melendez said. “Honestly, it’s likely that a number of these kids won’t go on to become avid musicians, but in the long run, there are demonstrated academic, social and emotional benefits to them receiving such lessons during their early development.”

Melendez said he believes that conducting such courses will help him contribute to the performance-based data that demonstrates those benefits, which he hopes will yield more support for Sound Scholars and its programs.

For further details on the Sept. 16 jazz concert, go to http://www.greatbendmusic.org/go/jazz-in-the-barn-2023.