Using Discord To Create Community

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Working In Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Our Collaboration With The Settlement Music School

GAIA Sponsors Wynnefield Jazz Fest: A Free Celebration of Music, Community & Youth Talent June 14, 2025 | 12–5 PM | Settlement Music School – Wynnefield Campus | Free Admission GAIA is proud to sponsor and participate in Settlement Music School’s Wynnefield Jazz Fest, an uplifting, high-energy celebration of music, community, and the next generation of jazz talent. This free, family-friendly event brings students, educators, and professional musicians together on one stage, giving young performers a rare opportunity to play for the public and share their passion for jazz. Held at Settlement’s Wynnefield campus at 4910 Wynnefield Avenue in Philadelphia from 12-5pm, the day will feature a full lineup of live performances, including: The Wheeler Pre-Advanced Jazz Ensemble – rising student musicians taking the stage with energy and skill The Helen K. Schwartz Advanced Scholarship Jazz Ensemble – showcasing some of the school's most accomplished young jazz artists The Earl Phillips Big Band – a world-class ensemble led by the acclaimed conductor featuring special guest Tony Miceli of GAIA, performing the music of Terry Gibbs GAIA’s mission is to make music and arts education accessible to all, empowering young talent and enriching communities around the world. Sponsoring this event reflects GAIA’s deep commitment to giving back, supporting Settlement Music School’s incredible work and making world-class jazz accessible to everyone, especially the students who live and breathe it. To learn more about Settlement Music School’s programs and impact, visit www.settlementmusic.org .

(Pour voir cette page en Français, cliquez ici) Following a very successful program in 2024, GAIA is renewing our partnership with Jazz'Muse, and our sponsorship of two scholarships during their upcoming 2025 workshops!

GAIA's summer has been packed with extensive support for events worldwide, beginning with the JazzMuse Workshop and Festival in France and the upcoming Steve Weiss Mallet Festival later this month. The Steve Weiss Mallet Festival is a five-day workshop dedicated to percussion mallet players, featuring five concerts that showcase some of the world's finest mallet artists, including Sasha Berliner, Warren Wolf, Christos Rafalides, and GAIA’s music director, Tony Miceli . The primary objective of the Steve Weiss Festival is to make music accessible to people of all ages in Philadelphia, aligning closely with GAIA’s mission to leverage the arts and music to uplift education and communities worldwide. The festival includes a children's concert at the prestigious Barnes Foundation, and concerts at Settlement Music and Chris' Jazz Cafe. #jazz #music #ArtsEducation

Beginning with a phenomenal fundraiser at Sofia including great food and the GAIA quartet, we worked with 6 high schools in 5 days, teaching the students to play by ear, as well as running master classes in jazz and organizing performances with the students for the student body. Many great connections were made with students and teachers. Thanks to everyone involved for your support in making this program a huge success! In addition, we received some incredible feedback from the Ministry of Public Education and others on the week: Good morning, dear GAIA Foundation Friends: I know from @Sergio Morales Angulo that the GAIA tour in Guanacaste last week, has been a great success. I am so pleased and happy to read that. Thank you, Sergio, for sharing your feelings and emotions about it. It is great to confirm that collaboration is probably the best way to accomplish our goals… As an evaluator, it is very thrilling for me to share some of Sergio´s expressions, manifested by him in his message -you can read the original one in Spanish, below-. I want to highlight some of Sergio´s phrases, as a qualitative beautiful result of GAIA´s efforts and investment of talent, time and resources, last week in Costa Rica: “...with great emotion and enthusiasm” “…students and primary and secondary school teachers” “...totally free” “...It was a space for musical and personal growth” “...a space where healthy coexistence was promoted, as well as the development and implementation of the various competencies that are enhanced by the educational processes of the Ministry of Public Education” “… it allowed us to visualize young people inspired to continue their musical artistic growth” “...Both students and teachers were truly inspired and moved to continue developing their potential” “from the Liberia Regional Musical Education Advisory: to each one of you, my most sincere gratitude” Phrases that teachers and students expressed during the week: 1. "This is another level." 2. "We must study more." 3. "We would like to go deeper into improvisation" 4. "We want more of this, to repeat it." Thank you again, may you be blessed abundantly.

For the second year running, GAIA was proud to partner with Child's Play and MTV to host a very special VIP area at the M3 Rockfest in Columbia, Maryland!