Preservation Hall Children's Program
Developed in 1997, the Preservation Hall Children's Program is a specially designed field trip provided free of charge to students in the greater New Orleans Area. The program includes a performance by Veteran New Orleans Musicians, an introduction to the fundamentals of New Orleans Jazz, a class on New Orleans Parade Dancing and Mardi Gras mask making. The PHCP provides students the opportunity to interact with and experience Preservation Hall and New Orleans Music firsthand from living jazz masters.

To donate to this wonderful cause, please click the "Donate" button below. You will be taken to the Jazz and Heritage Foundation's website. Under "Area of Support", please select: "Preservation Hall Education Initiative."

Click here to download the Preservation Hall Children's Program Brochure.

Under the direction of Creative Director Ben Jaffe , the Preservation Hall Junior Jazz Band is an after school program for qualified music students under the age of 18. Through a rigorous audition process, this select group of student musicians are required to take private lessons on their respective instruments. Members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band teach the music students the fundamentals of the New Orleans Jazz Tradition with an emphasis on group improvisation, rhythm and repertoire. This unique program affords serious music students the opportunity to witness and experience the mechanics of being a professional musician in an environment which encourages and prioritizes tradition.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band Master classes and Student Performances
On a yearly basis, the PHJB performs hundreds of concerts in major cities around the world. A major component of the PHJB's mission is to share with young audiences the living musical traditions of New Orleans. Through Master classes and Student Performances, the PHJB exposes thousands of students to New Orleans Music the world over. From Masterclasses with college level students and professional musicians at leading conservatories or children's performances for grammar school students, the PHJB seizes every opportunity to spread the resounding joy of New Orleans Music.

"There's nothing more rewarding than looking out at a sea of children's faces in the audience, and they all have smiles and they're all clapping and singing along. That's how you know you're doing your job right." - JOHN BRUNIOUS (1931-2008) Former Leader Preservation Hall Jazz Band.