With grateful support from the Department of Canadian Heritage's Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF), the Rotary Centre for the Arts offers community outreach arts opportunities alongside its RCA Presents series. On November 5, students from Constable Neil Bruce Middle School and Mount Boucherie Secondary School enjoyed a unique experience with members of the Jeremy Ledbetter Trio prior to their performance on the Mary Irwin Theatre stage. The trio—Jeremy Ledbetter, Larnell Lewis, and Rich Brown—visited the band room at Constable Neil Bruce, where they provided a private jam session and Q&A. We were thrilled to bring these world-renowned jazz musicians not only to the RCA but also directly to youth in our community who share a passion for jazz. We spoke to a few of the students after the workshop to hear their thoughts. 

Elvi plays the bass guitar, and was inspired by how Rich Brown worked his bass during the performance. 

“It was really cool, I liked it a lot”, said student Eliv. “I liked when the drummer [Larnel Lewis] would show you the creative parts of the process.”  

Student saxophonist Franz was especially captivated by the trio’s song Two Cousins, sharing, “My favorite part was when they were alternating between the Jamaican and Venezuelan parts of the song.” 

“Music is super important because you can change people’s mood through it, and it connects people together.” 

Clarinet player Annika said, “it was a really cool experience; I haven't heard a jazz trio play live before.” 

“Music is important to me because it makes me feel whatever emotion I’m feeling,” Annika continued. “A lot of kids know that music is their comfort zone.”  

Constable Neil Bruce Middle School recently received a piano donation from Sue McCuen, providing music students with an incredible new instrument. Sue was there to watch her generous gift come alive as Jeremy Ledbetter tickled the ivories, bringing a fresh energy to the students. 

“It was like from Beauty and the Beast where the instruments got to come to life, and I heard more life in that piano than I've ever heard.” said Sue. 

“It's just such a great thing to expose the kids to such talent. You can tell by the enthusiasm, the “groupies” that stayed here after, it's so great to see and to realize that the musical aspect of life continues.” 

Will Friesen, a music teacher at Mount Boucherie, spoke to us about why events like these are crucial for students. 

“I think this is important because giving the students a chance to see professional musicians and to ask them specific questions about how it all works is just incredible. It's just a totally formative experience that they're never going to forget, completely because these are some of the best musicians in Canada. And for them to be able to not only see them play on stage but to actually ask them questions, that’s very special.” 

Andrew Stauffer, RCA’s Theatre Programming Director, was thrilled to see students make meaningful connections with such talented musicians. 

“Seeing high caliber musicians like Jeremy, Rich, and Larnell is essential for young players to learn about what’s possible musically,” said Andrew. “Workshops like this can open up the world of music for these young musicians. This is certainly a formative experience for many of the students.” 

A huge thank you to the Jeremy Ledbetter Trio for sharing their incredible talent with these enthusiastic students, and to both schools for making this experience possible. 

We’re thrilled to bring outstanding artists like the Jeremy Ledbetter Trio to the Mary Irwin Theatre, creating unforgettable performances for our community as part of the RCA Presents season. 

The RCA hosts many arts workshops and camps throughout the year to bring arts education to everyone. Our RCA Jazz Camp saw tremendous success this past summer – read more about it in our blog: RCA’s Summer Jazz Camp: An Intergenerational Jazz Experience