Tenth Anniversary of Jazz Education Program Inspires Thousands of Sixth Graders

Nolan Williams, Jr., CEO of NEWorks Productions

Weeklong program presented by Dr. Phillips Center and led by Nolan Williams, Jr. introduced sixth grade students to jazz history through eight live performances

Our aim is to show our scholars where jazz has been while inspiring them to consider where they might take it next. We want them to appreciate that jazz is a living art form.”

— Nolan Williams, Jr., CEO of NEWorks Productions

WASHINGTON, DC, DC, UNITED STATES, April 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A fitting prelude to Jazz Appreciation Month, thousands of students gathered inside Walt Disney Theater at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts to clap on cue, sing improvised melodies and echo rhythms—becoming an integral part of an immersive performance.

The scene was part of the 10th Annual “6th & Jazz” program presented by Dr. Phillips Center, which ran March 23–27, 2026, and brought thousands of sixth graders from Orange and Osceola County Public Schools into the venue for an immersive introduction to jazz. Over the past decade, the program has reached more than 242,000 students.

At the center of the production was Nolan Williams, Jr., now in his fourth year as curator and artistic lead. From the stage, Williams guided students through the foundations of jazz, blending live performance with storytelling and audience participation.

Developed in collaboration with NEWorks Productions, the program combined multimedia images and videos with live performances by the 13-member Dr. Phillips Center Jazz Orchestra, with three vocalists Michelle Mailhot, Casey Gulledge and Maddie Mae Walker, and three dancers Leo Sandoval along with Adonus Mabry and Kathy Guryan from the Crawford Jazz Project. Throughout the show, Williams and the performers introduced students to jazz icons Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. The music of these legendary artists served as both lesson material and inspiration, with live renditions demonstrating how their styles continue to shape both modern and contemporary jazz.

Williams was tapped four years ago to lead “6th & Jazz.” Dr. Phillips Center says the program has grown into one of its most impactful educational programs, designed to extend learning beyond the classroom. By bringing students into a professional concert setting, organizers aim to expose them to both the arts and potential career paths.

For Williams, whose body of work spans collaborations with institutions like the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia’s Mann Center, Smithsonian Institution and Fulton County Arts & Culture, the approach is intentional. His productions often emphasize audience participation and cultural context, leveraging the power of the arts to educate and inspire.

This year’s performance run in Orlando included a total of eight 55-minute shows. By the end of each one, the distinction between performer and audience had largely dissolved. Students left not only with a primer on jazz history, but with firsthand experience in its rhythms and spontaneity—an outcome Williams said is key to making the music resonate.

“Our aim is to show our scholars where jazz has been while inspiring them to consider where they might take it next,” says Williams. “We want them to appreciate that jazz is a living art form, one that has influenced so much of the popular music we hear and enjoy today.”

Gwendolyn Quinn
Gwendolyn Quinn Public Relations
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