Charlottesville High Students visited by musicians from Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Charlottesville High School students got to take a break from class to attend a Jazz Assembly.

Musicians from the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz stopped by to perform and teach students about their music.

“I am the guest artist for the Herbie Hancock Peer to Peer Jazz Sextet. I’ve always wanted to teach, and obviously, I love performing, so in this particular instance, we’re able to perform first and then show the students what we’ve been doing as we’re performing,” Sean Jones said. “We’ve gone into every school and done what we call ‘in performances’ where we teach the high school students as well as giving them a performance.”

This is just one stop on the Herbie Hancock Peer to Peer Jazz Sextet’s tour.

“Since 2005, we have been touring two or three weeks a year with top high school students, along with two major stars,” Jazz Sextet Vice President Dr. J.B. Dyas said.

One lucky student got the special opportunity to perform jazz alongside jazz singer Lisa Henry on stage.

“The main message that I’d like to leave with any student, whether I’m performing for them or not, is believe whatever comes to your mind, believe that you can do it,” Jones said.

The jazz band has one performance on its tour before wrapping up.

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