Kansas City Area Youth Jazz is a spring and summer only program. It’s like going away in summer to something like the Interlochen Center for the Arts or the Berklee College of Music summer sessions except it’s local, merit based, and free of tuition. Each awarded Fellowship is vital to each ensemble. KCAYJ Fellows prepare professional level literature for recording, perform in a next generation summer showcase concert festival, some play paid gigs in the community, and Fellows work with a variety of renowned teaching artists as clinicians each season.
Each season Kansas City Area Youth Jazz invites Guest Artists and Educators to come in as clinicians during the course of our preparations for the album recording sessions. The following are among the artists and educators who have agreed to be contracted and scheduled for Kansas City Area Youth Jazz Clinics this season. Please note that this list is updated often.
FEATURED CLINICIAN
work sample
FEATURED CLINICIAN
work sample
FEATURED CLINICIAN
work sample
FEATURED CLINICIAN
work sample
FEATURED CLINICIAN
work sample
FEATURED CLINICIAN
FEATURED CLINICIAN
2025 GUEST CLINICIANS LIST
2025 UPDATE: PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL CLINIC TIMES ARE NOW 3:30 PM TO 4:00 PM
2025 UPDATE: PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL CLINIC TIMES ARE NOW 3:30 PM TO 4:00 PM
2025 UPDATE: PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL CLINIC TIMES ARE NOW 3:30 PM TO 4:00 PM
2025 UPDATE: PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL CLINIC TIMES ARE NOW 3:30 PM TO 4:00 PM
GUEST CLINICIAN MASTER LIST
2025 UPDATE: PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL CLINIC TIMES ARE NOW 3:30 PM TO 4:00 PM
3 Clinicians from Berklee College of Music
YOUTH JAZZ is a program that takes advantage of its inherently diverse community of professionals within the greater Kansas City metropolitan area and beyond. We also understand that truly empowering the next generation requires creating an environment that allows all generations to interact with one another in the types of meaningful contexts our program provides during each season. Both applied and educational learning contexts are unique benefits to YOUTH JAZZ. (1) Preparing music to a high level for recording, (2) performing concerts in the community, and (3) serving as peer mentors are among the opportunities that FELLOWS are afforded. (4) Networking among peers and developing relationships with industry mentors are vital skills for building living-wage arts infrastructure and community.
visit individual websites for full profiles
Dr. Arthur White – website
Mr. Joel Gordon – website
Ms. Judi Dietz – website
Prof. Dino Massa – website
and Dr. Mike Pagan, ARC Artist
(2022 Jam Sessions Program clinicians)
Prof. Patrick Cornelius – website
Ms. Alyssa Murray – website
Prof. Clarence Smith – website
Prof. Jason Goudeau – website
Mr. B.J. Jansen – website
Dr. Dan Thomas – website
Ottawa University
(2022 season clinic)
Mr. John Gardner – website
Mr. Doug Talley – website
Prof. David Valdez – website
Mr. Tate Berry – website
Dr. Jared Prost – website
Prof. Jim Mair – website
Ms. Jackie Meyers – website
Mr. Luis Portillo – website
Mr. Houston Smith – website
Berklee College of Music alumnus
(2021 season clinic)
Mr. Morgan Faw – website
Dr. Mike Parkinson – website
Ms. Amber Underwood – website
Dr. Luke Johnson – website
Prof. Nate Nall – website
Dr. Todd Wilkinson – website
sitting in with a group of FELLOWS
(2022 season community performance).
Mr. Jason Bata – website
Prof. Adam Larson – website
Dr. Ryan Heinlein – website
Mr. Pat Adams – website
Prof. Erica Lindsay – website
Ms. Sumi Tonooka – website
Prof. Jeff Siegel – website
Prof. Michael Jefry Stevens – website
Dr. David N. Vance – website
Prof. Stanton Kessler – website
VIDEO CLINIC
VIDEO CLINIC: Professor Patrick Cornelius gives a clinic to Kansas City Area Youth Jazz Fellows on his composition “Infinite Blue” which was performed and recorded during the 2020 KCAYJ season. *Get his recordings everywhere.
PATRICK CORNELIUS HAS DONATED HIS ENTIRE RECORDED CATALOG OF HIS PUBLISHED COMPOSITIONS TO YOUTH JAZZ.
Program Guidelines, Terms, and Conditions: Fellows | Consultants | Privacy Policy
