Singer Melissa Walker and her husband, nine-time Grammy winner Christian McBride, have helped tens of thousands of children by sharing their passion for music. They are inspiring the next generation of jazz musicians with their nonprofit, Jazz House Kids.
Walker founded Jazz House Kids 21 years ago, inspired by a visit to a local school. McBride is the nonprofit’s artistic director.
Since the New Jersey-based nonprofit was founded more than two decades ago, it has helped produce major jazz stars, including Isaiah Thompson and Matthew Whitaker.
“When Melissa and I started dating exactly 20 years ago, she said, ‘Oh, and by the way, I started this show called Jazz House Kids. It would be great if we could focus on that later in the future.’ Look what happened,” McBride said.
The nonprofit has helped more than 52,000 students of all ages through lessons and ensembles and has provided more than 1,200 free instruments to children who can’t afford one.
For students like Mark Ricco and Sinclair Powell, both of whom hope to make their voices heard on the professional stage, Jazz House Kids is home.
Powell, now 17, said she was 8 when she joined Jazz House Kids. She started out playing piano before discovering her love for drums.
“Jazz House has definitely become my family. These people have seen me grow up,” she says.
Ricco, 18, came to Jazz House Kids five years ago and developed a love of music with the help of teachers and mentors.
“I was diagnosed with autism when I was 2 years old, and I think expression has always been a big part of who I am because there’s a lot going on inside of me that other people are able to express normally, that I can’t,” he said. “So music has allowed me to express myself.”
The program has benefited from classes by Wynton Marsalis and Pat Metheny. It also features a jazz festival, now in its 15th year, that aims to make jazz accessible to all.
“It’s really important for us to see a young person, to see that they have fire in their eyes, that they want to do this, but maybe they don’t have the money,” McBride said.
Some graduate but have no intention of pursuing a career in professional music. However, the couple believes that jazz has the power to make them better at whatever they choose to do.
“I think most jazz artists are exceptional listeners. You have to blend in, so you have to listen to what they’re doing,” McBride said.
Walker said she is especially proud of the children who come each week and have the support of the nonprofit to help them be their best selves. It’s a sentiment her students share.
“The Jazz House is a place where everyone can go and be themselves, especially for me,” Ricco said. “I didn’t have to blend in with the crowd. I’ve always had to do that in my life so I wouldn’t be teased or bullied at school. It really made a difference in my life.”
Vladimir Duthiers
