Tuesday, 28 July 2026 08:00 AM
Partnerships
Four nights, twelve 50-minute classes open to total beginners, pros and jazz music lovers alike - with special guest Daniel Carter - expanding an ongoing partnership whose proceeds fund free community music programming. Early-bird all-access passes available through August 21.
NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / July 28, 2026 / New York Jazz Workshop and the New York Music Institute today announced Jazz Mini-Week - four evenings of 50-minute jazz classes on August 28 and September 1-3, 2026, open to everyone from people who have never played a note to working professionals. The twelve classes, taught at NYJW's midtown Manhattan studios at 6:00, 7:00, and 8:00 PM nightly, mark a major expansion of the two schools' ongoing partnership: proceeds support the New York Music Institute's free community programming, including the free improvisation class the two organizations co-present on the first Monday of every month, led by saxophonist Patience Higgins.
Twelve Classes, No Experience Required
The lineup spans jazz history, culture, and hands-on music-making, with a through-line: improvisation as something anyone can do. More than half the program is built on that idea - vocalist and composer Kyoko Kitamura's "No Wrong Notes" uses graphic scores in place of sheet music so that players and non-players create together; saxophonist Ole Mathisen, founder of Columbia University's Hybrid Arts Ensemble, teaches alternative techniques through which everyone can improvise on any piece of music; Alyssa Chetrick opens improvisation to classically trained players; Michelle Walker turns whatever is in your pocket into a rhythm section in the Everyday Objects Improv Lab; and bassist Andrea Veneziani examines the psychology of how improvisers listen, trust, and create in real time.
Elsewhere in the program, drummer Scott Latzky traces the lineage of jazz rhythm from Africa to New York through percussion, clapping, and dance; bassist Dave Ambrosio revisits the neglected protest jazz of the late-1960s Blue Note era through his project Civil Disobedience; and a faculty panel featuring Patience Higgins and NYJW co-founder Marc Mommaas debates one of the field's liveliest questions: oral tradition versus academia. Closing night features guitarist Charlie Apicella - lecturer and curator for the Yusef Lateef Estate - joined by celebrated multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter, exploring free improvisation and the composition techniques of Yusef Lateef, Archie Shepp, and Pat Martino.
Every class welcomes jazz enthusiasts, total beginners, and experienced musicians alike, and several require no instrument at all.
Single classes are $35; a three-class pack is $90; and an all-access pass covering all twelve classes is $199 through August 21, rising to $249 thereafter. Discounts are available for attendees under 26 and seniors 65+. Tickets and the full schedule are at https://newyorkjazzworkshop.com/jazz-mini-week-2026/ and newyorkmusicinstitute.org/jazz-mini-week.
"Jazz Mini-Week is the great equalizer," said Erin Rabitcheff, Director of Operations and Student Services at New York Jazz Workshop. "It lets everyone - from jazz enthusiasts to serious musicians - sample unique and creative topics in jazz."
"When music is free, it's accessible to all - but free doesn't mean a free ride," said Patience Higgins, Artistic Director of the New York Music Institute. "The contribution goes in both directions: the instructor freely gives their time and expertise, and the participant freely gives their presence, their energy, and their participation. Nobody is required to give money - the giving is spiritual, not monetary." Jazz Mini-Week is where the giving becomes monetary by choice: ticket proceeds keep the first-Monday class free and open to all.
The New York Music Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; proceeds from Jazz Mini-Week support its free community programming.
Also This Season: Intensives, Fall Classes, Kyoto, and Brazil
Jazz Mini-Week caps a busy season for New York Jazz Workshop. A limited number of spots remain in its 18th annual summer jazz intensives in New York City - three- and four-day immersive programs near Times Square, including Vocal Intensive (August 4-7), "The Keys" Piano Intensive (August 12-14), Brazilian Music Intensive (August 18-21), and the Strings Improvisation Intensive (August 26-28), with tuition from $465. Registration is also open for fall weekly jazz classes in NYC, from beginner-friendly programs to advanced ensembles, vocal programs, and online courses.
Abroad, the Kyoto Jazz Immersion runs September 12-20, 2026 - nine days of masterclasses, ensemble sessions, and cultural excursions led by Marc Mommaas and bassist Dave Ambrosio, culminating in a concert with a special Japanese guest artist. Music and Arts in Brazil follows February 19-26, 2027, taking ten participants to Salvador de Bahia, a UNESCO City of Music, for percussion workshops at Escola Olodum and immersion in Afro-Brazilian musical culture. Both trips welcome musicians and non-musicians.
"Everything we're doing this season comes from the same idea: experiencing jazz by playing it, not just listening to it," said Marc Mommaas, co-founder of New York Jazz Workshop. "Whether it's a 50-minute class on a Tuesday night in midtown or a jam session in Kyoto, the music opens up when you step inside it."
About New York Jazz Workshop
Founded in 2008 by saxophonist Marc Mommaas and Marco Chelo, New York Jazz Workshop is a community music school located at 265 W 37th Street in midtown Manhattan, serving approximately 4,000 students annually through group workshops, private lessons, intensives, teen programs, and international immersions. Its corporate team-building programs have served clients including Nike, Google, Thomson Reuters, and GE.
About New York Music Institute
New York Music Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to making music education accessible to all New Yorkers through free community programming, including the free monthly improvisation class with Patience Higgins, co-presented with New York Jazz Workshop on the first Monday of every month.
Media Contact
Erin Rabitcheff · [email protected] · (646) 321-1574
Marco Chelo, President, New York Music Institute · [email protected] · (917) 340-0270
SOURCE: New York Jazz Workshop, Inc