Brooklyn jazzman and educator Adam Bernstein to launch Jazz Mindfulness program for teens
Yearlong Program in Park Slope Combines the Spirit and Discipline of Mindfulness Training with the Creative Passion of Learning Jazz in a Community
Park Slope, Brooklyn (December 30, 2009)– New York City’s teenagers now have a really fun reason to be mindful after school. And their parents may be pleased to learn that this activity doesn’t require a video screen, a cellphone, an iPhone or a AA battery, although a couple of electrical outlets and a few amps might be useful.
Last October 2009, renowned Park Slope musician and jazz educator Adam Bernstein, opened The Jazz Mindfulness Program at The Brooklyn Zen Center, 398 9th St in Park Slope. The weekly program, aimed at teens aged 12-18, meets for two hours on Monday evenings, 5:30-7:30pm. There will be two semester seasons: 10/05/09-2/8/10 and 2/22/10-5/24/10. Each semester will culminate with a Community Concert. The first concert will be on Fri, 2/12/10 at 7PM. All are welcome. (The Brooklyn Zen Center is moving to its spectacular location at 505 Carroll St in Park Slope in January 2010. All Jazz Mindfulness classes and concerts will be held there.)
The two-hour sessions include 1) a short period of meditation instruction and practice, 2) jazz theory and instruction, and 3) combo and large ensemble practice. Students do not need a background in either jazz or meditation, but some familiarity with their instrument will be helpful. The 28-week program is divided into two seasons; each semester costs $750.
“Mindfulness meditation provides us with a way to get in touch with peace, calmness and insight into who we truly are, “ says Bernstein. “The nature of jazz is that it is music of the moment; we have to be fully present in the ‘now’ to play it. When we combine these two skills, we can begin to apply the insight gained in community music-making with the insight gained in community meditation practice, and vice versa.
“My hope is that as students acquire a more serene, compassionate mind and a love of playing jazz, the benefits will echo within their families, their schools and the general community,” he added.
Many Park Slopers know Adam Bernstein because of his 11-year tenure as head of the award-winning Middle and High School Jazz Program at The Berkeley Carroll School in Park Slope. Countless former students have gone on to great success and renown.
An accomplished composer, arranger, educator and bassist, Adam Bernstein has performed internationally since 1981, when he graduated from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts. Known for his stylistic diversity, Bernstein has played with many great musicians including Levon Helm, Perry Robinson, Walter Perkins, Claire Daly, Sahib Shihab, and the string quartet, Ethel. Bernstein can currently be heard performing with the Laurie Berkner Band and many others in concert halls and clubs throughout the U.S.
In 1998, while continuing to record and perform, Adam turned his attention to jazz education. During the time he was at Berkeley Carroll, the High School Jazz Band won or placed in the Annual Berklee College of Music High School Jazz Competition six times, most recently taking the Best Big Band category in 2005. That same year, Adam received a proclamation for his outstanding work in jazz education from Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.
For more information on The Jazz Mindfulness Program, please contact Adam Bernstein at jazzmindfulness@earthlink.net or 917-992-5662. Checks made out to the Brooklyn Zen Center may be sent to the Brooklyn Zen Center, 398 9th St., Brooklyn, NY 11215.
