A huge shout out to publisher Jeff vonKaenel, Morelle Ellison and the Sacramento News and Review (SN&R) team who were a major force in organizing and holding the eighth-annual JAMMIES Awards in Sacramento this past weekend. The Crest Theatre in Sacramento was the site for young contemporary musicians on Friday night and the beautiful UC Davis Mondavi Center played host on Saturday for the young classical musicians competing for the annual award & what has become a major launch pad for young musicians emerging from the Sacramento scene. The event was held by SN&R, in association with BetterWorld Telecom and the Sacramento school districts. Classical night, was also produced with the assistance of the Sacramento Philharmonic and California State University, Sacramento, Symphony Orchestras.
The show’s creation is rooted in the Sammies, another Sacramento music award show, but focuses on young musicians. Band members must be under 20 years of age and enrolled in high school. According to Michelle Champoux, events/promotions coordinator for the Jammies, “We built the Jammies and the kids came to us…” rather than the usual self-promoting atmosphere young musicians are accustomed to.
Applications for the Jammies are sent out early in the school year, and four “Battle of the Bands” events are held throughout the year to discover Sacramento’s best young talent. The 11 bands selected for contemporary night, three classical soloists and four high school ensembles truly worked year-round to get to this point. “We are really just supporting local talent,” Champoux added. “We want to give these kids all the tools they need without reaching out to San Francisco or L.A.”
This is a unique event in its support for the next generation of great musicians. No one is looking to sign a hit artist or promote a label, but simply exposing the world to talented individuals.
It’s no secret that funding for our public school music programs is in jeopardy. With the current state budget cuts, high school music programs for our children are rapidly declining. In light of this, and to further our commitment to music in our schools, the JAMMIES gives the community an opportunity to experience the extraordinary talent of our young performers and show support for our schools, while creating a model that other communities can use and develop their youth and backfill the constant budget cuts in schools, especially in the area of arts funding.
SN&R and BetterWorld have established a long term partnership to expand the opportunities for youth in the Sacramento area, with the goal of growing the number of safe places that high school youth have to play and listen to music & increase the number of participants in the JAMMIES competition. For more information on this amazing and unique process and this year’s results, please visit: www.jammies.com
Jammin' at the JAMMIES,
Jacob, Salem and Matt
