Providing Youth access to Music and the Arts
Bring the magic of music with the arts to underserved youth creating pathways to their success
OUR MISSION
MUSIC
ARTS
Jenkins Music and Arts Academy's (JMAA) mission is to provide a well-designed and highly effective music and arts program for underserved youth by giving them access to traditional and digital approaches to music and to visual/performing arts while preparing them for the 21st century.
THE LEGACY
In the legacy of the Jenkins Orphanage Bands, the Jenkins Music and Arts Academy will restore the 100-year-plus tradition and legacy of music and arts training. The orphanage was established in Charleston in 1891 by the Rev. Daniel Joseph Jenkins, an African American Baptist minister, who founded it for black children with city assistance. More than 500 lived there by 1896. Its band played concerts across the US and Europe to help fund the orphanage, it was prominent in early jazz history. Alumni played for Duke Ellington, Count Basie and others. Jenkins Orphanage moved here in 1937 but its historic buildings burned in the 1980s.
OUR VISION
Jenkins Music and Arts Academy (JMAA) is a new music and arts education initiative focused on serving at-risk and underserved youth in Charleston, SC. Through JMAA, we will restore the rich tradition of the Jenkins Orphanage Band – an institution that was established over a hundred years ago with the hope of uplifting the children by exposing them to music and arts education. We envision building a highly competitive and effective music and arts school that will assist in creating pathways to success for the youth.
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We want all children to be happy and realize their fullest potential.
Dream it and achieve it!
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It all begins with an idea. We encourage youth to do their best.
Project-based learning is JMAA’s approach to allowing the child to build it.
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We believe that all children can be successful with the right guidance and exposure.
Grow it …the right attitude!
Make A Donation.
Yes! I believe in music and arts education for children!
When was the last time you changed lives with one simple act? JMAA offers you an opportunity to effect a change. Through our in-school, after-school programs, financial aid, and scholarships, our approach is designed to reach underserved children and those who would otherwise have no access to a high-quality music and arts program. Please join us in opening the doors of music and arts for a child.
Make a gift online below or send a check to the JMAA office.
Bringing Back De Gullah Concert Series
OPENING CONCERT FOX MUSIC HOUSE
At Fox Music House, Tuffus Zimbabwe will be joined by drummer Kevin Secrest, bassist Frank Duval and saxophonist Kevin Patton for an evening of quartet music.
They're performing arrangements of Edmund Thornton Jenkins and Tuffus Zimbabwe's music.
A post-concert Q&A with Tuffus and a special guest academic, journalist, and co-founder of the Charleston Jazz Initiative Dr. Karen Chandler.
MORRIS BROWN AME CHURCH
At the historic Morris Brown AME Church, the City of Charleston’s Honorable Mayor John Tecklenburg is in concert with Tuffus Zimbabwe for their 4th piano performance together since 2016.
Mayor Tecklenburg will perform songs from his uncle Fud Livingston, and Tuffus Zimbabwe will perform songs from his grand-uncle the accomplished composer, and Charleston’s own Edmund Thornton Jenkins, as they pay homage to these Charleston-born greats.
A post-concert Q&A with Mayor Tecklenburg, Tuffus, and a special guest academic, journalist, and co-founder of the Charleston Jazz Initiative Dr. Karen Chandler.
