JAZZ CLINIC &CAMP

The Junior Jazz Foundation is a local treasure. It was founded in 2004 by Bob and Lois Masteller to preserve jazz through education and performance. The foundation sponsors great jazz performances throughout the Lowcountry; they host an annual jazz festival; provide instruments to young musicians in need; educate through the Jazz Clinic and Jazz Camp; and support talented artist with scholarships and performance opportunities. The Junior Jazz foundation is run by a dedicated Board of Directors and volunteers. All their energy is focused on improving the education and live performance of our great rising stars of Jazz.

In accordance with this mission, the Junior Jazz Foundation hosts the Hilton Head Jazz Camp (ages 14-20), the Hilton Head Jazz Clinic (ages 10-14) and the Jazz Guitar Institute (ages 14-18). Students come from all over the country to participate in this amazing summer musical experience. The camp provides an immersive study in improvisation, theory, combos, master classes, big band and elective courses. The faculty are highly professional and focused on taking the student’s musical ability to the next level. It is truly incredible what each student can accomplish with the faculty in a week at the Hilton Head Jazz Camp.

Very rarely do you encounter things that you know will be a part of you for the rest of your life. The Junior Jazz Foundation has been steadfast in this way for me, as it has for countless others. As a young boy, I had no idea what to expect when I first attended the foundation’s jazz camp. I very quickly realized that the only expectations that were truly required of me were to have fun and to keep my ears open. (Since then, I have found that every young student takes away something different, yet equally positive from being in the camp). Although it was still in its early years, the values of family and diversity were firmly planted as I made close connections with many of the other kids who were experiencing the phenomenon of music alongside me. I found myself returning excitedly every year, regardless of the thought of becoming a professional musician, to partake again in this community of students, humble faculty members, and music lovers grown by the Hilton Head Jazz Camp and the Junior Jazz Foundation.

Today, one of my greatest honors is that I get to return as a faculty member to this camp that so powerfully shaped me. As the foundation grew, I began to notice its impact in recognizing young musical talents and then supporting them holistically. Around the year, they would sponsor shows that allowed my brother, Hani’el, and I to gain invaluable performance experience–from playing for intimate audiences at the Jazz Corner and the island’s many country clubs, to opening for some of our musical heroes in sold-out shows at the Jazz for All Ages Festival. These performances ended up being some of the most important moments I could have had as a young musician. Even as I have moved away from the Lowcountry, the foundation continues to support my career by helping fund my graduate studies with their college scholarship. Whenever a chance arises for me to return, even briefly, I eagerly take it so that I can see the foundation’s incredible community again and give my immense gratitude for its impact in my life.

Eden Mastriani-Levi Piano and Hani’el Mastriani-Levi saxophone, studying for their master’s degree in jazz performance at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College.

The Junior Jazz Foundation has been one of the most impactful organizations I have had the privilege of collaborating with. Through the Hilton Head Jazz Camp, The Jazz Corner, and the Junior Jazz Foundation, my young artist career has been shaped and molded. As a middle and high school student pursuing the arts, the JJF provided opportunities for me to perform, learn and create freely! These opportunities gave me connections and knowledge that I otherwise would not have been exposed to. The JJF team not only provides on a professional and creative level, but a personal one as well. I am proud to call this team my second family. When choosing my university home, board members of the JJF gave such strong encouragement and reassurance during an overwhelming and stressful time. Being a recipient of their scholarship program has not only strengthened my relationship with the foundation but has made it possible for me to study music at the collegiate level. Without their financial support, attending a university would have been a much larger financial burden. I am forever grateful to have such an overwhelming support system that I can lean on as I continue to study, create, and find my way as a young artist in the music industry.

The Junior Jazz Foundation has impacted my life in so many ways that I will forever be grateful for. I attended the Hilton Head Jazz Camp, a part of the JJF, for the first time in 2018. I was very new to playing jazz and didn’t really know much, and the whole week blew my mind. Being so immersed in and learning about the beautiful community that the JJF has cultivated was incredibly inspiring to me. So inspiring to me in fact that it made me want to pursue a career doing what I saw all these people doing. From the masterclasses to the performances, and the exceptional skill levels of the other camp attendees the year I went, I knew it was something that I wanted to be a part of. The camp got me connected with so many great and supportive musicians who went far out of their way to help me in various parts of my career so far. I was also a recipient of the JJF scholarship for two years which helped me pay for almost all of my college tuition for those two years. I now make my living playing and teaching music, and I am certain that I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing today without the support of the Junior Jazz Foundation.

The Junior Jazz Foundation and Hilton Head Jazz Camp have had a tremendous impact on my life. I first attended the clinic when I was 10 years old. It was then that I fell in love with the tradition of jazz music. I received my first upright bass from the Junior Jazz Foundation. The clinic and then the camp introduced me to the world of improvised music. I felt like I had found my people. The faculty are outstanding players and teachers. I learned so much. Through the camp I was able to have the honor of playing in the Rising Stars Band for the Jazz for All Ages Festival. The Junior Jazz foundation has encouraged and supported my continuing education, and it is through them that I have had the opportunity to learn from the best musicians around. They have given me so much opportunity to perform and to grow. I would not be where I am today without them.

The Junior Jazz Foundation has provided many incredible opportunities and has constantly stood by my side as a young drummer in my early musical years. They have given me the chance to learn from some of the greatest musical minds of our time as well as providing financial support for jazz camps. The foundation also allows young musicians to interact and collaborate at the Hilton Head Jazz Camp. It is one of my favorite jazz camps and the most consistent summer camps I attend. I will always be grateful for what the Junior Jazz Foundation has done to prepare me for collage and my future as a professional drummer.

If you have a young musician in your life, we highly encourage you to consider participation in the summer programs. If you have an instrument lying around that is not being played, please consider a donation to the Junior Jazz Foundation. They will make any repairs necessary and get it into the hands of a student.

For more information, to register for a summer program, or to support the Junior Jazz Foundation, please contact the Jazz Camp hhjazzcamp.com