Recognizing the impact this would have on Black students, members of the Black Musicians Union formed what is now known as The Jazz Workshop, Inc. in 1973, under the leadership of jazz musician Harold Young. The organization was created with a vital mission: to "keep jazz alive" at a time when schools lacked what Young considered authentic music education for inner-city children. Young approached the Carnegie Library in Homewood, securing space for classes and performances. He enlisted the support of well-known African American musicians to teach jazz to students from all backgrounds.
As students developed their musical skills, they gained a sense of pride, mastering an art form rooted in the African American experience and woven into the fabric of American culture. What began with just eight children attending Saturday sessions at the library has now grown to have served tens of thousands of students.
Over the years, The Jazz Workshop, Inc., under the leadership of Mr. Harold Wallace Young, has evolved into an award-winning music and arts organization. It has received numerous accolades, including recognition from the African American Jazz Preservation Society, the Federal Executive Board, the Legacy Arts Project's Keepers of the Flame award, proclamations from the Wilkinsburg Borough Council, the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and many others.
As a result of the years of development, the Jazz Workshop, Inc. has become a well-respected music education and performance-based organization. The Jazz Workshop has several programs including “Jazz on the Steps” AND “Jazz on Larimer” which are summer concert series, and the “Mobile Jazz Concert Series” a mobile approach to sharing music and educating students in the school environment.
