NEWS

Landmark Student to Attend Stanford Jazz Workshop
Wednesday, April 27, 2009 MORENO VALLEY – Landmark Middle School seventh-grader Ryan Lu has been accepted to attend the renowned and prestigious Stanford Jazz Camp. He will be one of approximately 200 musicians from across the United States to receive instruction at camps during the weeks of July 19-24 and July 26-31.

The jazz camps Lu will attend are designed for participants ages 12 to 17, playing jazz at beginning to advanced levels. Lu is a member of the Landmark Middle Jazz Band, which is directed by teacher Michael Weeks.

“Ryan is an outstanding musician,” Weeks said. “I am a very blessed teacher to have the opportunity to work with a student like Ryan. As a pianist, he is a true virtuoso.”

The oldest of three children, Lu is an honor student at the site, earning no less than an A in each of his middle school classes. Ryan’s younger sister, Vivienne, who will be a sixth grader at Landmark next year, has already been accepted to the school’s choir and band programs.

The Stanford Jazz Workshop is a nonprofit organization dedicated to jazz education and appreciation. Each summer, the Stanford Jazz Workshop creates a lively and supportive community of jazz artists, educators, students and enthusiasts on the beautiful campus of Stanford University. Available programs provide an exceptional immersion in jazz, fostering a deeper appreciation of this great improvisational music genre, hailed by many as “the definitive American art form.”

“We are very excited about Ryan being able to attend the camps,” said Jim Nadel, Director of the Stanford Jazz Workshop. “The camps have an open enrollment that allows for a mixture of the most brilliant musicians in the country to those individuals just wondering if they are truly interested in jazz. Once the students arrive they are critically evaluated and at that point the fun begins.”

The two-week session costs $3,200 per camper. The staff at Landmark Middle has been facilitating a fund-raising effort to assist the family to offset the expense. Community members interested in assisting the family should contact Weeks at Landmark Middle by calling (951) 571-4220.