Future Jazz KC

Future Jazz KC is a Kansas City nonprofit youth jazz education organization founded in 2015 by Marcus Lewis, who serves as its artistic director. Its stated aim is to cultivate, expand and enrich the community for jazz and improvised music through education, performance and artistic development, and it positions itself as a supplement to school band programs rather than a replacement for them. The program runs year-round ensembles in two locations: a Northland program directed by Joel Gordon and a program at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park directed by Dr. Ryan Heinlein, each fielding a high school big band and a small-group combo, with middle school ensembles scheduled to begin in spring 2027. The big bands work through classic and contemporary big band writing alongside newer commissioned pieces, while the combos concentrate on jazz standards, blues and small-group interplay. Students rehearse weekly and perform at least two concerts a semester, and the curriculum covers sight reading, improvisation, composition, jazz theory and history as well as stage presence and bandstand leadership. Faculty are working professional musicians and educators. Tuition is $75 a month with financial assistance available, and the organization also runs workshops, mentorship and community partnerships. Its ensembles appear at Kansas City venues and events, including Lemonade Park.

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