Jazz Education Network to hold first conference next May in St. Louis

The Jazz Education Network (JEN) has announced that the organization will hold its first-ever conference from May 20 - 22, 2010 at the University of Missouri - St. Louis (UMSL).

JEN is a not-for-profit organization of music teachers, musicians, students and others formed in 2008 not long after the collapse of the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE). Their Web site says the group is "dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance and developing new audiences." St. Louisan Jim Widner, the bassist, bandleader and noted jazz educator who directs the jazz studies program at UMSL, was elected to JEN's first board of directors this past summer.

Registration is now open for the conference in St. Louis, and JEN also is soliciting suggestions and ideas for conference programming on its online member forum. For more information about membership in JEN or to register for the conference, you can visit their Web site.