EDUCATION
Webop
WeBop is Jazz at Lincoln Center’s award-winning, early-childhood jazz education program for little ones and their parents/ caregivers.
SPRING Term APR 5–JUN 18
WeBop is Jazz at Lincoln Center’s award-winning early-childhood jazz education program for little ones and their parents/caregivers. We strongly believe in children’s natural ability to improvise, and we are committed to exploring their creativity through fun interactive classes!
With Exploring Jazz Styles, we will move to the fast notes of Bebop, play with syncopated rhythms of Latin Jazz, dance in a New Orleans second line parade, and much more! Explore these Jazz styles together with your child each week, and of course make music while jamming with a live jazz band.
Classes include a specialized music curriculum and engaging activities designed for each age group. Explore the age groups and class schedules below.
Age levels
Hipsters
Drawing upon the natural musical communication between parents and infants and the soulful nature of jazz rhythms and tunes, the Hipsters class provides opportunities for adults and babies to interact with and learn about each other through experiences with our rich cultural traditions. Through engagement with both the cognitive and the emotional—the patterns and the spirit of jazz—adults will learn how their babies respond to musical cues, while learning characteristics of jazz forms and styles. Teachers will work as facilitators, providing opportunities for hipsters to sing and invent lullabies, dance together freely and as an ensemble, and re-visit our own musical histories and repertoires using jazz as a medium for new interpretations. Not only will caregivers and infants build a new repertoire of songs and musical activities to use at home, they will also learn more about how and why music is important in their lives. We expect that what happens in the WeBop Classroom will become part of a growing repertoire of family interactions.
Scatters
Honoring this age group’s innate ability to respond to musical expression through vocalizations and movement, our Scatters lessons are designed to provide opportunities for children to continue developing their musicality by exploring jazz rhythms and tunes. Instructors work as facilitators creating musical experiences where families can swing, scat, and dance together. Grownups and children interact with and learn about each other through experiences with our rich cultural traditions while building a new repertoire of songs and jazz activities to use at home. Grownups will also learn how and why music—especially jazz—celebrates young children’s freedom to explore and create.
Stompers
Building on the imaginative, spontaneous, and exploratory “ways of being” for this age group, guided activities highlight the rhythmic energy, formal structures, and emotional content of jazz music that truly engages young children. Stompers will become characters in musical stories, have opportunities for creative movement, interact with others in call and response singing (and stomping), and express themselves through shaking, tapping, thumping, and striking instruments. Grownups interact with children as partners throughout the lesson and reinforce activities with specially designed materials.
Gumbo Group
Musical activities for the Gumbo Group utilize dramatic play as a core learning element and provide opportunities for discovery and exploration through jazz. The multisensory nature of music (hearing, moving, touching, vocalizing) creates many entry points for children in this age group to be engaged and develop; they will learn to identify and replicate short musical patterns, explore important musical concepts, such as dynamics and tempo, through singing, listening, playing, and improvising with jazz tunes and stories.
SYncopators
This group is curious about the music around them – they anticipate musical patterns and find delight in musical surprises such as unexpected silences or changes in accent. Each child engages musical understanding through different modalities: In their bodies through creative movement; in musical instruments, including small percussion and melody instruments; in their voices through expressive interpretations; and in spoken language with a growing vocabulary of jazz idioms. The curriculum also builds on their interest in visual representation; children are given “listening maps” to match sound to symbol, providing an introduction to score reading, and are introduced to artistic images associated with jazz; they also create their own scores for original compositions and interpret musical works through color, line, and texture.
Class Schedule & Enrollment • Spring Term
Mondays APR 8–JUN 17
3:45pm–4:30pm
Stompers • SOLD OUT
4:45pm–5:30pm Gumbo Group • Email for single classes
Instructor: Goussy Célestin
Accompanist: Dave Drake
Dates: APR 8, 15, 22, MAY 6, 13, 20, JUN 3, 17
Tuesdays APR 9–JUN 18
9:30am–10:15am
Scatters • SOLD OUT
10:30am–11:15am
Stompers • SOLD OUT
11:30am–12:15pm
Hipsters • SOLD OUT
Instructor: Sofia Tosello
Accompanist: Mika Nishimura
Dates: APR 9, 16, 23, MAY 7, 14, 21, JUN 4, 18
Fridays APR 5–JUN 14
9:30am–10:15am Hipsters • Email for single classes
10:30am–11:15am
Stompers • SOLD OUT
11:30am–12:15pm
Scatters • SOLD OUT
Instructor: Sofia Tosello
Accompanist: Brad Whiteley
Dates: APR 5, 12, 19, MAY 3, 17, 31, JUN 7, 14
Saturdays APR 6–JUN 15
9:30am–10:15am
Scatters • SOLD OUT
10:30am–11:15am
Stompers • SOLD OUT
11:30am–12:15pm
Gumbo Group • SOLD OUT
12:30pm–1:15pm Syncopators • Email for single classes
Instructor: Michelle Palmieri
Accompanist: Adam Platt
Dates: APR 6, 13, 20, MAY 4, 18, JUN 1, 8, 15
Sundays APR 7–JUN 16
9:30am–10:15am
Scatters • SOLD OUT
10:30am–11:15am
Stompers • SOLD OUT
11:30am–12:15pm
Gumbo Group • SOLD OUT
Instructor: Michelle Palmieri
Accompanist: Adam Platt
Dates: APR 7, 14, 21, MAY 5, 19, JUN 2, 9, 16
Registration
$440 per child
For questions about the program, please email us at webop@jazz.org.
Spring Term Class
Jazz Styles
We will move to the fast notes of Bebop, play with syncopated rhythms of Latin Jazz, dance in a New Orleans second line parade, and much more! Explore these Jazz styles together with your child each week, and of course make music while jamming with a live jazz band.
Week 1
New Orleans Jazz
Week 2
Kansas City Jazz
Week 3
Bebop
Week 4
Band Week 1*
Week 5
Latin Jazz
Week 6
Cool Jazz
Week 7
Free Jazz
Week 8
Band Week 2*
*Review preceeding weeks with guest musicians
Frequently asked questions
Where are classes located?
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall
Irene Diamond Education Center
60th Street and Broadway
New York City, NY 10019
Enter on the corner of West 60th street and Broadway, take the JAZZ elevators to the 5th floor. Take a left off the elevator to enter the Irene Diamond Education Center (IDEC). Classes will be held in the Armstrong classroom, which is the second room on your right, past Dizzy’s Club.
What are your covid-19 protocols?
As of May 1, 2022, Jazz at Lincoln Center no longer requires proof of vaccination or booster to enter its facilities. Face masks are not required, but are recommended. Learn more about our Health and Safety Guidelines here.
What will my Child do in webop?
Each 45-minute class is led by a WeBop teacher with support from an accompanist playing piano. Classes incorporate both live and recorded music with ritual songs, educational activities, and storytelling. WeBop encourages families to learn about jazz and express themselves through movement, singing, clapping, and playing small percussion instruments. In addition to these activities, professional jazz musicians visit WeBop twice per term to introduce the children to live music and instruments, reinforcing the repertoire and concepts learned in class.
Is Each term different?
Yes, each WeBop term features a different theme. The fall, winter, and spring terms are eight (8) consecutive weeks, and during selected summers, we offer a shortened four (4) week term.
“Jazz Basics” covers fundamental jazz concepts such as swing, tempo, dynamics, scat, solo, call and response, and song form.
“Jazz Heroes” focuses on the lives and music of legendary jazz musicians and composers Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Thelonious Monk, and more.
“Jazz Styles” explores the varied and diverse sounds of jazz, from New Orleans and Kansas City Swing to Bebop and Latin Jazz.
Do I have to Register for all terms?
No. Each individual term is designed to “stand alone” as an educational experience, and is cumulative within the eight-week session. However, when taken sequentially, the terms provide a cumulative experience and allow children to develop a deeper engagement with jazz over time and through a variety of activities. Join us for one term, or all three!
Can my child join if they have a disability?
Absolutely! All are welcome at WeBop. Please contact our staff to determine if this setting is the right one for you and your child.
Can siblings attend together?
Yes, siblings may attend the same class together if they are within the age limits of the specific class. Each child must have an adult participating with them individually during class. If they are not within the age range of a specific class, families may register the siblings in separate classes.
Can my child join a certain age group if he/she is turning the minimum age after the first few lessons?
Because the WeBop curriculum is specifically designed for the developmental strengths of each age group, children must be of age before the start of each specific class. An exception can be made if the child is turning the minimum age within the first two (2) weeks of class. WeBop classes are carefully designed for the following age ranges:
Hipsters: 8 – 15 months/non-walkers
Scatters: walkers – 23 months
Stompers: 2 – 3.5 years
Gumbo Group: 3.5 – 5 years
Syncopators: 5 – 7 years
What if they are exceptionally gifted?
Please see answer above. We recognize that a number of our participants are exceptionally talented and have had strong exposure to music at an early age. Many have participated in WeBop or other music classes before, and it is this mix of experiences that contributes to the richness of WeBop class, where group interaction is encouraged.
Is webop a drop-off class?
No. WeBop focuses on the adult-child dyad and the relationship that is built while experiencing jazz together. Our classroom activities are designed to incorporate active participation of both adult and child, allowing for a deepened learning experience through children and caregivers, both embodying the concept of the lesson and making music together. Our curriculum is designed to speak to children and adults, introducing both to the lessons of this uniquely American art form, and encouraging families to take what they’ve learned in class and apply it at home. Because of this, we kindly request that adult attendees remain actively engaged alongside their children, and refrain from using cell phones in class. We promise, what’s happening in class is much more exciting, anyway!
How many participants are in each class?
There is a maximum of 10 adult-child dyads registered in all classes, with two additional spots per class for make-up classes. This intimate class size ensures for individual attention from our teachers and affords the opportunity to build a community atmosphere amongst participants.
How many adults may attend class with a participating child?
To ensure we have space for all participants to move around freely, we ask that one (1) adult per child participates in each class. Capacity in our space is limited, but please email webop@jazz.org in advance if you wish to have a second adult observe a class; we can accommodate requests on a case-by-case basis, provided space is available. You may alternate the adult that attends class with the child at any point during the term.
May I BRING ANOTHER CHILD TO CLASS?
All WeBop-age children (8 months – 7 years) must register for the class they attend. If they are of the appropriate age for the class, siblings or friends may register as single class attendees to participate. If you have a second child that will not be able to join the class, please plan to have a second adult accompany them in our waiting area just outside the WeBop classroom. The WeBop curriculum places a very strong emphasis on the adult-child experience, and having only participating children in the classroom allows each child receive the proper attention in class.
can I take a trial class?
We do not offer free trial classes. However, if you would like to observe a WeBop class to determine if it would be a good fit for your child, please email webop@jazz.org to schedule a free observation without your child. We kindly request that these visits be scheduled in advance. Another option is to register for a single class instead of a whole term. See our answer regarding single classes below.
Are there make-up classes?
Children are permitted a maximum of two (2) makeup classes per term. All makeups are subject to availability, and are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Children are allowed to attend another class appropriate for their age group that is offered during the current term. We only offer makeups for children who are registered for the full WeBop term. We strongly recommend scheduling makeups as soon as you become aware of a conflict, as space is sometimes limited. To schedule a makeup class please email webop@jazz.org.
Are there refunds?
Tuition fee is fully refundable up to two weeks before the start of the term. A 50% refund is available for registrations cancelled within the first two weeks of class. No refunds will be issued after the first two weeks of class.
Can I register late?
Yes, registration is available through the second week of the eight-week term. We do not pro-rate the registration fee, but for every class missed, you will receive an additional makeup class, up to two (2) total. Registration closes after the second week of the term.
Do you offer single classes?
Although it is most beneficial to experience the comprehensive full term experience, we do offer single classes based upon availability. Single classes may become available for full term classes that are not at capacity.
To inquire about specific availability and register for a single class, please email webop@jazz.org.
Do the children play instruments in class?
While WeBop is not an instrumental music class, our classroom has a wide variety of musical instruments available for the children to explore and play each week, including: toy pianos, maracas, bongos, tambourines and other small percussion instruments. The children are exposed to the piano with our accompanist each week, and they experience additional musical instruments when our guest musicians visit class, including drum set, trombone, saxophone, and trumpet.
Who teaches webop?
Our WeBop teachers are all professional musicians working in the New York City area, and specialize in early-childhood music education. They have all completed at least an undergraduate degree in musical and/or jazz performance. For more information on our instructors and accompanists, vist our Faculty page here.
IF a CLASS IS CANCELLED, what happens?
In the unlikely event of class cancellation, you will be contacted and a makeup day may be scheduled subject to availability. On occasion, a substitute teacher may cover a class.