The Future of Jazz Lives Here: From Last Week's Student Festival to the Summer Ahead
A recap of the 24th Annual 18th & Vine Student Jazz Festival, a free Kansas City Jazz Academy showcase this Saturday at the Blue Room, and two summer programs shaping the next generation of KC jazz
Youth Jazz at 18th & Vine
Something worth paying attention to is happening at 18th & Vine this spring: young musicians are taking the stage — one weekend after another.
Last week, middle and high school jazz ensembles from across the region filled the American Jazz Museum campus for the 24th Annual 18th & Vine Student Jazz Festival. This Saturday, students of the Kansas City Jazz Academy perform a free showcase in the Blue Room. Two weeks later, the full Jazz Academy takes the museum’s atrium for the Spring Showcase Concert. And just around the corner are two summer programs — Show & Shed and the KC Jazz Academy Summer Camp — designed to keep young musicians learning, playing, and finding their voice at 18th & Vine.
Here’s what happened last week, what’s happening Saturday, and what’s coming up for young jazz in Kansas City.
Last Week: The 24th Annual Student Jazz Festival
For three days, April 15–17, the historic 18th & Vine district was full of young musicians. The Student Jazz Festival — now in its 24th year — brought middle and high school jazz ensembles from Kansas City, Blue Springs, Harrisonville, Chillicothe, Winnetonka, Oak Grove, and beyond to the American Jazz Museum campus. Dozens of student bands performed across the three days, with each ensemble playing for audiences of peers, educators, and family.
Alongside the student performances, a daily noon concert series brought professional Kansas City artists to the AJM Atrium — a living example of the tradition the students are studying. Wednesday’s noon concert featured JAZZ Spoken Here performing a tribute to Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Thursday brought the James Ward Band to the atrium stage. Friday closed the noon series with Horacescope. Dr. Mike Parkinson of the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors–Jamey Aebersold Clinic/Concert Series helped anchor the week, introducing audiences to the pro performers between student sets.
→ See the full 2026 festival photo gallery
Festival photography by Paul Duryee (Paul Duryee Images), Muriel Boyd, Dr. Mike Parkinson (KC Jazz Ambassadors), and Clarence Smith (KC Jazz Academy). Used with attribution.
This Saturday: Kansas City Jazz Academy Special Showcase
Saturday, April 25 · 3:30 PM · The Blue Room · FREE
The week after the festival, the next wave of young musicians takes the Blue Room stage. This Saturday afternoon, the Blue Room hosts a special Kansas City Jazz Academy showcase featuring two ensembles:
Vocal Jazz, directed by Lisa Henry — a Thelonious Monk Competition first runner-up and Herbie Hancock Institute educator
18th Street Combo, directed by Stan Kessler — a Kansas Music Hall of Fame inductee and longtime jazz educator, leading the Academy’s advanced instrumental ensemble
Why the special date? Many of the students in the advanced combo are high school seniors, and their graduation ceremonies conflict with the Academy’s main Spring Showcase on May 10. This earlier showcase makes sure the seniors get the stage time they’ve earned — and audiences get one of the first looks at performers who will shape the future of Kansas City jazz.
Free admission.
The Blue Room · 1600 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO 64108
Also Upcoming: Spring Showcase Concert
Sunday, May 10 · 1:30 PM · AJM Atrium · FREE
Two weeks after the Blue Room showcase, the Kansas City Jazz Academy’s instrumental ensembles and piano students take the stage in the American Jazz Museum Atrium for the Spring Showcase Concert. This is the program’s capstone performance, and it’s open to the public at no charge.
The Academy’s full roster of instrumental combos and piano students will perform — from beginner groups all the way to the most advanced:
12th Street Combo — directed by Aaron Linscheid
J. Miq Combo — directed by MusicMan Thomas
Vine Street Combo — directed by Max Levy
Williams Combo — directed by Charles Williams
18th Street Combo — directed by Stan Kessler
Piano Class — directed by Roger Wilder
American Jazz Museum · 1616 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO 64108
For Young Musicians: Two Summer Programs at 18th & Vine
When the Spring Showcase wraps, the next stop on the calendar is summer. Two programs at 18th & Vine keep young musicians playing through June and July. Together, they offer a full spectrum — a single-day workshop for students who want to sample something new, and a week-long immersion for students ready to commit to the craft.
Show & Shed — Saturday, June 6
Produced by the Collaborative Arts Institute, Show & Shed is a one-day instrumental music workshop focused on jazz education, improvisation, and performance. The day runs from 8 AM registration through a culminating concert in the Blue Room at 5 PM — a full jazz day with real stage time as the payoff.
Instructors: James Ward, Jaylen Ward, Matt Baldwin, Jason Goudeou, Eddie Moore.
The workshop has been an annual tradition for nine years. After testing attendance patterns, organizers moved the 2026 edition from October to June 6 — the new date designed to make it easier for more students to attend.
Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026
Schedule: Registration at 8 AM, workshop 9 AM–5 PM, concluding concert 3–5 PM in the Blue Room
Venue: American Jazz Museum, 1616 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO 64108
Focus: Jazz Education, Improvisation, and Performance
Register: showandshed.com
2026 Summer Instrumental Combo Camp — July 13-17
The Kansas City Jazz Academy’s flagship summer program is a week-long immersion for middle and high school jazz musicians. Students work with professional artist-educators on style, history, theory, ear training, repertoire, and musicianship, with additional clinics and masterclasses from national and international jazz educators. The week closes with a performance showcase on Friday afternoon.
Auditions: Sunday, July 12, 1–3 PM
Camp: Monday, July 13 – Friday, July 17, 9 AM–4 PM daily
Showcase: Friday, July 17, 2:30–4 PM
Venue: The Gem Theater, 1615 E 18th Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
Who: High school and advanced middle school instrumentalists
Cost: $220 early bird (through May 31) · $250 thereafter · Scholarships available on a first-come, first-served basis
Contact: Clarence Smith, Manager · csmith@kcjazz.org
Register: Eventbrite
The Teachers Behind the Music
Both Show & Shed and the Kansas City Jazz Academy are staffed by working Kansas City jazz artists — many of whom you’ll recognize from stages around 18th & Vine.
Show & Shed instructors: James Ward, Jaylen Ward, Matt Baldwin, Jason Goudeou, Eddie Moore.
Kansas City Jazz Academy faculty: Aaron Linscheid, MusicMan Thomas, Max Levy, Charles Williams, Stan Kessler, Lisa Henry, Roger Wilder.
These are active performers, bandleaders, and recording artists. Students learning from them aren’t just getting instruction — they’re joining the tradition.
Visit 18th & Vine
The Blue Room · 1600 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO 64108 · americanjazzmuseum.org/blue-room
American Jazz Museum · 1616 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO 64108 · americanjazzmuseum.org
The Gem Theater · 1615 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO 64108
Kansas City Jazz Academy · americanjazzmuseum.org/jazz-academy
The music that started here a century ago is being passed forward right now — block by block, student by student. Come be part of it.