A Fort Wayne middle school jazz ensemble will be the focus of a documentary film that aims to show communities nationwide how to sustain strong music education programs, journalgazette.net reported.
Producer Robbie Shinder will visit Memorial Park STEAM Middle School throughout the academic year to film Big Noise, the school’s award-winning jazz band. Shinder said he hopes the finished documentary reaches national and international audiences, perhaps through a streaming service, and demonstrates how other communities can implement similar programs.
Parent Steve Florio, who proposed the idea to Shinder, said arts education is not always a priority in public school systems across the country. He said Fort Wayne is getting it right and the film could show other cities they can too.
Shinder said the students’ dedication to jazz helped convince him to film in Fort Wayne. He noted that 12-, 13- and 14-year-old students have jazz on their Spotify playlists rather than top 50 artists.
The crew plans to follow several students, including eighth graders Maxxwell Headley and Freddy Patton, throughout the year. Patton said the ensemble’s growth from the beginning to the end of the year is remarkable, while Headley said the documentary offers an opportunity to show the rehearsals and work behind the scenes.
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