Jeanine Nesbit to lead Music and Jazz Workshop at Cavalry Hill Community Center on Dec. 17

HUNTSVILLE – To kick off its 11th edition of the Alabama Women in Jazz Festival, Valley Arts and Entertainment is holding a Meet and Greet Music and Jazz Workshop at the Cavalry Hill Community Center Auditorium on Dec. 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The one-day learning resource for artists and female musicians will be led by Grammy-Award Winning Musician, Jeanine Nesbit, founder of MOVE Productions, and will include a variety of information — from career pathways to improvisation.

To register, visit valleyartsandentertainment. org and click on the December Workshop tab, then fill out the form to register.

“The Music and Jazz Workshop is going to cover various things,” said Valley Arts and Entertainment Executive Director and Founder, Partice Bivins. “A lot of artists don’t understand what it takes to tour, so it’s going to cover that. It’s going to cover some composing, not songwriting, but it’s really going to be an interactive type [of] activity where we’re hoping they’re bringing some of their instruments and definitely bringing their voice.”

Bivins said the opportunity for artists and musicians to learn from Nesbit is incredible, and she hopes locals take advantage of this opportunity by attending.

“[It’s an] opportunity to gain or glean information from someone who is not only a musician, but who can [also] help them sort through some of the musical questions or information,” she said. “I think with [Nesbit] she is a music educator from central Florida, so it’s just a great thing to have a teacher and a performer from both aspects to help out across the board, whomever it might be, [a variety of] ages.”

The mission of Valley Arts and Entertainment, Bivins said, is to reach local musicians in a way that helps provide them with opportunities to learn and grow their talents and experiences.

“We do a lot of programs for students beginning in music,” she said. “I do a lot of workshops, to introduce students and really emerging artists with meaningful encounters of music, partnering with schools and community organizations to [reach] under-resourced, multi-generational audiences. That means seniors, and kids — it’s a range of learning components, and we do a lot of events, the main one being the Women in Jazz program.”

Bivins said she is thankful for the community supporters and partnerships that enable Valley Arts and Entertainment to share music with the community, and she is looking forward to the Music and Jazz Workshop with Nesbit. For more information on the events and opportunities offered by Valley Arts and Entertainment, visit valleyartsandentertainment.org or Valley Arts and Entertainment on Facebook.

“We can’t do things without support, and the Alabama State Council on the Arts has been a great grantor for us,” she said. “Arts Idea Grant Huntsville, the city of Huntsville and the Huntsville Music Program have been great supporters. Sweet Home Alabama has been a great supporter, and all of our grantors, donors and sponsors, I want to always be sure to have mentioned WJB, all of those guys. Hopefully, we’ll have a good time.”