High school musicians swing on stage at 24th annual Starbucks Hot Java Cool Jazz
This year, Starbucks once again brought music notes and coffee notes together—and in the process raised money for some of the Seattle area’s best high school jazz bands.
Good coffee and good music are a perfect pairing. This year, Starbucks once again brought music notes and coffee notes together—and in the process raised money for some of the Seattle area’s best high school jazz bands.
Seattle is a nationally known hotbed for young jazz talent and has for decades produced some of the country’s best high school jazz bands. For the past 24 years, Starbucks has hosted the premiere local event for these young musicians, Hot Java Cool Jazz.
On March 15, the ornate Paramount Theater in downtown Seattle was once again filled with swinging music, tapping toes and proud family, friends and supporters. The sold-out concert featured musicians from Edmonds-Woodway High School, Mount Si High School, Mountlake Terrace High School, Roosevelt High School and Garfield High School.
The night of music raised approximately $60,000, with 100 percent of ticket sales going back to the featured schools. To date, the annual concerts have raised $700,000 for local school music programs. Funds raised from the event are used to cover competition entries, equipment and travel costs for the schools as they perform around the country throughout the year.
“For the past 24 years, Starbucks has been proud to celebrate young artists in our hometown,” said June Ashley, manager of Starbucks Community Partnerships. “This concert is a great way to support the young talent in our local community along with Seattle’s rich musical heritage. It truly is a magical night.”
In between sets at the show, students were featured on-screen at the Paramount answering rapid-fire questions, talking about what music and their band community means to them and sharing the impact of parents and their band directors.
