Colorful Jazzy Blues

Most of my quilts have a dedication typed, put on fabric and attached to the back of the quilt. Here is the one for this piece: 

The arts – both visual and performing – are incredibly important for all of us. If presented in a way where each student is allowed to seek their inner spirit, their inner being – and allowed to express that, nurture it, work with it, and pursue where it takes them, that student (person) will be more complete, more self-confident, more able to believe in themselves and be a positive contributor to society as a whole. 

I created this quilt for the music department of Mt. Healthy High School because I felt they needed some visual color on the wall! Beginning in the 2021-22 school year, we got to work with fabric and create quilts. As I watched my students learn they could express themselves and make a tangible item, I saw them bloom. That is what is important – that is what the arts as a whole bring to the table – the ability to find the inner soul and express it in some manner and validate oneself as a person. And we want that for all of you – belief in yourself. 

While playing with a quilt I created, I ended up with many triangles “dancing” around on the quilt. That quilt is called Jazzy Blue Notes Dancing in a Garden of Harmony.    It felt like that was a good way to go once again since I would be making a piece for musicians. The one thing I for sure knew about JAZZ was that as a musical movement it had its roots in African American culture. I have done a bit of research and have found what I learned quite interesting and hopefully a positive encouragement for our students. 

 “Core Elements of Jazz

• Improvisation: Jazz is known for its emphasis on spontaneous soloing, allowing musicians to express themselves through real-time experimentation with melodic and rhythmic ideas. 

• Syncopation: A distinctive feature is the use of syncopated rhythms, which creates a swinging, off-beat feel. 

• Blue Notes: Jazz music often incorporates deliberate deviations from standard pitch, known as “blue notes,” which contribute to its soulful sound.”

These three elements are important – allowing musicians to express themselves spontaneously, creating a “swinging, off-beat feel” could lead to a person thinking outside the box, which is important as it can help solve problems throughout life, Blue Notes are “deliberate deviations from standard pitch” – which is the musical interpretation, but sometimes we have to deliberately deviate from the norm  – “make good trouble” in order to help ourselves and society as a whole.