Celebrate Women in Jazz- WIJO Mentors Fundraiser!

MARCH 8, 2022 - Women in Jazz Organization's annual fundraising campaign is back asking for support for WIJO Mentors, its collegiate mentorship program. The fundraiser will run from International Women’s Day, March 8, 2022, through International Jazz Day, April 30, 2022, honoring both Women’s History Month (March) and Jazz Appreciation Month (April). Last year we were so pleased to have raised $7,350- just shy of our goals, but still enough to continue our program! 

 

Proceeds from the 2022 campaign will once again go solely towards running the WIJO Mentors program:

 

-Bolstering yearly honorariums for mentors

-Funding guest artists for zoom clinics

-Covering general administrative costs to maintain the program year-round

-Launching a brand-new scholarship fund for applicants in future seasons

 

You can contribute to this fundraiser now through our GoFundMe campaign, or directly by donating via Paypal to [email redacted].

 

WIJO has just achieved non profit status, so all donations are tax deductible. 

About WIJO Mentors: 

WIJO Mentors is designed to connect and enrich the community of women and non-binary people in Jazz, providing strong role models to college students in a safe and supportive environment, and offering a way for established musicians and composers to help shape the future of their community. Now in its third year of operation, WIJO Mentors is supporting 20 mentees aged 18-30 who are pursuing their jazz studies in vocal performance, instrumental performance, or composition. These students were selected from a large pool of competitive applicants. We paired them individually with 20 of the most influential women and nonbinary jazz artists on the scene, who serve as their mentors for the season. The mentees receive 2 private lessons and 2 additional meetings covering musical, career and interpersonal skills, as well as building relationships with their mentors. Mentees also connect with each other through online events to form a community and work with guest clinicians covering music business, mental and physical wellness, and masterclasses.

 

Why WIJO Mentors is important:

It is essential that we continue to invest in younger generations of women and nonbinary musicians, who are highly underrepresented in the field of jazz, especially at the collegiate level. Finding women and nonbinary role models can be challenging. We hope to provide resources to our mentees to help educate, empower, and embolden them, so they can become the artists they aspire to be. In the process, we aim to transform the jazz scene as a whole, not only for women and nonbinary musicians, but for our whole Jazz community, which will largely benefit from a more diverse and representative pool of well-equipped artists, educators, and listeners.

 

Why we need funding:

We are currently offering this program free of cost to all selected mentees. Mentors have volunteered to participate for a very modest honorarium. The program is run by a team of volunteers who are full-time musicians and students. Additionally, we plan to offer more financial support for future applicants through scholarships and financial aid. We are not able to run this program without donations from folks like you. Please consider donating now to support the WIJO Mentors Program!

 

About Women in Jazz Organization: 

Women In Jazz Organization is 501 (C) 3 non for profit organization and a collective of over 500 professional performing Jazz Musicians who identify as Women or gender Non-Binary. Largely a New York City-based organization, with connections to other individuals and groups nationally and internationally. Women In Jazz Organization intends to help level the playing field in Jazz, so that women and non-binary people have equal opportunity to participate in and contribute to Jazz, leading to an improved and more rich, diverse, and successful art form. WIJO is committed to honoring Black Americans as the creators of Jazz.