AMPA PROGRAM
JAZZ
AMPA’S multi-award-winning Hamilton Jazz Program is the place for you to take your musicianship to the next level. HAMI JAZZ students perform and compete at the state and national level, and our graduates are highly sought after by the nation’s top college music programs. The decorated Jazz department has performed at the Next Generation Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Hollywood Bowl, RedCat Theater, and Disney Concert Hall. The program has a long legacy of producing fine Jazz musicians, who are industry leaders. Our celebrated alumni include award-winning artists like Kamasi Washington, John Daversa, and so many more.
The HAMI JAZZ tiered performance model puts you in charge. Your talent and hard work determine how you progress, or work your way up, through our 3 levels of competitive big bands and combos. Furthermore, as part of AMPA, one of the most dynamic performing arts high schools in California, you’ll also have access to extraordinary orchestral, piano, guitar, music theory, and music technology classes, along with the use of our Adidas Sound Lab and the Make Waves Music Label.
If you want to learn how to perform Jazz and increase your skills as a musician, we encourage you to audition for the program. If accepted, you’ll play alongside some of the most talented student musicians in Southern California. You’ll learn from cutting-edge music educators and visiting artists, who are also working music professionals. The HAMI Jazz Combos also receive additional instruction from the Herbie Hancock Institute.
Want to take the stage at Disney Hall’s RedCat Theater, or bring home the Gold from the Next Gen Monterey Jazz Fest? Then HAMI JAZZ might be the place for you. If you’re serious about taking your musicianship to the next level, contact HAMI JAZZ director Philip Topping! Philip.Topping@LAUSD.net