SHORT PUMP, Va. -- Short Pump Elementary School music teacher Jill Garcia got a wild idea while teaching her students about jazz. Famous jazz musician Trombone Shorty was scheduled to play a nearby concert at Innsbrook.
Why not invite him over to the school?
She enlisted the kids' help in a letter-writing campaign and it worked!
The morning of his concert, Troy Andrews (aka. Trombone Shorty) dropped by the school with members of his Orleans Avenue band.
Andrews knows how important music can be at this age. He was only four years old when the legendary Bo Diddley pulled him on stage at the New Orleans Jazz Festival in 1990.
Courtesy: Michael Smith, Historic New Orleans Collection
"I thought, well, if we're close to the school I might as well come over and play for the kids because y'all inspired me," he said. "I think kids learning music in general is very important. It helps with math and science and different things."
"We're constantly doing math in music," Ms. Garcia said. “We are doing history, all aspects, science in sound. I feel like music brings everything together that they're learning in the classroom."
Trombone Shorty knows not all the students will go on to be musicians, but he hopes music can inspire them to find their passion.
"Do what you love and be passionate about it," he said. "That should lead you to where you want to be in life."
