Earlier this spring, the status of the 2017 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival was up in the air as officials at the University of Idaho mulled the potential cancellation of the annual event.
After months of uncertainty, UI announced the decision to not only to bring back the festival, but to also return workshops and music seminars to campus.
The move provides a number of positive changes to the university, benefitting both students on campus and prospective attendees.
Collegiate student involvement at Jazz Fest workshops has been lackluster in recent years due to surprisingly high attendance fees and off-campus locations. Now that more workshops and music seminars will be hosted on campus, UI students have the ability to easily access festival events they are interested in.
The movement of workshops also allows for high school attendees to get a better grasp on the college atmosphere the university has to offer.
By showcasing classrooms and buildings around campus, the university could potentially see an increase in the number of college applications and future enrollment. This is especially important given that almost 3,000 people arrive in Moscow each year to attend Jazz Fest.
The decision also stands as a proud display of pride in tradition at the university. The 2017 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival marks its 50th anniversary, following decades as one of UI’s highlighted events.
With the festival being an integral component of the university’s history, the decision also reflects historical value. The Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival earned the National Medal of Arts in 2007, and to this day UI is the only public institution to have received the award.
The festival is a special event that all students, attendees and Muscovites should cherish. It brings a level of art and collaboration to the community not witnessed any other time of year.
The primary downside of hosting more Jazz Fest on campus is that the university may be forced to hold the first day of the spring semester earlier, in order to cancel classes in February to make room for seminars. But it is a small price to pay for the prestigious event and an opportunity to provide music education for K-12 students throughout the state, as well as any interested UI students.
With the turmoil surrounding Jazz Fest earlier this year, it is important for the UI community to be in attendance during the February workshops and for the workshops to be available to the student body of the host university.
Even with nearly six months left, it is never too early to get jazzed for this event.
— JG