Class may not be in session, but SFCM students are still center stage.

Root’s Jazz and American Music (RJAM) students performed on stage as part of the San Francisco Jazz Festival. 

“If you told me last year when I was still a senior at Burton, an SFUSD high school, that I'd have this chance, I wouldn't have believed you!” RJAM drummer Jaeden Baclay said. “To cap my freshman year at SFCM with this opportunity was such an honor,” he added.

RJAM faculty Jason Hainsworth and Matt Brewer play side-by-side with students.

Three students performed alongside RJAM Executive Director Jason Hainsworth, as well as SFCM faculty and SFJAZZ Collective members Warren Wolf and Matt Brewer kicking off the three-day San Francisco Jazz Festival, celebrating a weekend of jazz music put on by the SFJAZZ Center just steps away from SFCM. 

“This was a very special experience for me,” said RJAM guitarist Trí Pham. “It was my first time performing at a jazz festival in the U.S. as an international student. I feel incredibly lucky and grateful for the opportunity.” 

SFCM student Trí Pham.

From June 13-15 the SF Jazz Festival is a three day celebration of all things jazz, featuring legendary artists and rising stars. For the first time this year the festival extended a day and included more performances with three shows in the SFJazz Center’s Robert N. Miner Auditorium, four sets in the Joe Henderson Lab, and four outdoor performances on Oak Street in SFCM’s home of Hayes Valley. 

“RJAM students performed their own compositions with myself and SFJAZZ Collective bassist and RJAM faculty member Matt Brewer,” Wolf said of the performance. “I hope students gained experience from what it's like to perform with musicians who perform on a worldwide performance level.” Students were thrilled to take part in the festival, “One of my favorite parts was having me and my brother's composition played during rehearsal and then debuted at the kick-off event for the SFJAZZ Festival,” Baclay added. “There's that sense of validation to hear supportive feedback.  No words! It's a feeling and experience I'll always remember.” 

“Sharing the stage with my heroes, Warren Wolf and Matt Brewer, was truly a dream come true,” Pham said. “It was also deeply meaningful to perform alongside my friends and RJAM director Jason Hainsworth, not just as mentors or peers, but as bandmates.”

SFCM faculty Warren Wolf.

“I was positively surprised at how quickly a crowd gathered,” RJAM Associate Director Amelie-Anna Hinman said. “There were so many people who immediately showed up right after the first note,” she continued. “Within five or 10 minutes, every seat was taken. That was what was so heartwarming, because this music is about community.”

RJAM is a first-of-its-kind program that links a world-class music conservatory to an award-winning jazz concert venue at SFJAZZ. RJAM program takes a holistic view of jazz from its inception to its current status, preparing the next generation of great jazz artists by engaging students in an innovative model of apprenticeship with all-star faculty, including members of the SFJAZZ Collective. 

Students Graham Houpt and Trí Pham perform with faculty Jason Hainsworth.

Students in the RJAM program have the opportunity to perform in multiple venues in the Bay Area, most recently in May they performed at KCSM Jazz 91 for International Jazz Day.

“This experience reminded me exactly why I came here, to grow, learn, and be inspired,” Pham added.

“Being part of the RJAM program has opened up so many opportunities to grow as a musician and human,” Baclay continued, “and it has been hella fun!”

Learn more about studying Root’s Jazz and American Music at SFCM.