There are no musicians of the future if they are not nurtured, encouraged and educated today. Serving on the board of The Lawrence “Scotty” Scott Foundation, in the late ‘90’s and early 2000’s, proved to be an awe-inspiring experience in making a concerted difference in the lives of young people across the Delmarva Peninsula. From providing instruments to young people who couldn’t afford them, to providing sheet music, music stands and special instruction to school districts whose budgets had been stripped by school boards, I was privileged to provide and witness the difference one small organization can make in the lives of many children.

When The “Scotty” Foundation ceased operation, we at True Blue Jazz Inc. saw an incredible need to reach back into the lives of children and their teachers in the music world. TRUE BLUE JAZZ is honored to pick up the mantle where The “Scotty” Foundation left off.

Since we started in 2012, we have seen the difference our programs have made. Our scholarships have helped aspiring young musicians reach for their collegiate goals for music education, our performance programs have given young players additional outlets in which to be seen and heard. Our instrument donations have given kids in need an opportunity to have an instrument free of charge. Our Masterclass/Clinics are the pinnacle of our Youth Jazz programs.

During our Festival week, we bring our headline artists into the schools to clinic with the kids. These moments are, by far, the most rewarding for Eddie and me. Over the course of a few hours under the mentoring of these world-renowned artists, you watch these kids transform. You see the light bulbs going off. You witness them dig into parts of themselves they didn’t know they had. They’re playing one-on-one with legends, and for a lot of them – its life altering.”

If you can change the life of one child, you have made a difference. If you can change the life of one child, and you can seek to enrich the lives of all children in a community by the power and beauty of music, then you have started a beautiful revolution. Music is math, it is freedom, it is expression, it is culture, it is life. We are proud to persevere in this effort to sustain a gloriously fulfilled life of not just one, but what we hope will be the lives of many children. Young lives enriched and enhanced by Jazz…in all it’s amazing and musically expressive forms.

Peggy Raley
Jazz Vocalist, Co-Founder & Artistic Director of True Blue Jazz Inc.