Virtual reality inspires youth through music and STEM | A Tribe for Jazz

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Arts and the sciences don’t always go hand-in-hand, but one after-school program is merging the two to inspire the next generation of innovators.

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What You Need To Know

‘A Tribe for Jazz’ and partners brought the ‘Jazz Lab’ mobile pilot program into schools
The after-school program gives kids a chance to learn about jazz, science and technology in fun, new ways
They jammed out in one of the sessions through virtual reality
Organizers say it’s all to prepare the next generation of diverse innovators and middle school is a critical time

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The “Jazz Lab” mobile pilot program, put on by A Tribe for Jazz and partners, gives kids a chance to learn about jazz, science and technology in fun, new ways.

They jammed out in one session through virtual reality, busting out beats with actual live performers present. 

Each session is different, but they all teach valuable skills.

“It’s a beautiful bridge between the arts in the sciences where children are learning about the science of sound, which is physics through music, and it helps them to think and process differently,” said Stephanie Matthews, executive director of A Tribe for Jazz.

She said it’s all to prepare the next generation of diverse innovators and middle school is a critical time.

“When you think about middle school,” she said, “and you think about what’s happening physiologically and what’s happening with their brain processes and how they’re developing, these are the essential years where they’re making decisions that will impact them in the future.”

The program is being funded by the Battelle Central Ohio STEM Grant.