When Dave Sharp, bassist, bandleader, A2 Jazz Fest founder and artistic director at Ann Arbor’s Blue LLama Jazz Club, first thought of putting on a jazz festival, he was just trying to solve a problem: the jazz music program at the Ann Arbor Music Center (AAMC), was really starting to grow in popularity. With teachers like Dave and his colleagues, Detroit-based drummer, Gayelynn McKinney, and Ann Arbor-based saxophonist, Paul Vornhagen added to an already all-star popular music slate that included Theo Katzman (former Vulfpek frontman), Ann Arbor’s only Rock Band School—now with Jazz - was bursting at the seams.
Posts filed under Local Organizations
Helping the Homeless
The day after Christmas, 2019, a day when many celebrate the birth of a homeless child, a social mediate site for Ann Arbor townies posted this question: “Would you ever open your home to a homeless person?” Forty-eight comments later, administrators closed the post’s comments. My take on these comments is that most people answered “yes,” “no” or “if I knew the homeless person.”
Voices of Double Up in America
As a young mom and graduate student, this shopper, now in her mid-thirties, used Double Up Food Bucks during her last year in school—stretching her food dollars at the farmers markets for fresh, nutritious produce for her family. Today, she’s a social worker in the area and a Double Up volunteer who refers others with food needs to the program.
Setting Stories in Motion (and Movies to See!)
With the kind of work I do through my creative company — 7 Cylinders Studio — I get to interact with an ever-evolving cross section of our community.
I want to highlight a handful of those criss-crossing clients to survey our local landscape through the lens of video and provide some of the more compelling projects I’ve been fortunate to produce these past few years.
Community, Connections, and Ceremony
Smartphones and social media have a major impact on the way I connect with family, friends, and social groups, but I am often left with a feeling of being less connected using these platforms. Isn't it interesting how these tools that can connect us instantly with others can also leave us feeling even more disconnected? Our core craves for a more meaningful and tangible community. Let’s build one!
The Value of Community
By Roshani Adhikary
Author John Green once said, “In the darkest days, the Lord puts the best people into your life.” I’ve recently started leading yoga classes at the Cancer Support Community (CSC) of Greater Ann Arbor and have seen this for myself — how, in one’s most trying times, comfort can be found within a sense of community.
