Settlement’s Jazz Program Featured on NPR

The Wheeler Jazz Ensemble rehearses at Settlement Music School’s Wynnefield Branch (Matt Stanley Photography).

Settlement faculty member Tony Miceli and our jazz program were included in NPR’s recent Slingshot Series article “City Scenes: Ensuring Philly’s Next Generation of Jazz Musicians,” which highlights several of the region’s top jazz educators.

“So many great students and great musicians have gone through Settlement and are jazz stars,” said vibraphonist Tony Miceli, a longtime Settlement instructor. “A great musician can also be a great doctor or a great lawyer. What people forget is that you have to work so hard to be a great musician — problem-solving, fractions, math, time, tempo, time management — I mean, the list goes on and on because you can’t be a great musician without all these skills. You can lack other skills, but you have to have these important skills that carry over to other fields.”

Read the full NPR article here.