WE, [the undersigned], have created this Petition to Save the Spelman College Jazz Ensemble.
The spirit of an institution lies within the music, and the music program at Spelman College needs your support to continue! Spelman College, as an accredited college of the liberal arts, should support the preservation of the music and instrumental program by providing scholarships to recruit talented students to populate the program rather than discontinue it. In particular, we call for the continuation, or re-establishment, of the Spelman College Jazz Ensemble.

It was from the particular and traumatic experience of enslavement in the Americas of the people of the African Diaspora, that the music we call Jazz emerged. This African-American classical music continuum flows from the very heart of the African continent, and evolves within the belly of the African-American lived experience. We believe that it is up to the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to be at the precipice in developing continuing research, historical documentation, and critical analysis of Jazz music.

We believe that Spelman College should take leadership in this area, as it has with Women Studies and African Diaspora and The World. There is no academic institution other than Spelman College most appropriately positioned to preserve and elevate the legacy of the African-American jazz idiom and the overabundant contribution made by women. For decades, involvement in the Jazz Ensemble has been directly beneficial for students, even those outside of music majors, by making them a better and more well-rounded person, beyond artistic value, and across multiple disciplines.

Strategic Points:
 
1) Spelman College’s Music Department should take on the responsibility of teaching to preserve the legacy of Jazz  music, and women’s contribution in particular.
2) Spelman’s Jazz Ensemble should be made available (as commensurate with required performance experience) to all enrolled Spelman College students primarily, if not expressly.
3)  We support development of financial incentives for music majors and Jazz Ensemble members, including academic grants, scholarships, and internships.
4)  We support cross-registration with other academic institutions, including but not limited to the Atlanta University Center, Berklee College of Music, and others.  
5)  We support cultivating a partnership with Berklee College of Music for Spelman graduates to enter into Berklee’s ‘Master’s Program.’  
6)  We support the Jazz Ensemble being utilized for private and public performance as a reflection of the pedigree and acumen of Spelman College musicians, and the pride of the Institution.
7)  We support the reinstating of a “Spring Break” Tour Schedule for the Jazz Ensemble,  especially with the support of Alumnae chapters who had previously used event proceeds to fund scholarship and financial support of prospective Spelman students around the country.
8)  We support the reinstating of professional recordings to capture the talent of performing Jazz Ensemble members, and to provide a marketing base to generate revenue.