NYJO Launches Digital Jazz Education Hub – Sat 21 March 2026.
Monday, March 09, 2026
NYJO (National Youth Jazz Orchestra) are excited to announce the launch of our NYJO Network Digital Hub - a new online platform designed to help teachers, music leaders, and practitioners.
We have received the following press release;
NYJO (National Youth Jazz Orchestra) are excited to announce the launch of our NYJO Network Digital Hub - a new national online platform designed to help teachers, music leaders, and practitioners build confidence and unlock the joy of improvised music-making. Created in response to feedback from educators working in diverse settings, the Hub is grounded in real-world teaching practice. It offers practical, creative tools such as modular teaching resources, workshop plans, and reflective practice materials for all skills and experience levels, making it easier than ever to bring jazz education into classrooms and community spaces.
On Saturday 21 March (1-5pm), NYJO will be launching the NYJO Network Digital Hub — a new national online platform designed specifically to support musicians and teachers in delivering high-quality jazz and improvisation in classrooms, hubs and community settings.
The resources have been developed and curated by NYJO’s learning team in collaboration with its emerging professional musicians — practitioners who are actively performing, composing and leading workshops across the country. The result is a bank of modular teaching resources, workshop plans, pedagogical approaches and reflective materials which we hope will become the place to share best practice in delivering jazz education. It is designed not just as a resource library, but as a sustainable professional development tool to help embed improvisation-led approaches across the sector and address the teacher confidence gap in jazz and improvisation.
Beth Ismay, NYJO Learning Programmes Producer, says:
‘We’re really excited to be launching our new NYJO Network Digital Hub, to round out the end of our celebrations for 60 years of NYJO! We hope that this will help build on the sustainability of the jazz education ecosystem for another 60 years to come, giving music educators across the country the confidence to include improvised music-making practices within their session delivery, and thereby enabling even more young people to experience the joy that this form of music-making can bring.’
The NYJO Network Digital Hub forms part of NYJO’s wider commitment to professional development, nurturing young musicians, and championing access to high quality, accessible learning opportunities. The organisation continues to work collaboratively with music hubs, schools, and community partners to embed creative, improvisation-led approaches across the sector.
Vikki Maudave, NYJO Programmes & Operations Director, says:
‘We’re incredibly proud of the national outreach projects delivered by NYJO Learning in recent years. The Network Hub brings together a curated selection of resources from these projects and offers an exciting opportunity to work even more closely with our national partners in a responsive, collaborative way.
By strengthening the sustainability of our learning offer and expanding access to practical resources, the Hub supports music education partners across the country. We’re excited to see teachers, music services and education organisations use these resources in innovative ways, as we continue to learn together and share best practice nationwide.’
The Hub will officially launch at a free, in-person event on Saturday 21 March, 1–5pm, at Woolwich Works, Greenwich. The event will bring together young musicians, educators, and sector partners to explore the platform, take part in hands-on professional development workshops, and connect with peers from across England. The day will close with a performance by Steam Down - an artist collective, weekly event and music community based in Deptford, South-East London, founded by one of NYJO’s Resident MDs, Ahnansé. Attendance at the launch event is free, with advance registration required by Saturday 7 March. Press and sector partners are warmly invited to attend.
About NYJO
NYJO is a registered charity and an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation with a mission to bring jazz and improvised music to young musicians aged 14-25, and audiences across the country. We strongly believe in the power of jazz as a tool for social change and work to creatively nurture young people, empowering them to develop, personally and artistically, through high-quality, accessible, and inclusive learning programmes and professional live performances.
We work in collaboration with likeminded partners around the country to address access barriers to music education and deliver bespoke programmes that cater to the needs and aspirations of local young people. With a strong commitment to making jazz and music-making opportunities more evenly distributed across the UK, we focus on traditionally underserved and marginalised communities to inspire young people to use jazz as a form of self-expression.
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