Since our founding, Oaktown Jazz Workshops has nurtured the talents of thousands of young musicians. Some of our alumni have pursued exciting careers in music, while others have carried the important values they learned at Oaktown Jazz – creativity, discipline, collaboration, and courage – into other fields. Many alumni return to visit, perform, or mentor current students. Our multi-generational creative community keeps growing!
“Oaktown Jazz Workshops was not only my first experience with jazz but the most important because it taught me there was no difference between the life a musician lived and the music they played.”
Ambrose Akinmusire
“OJW was undoubtedly one of the most formative experiences of my life. The experience, playing and performing opportunities, and encouragement I received continue to inform my approach to, well… EVERYTHING!”
Geoff Countryman
"Oaktown is where I learned that jazz is broader than a music genre. It’s a culture — a set of lived experiences that defined how I related to myself and others. At Oaktown, we were blessed to be mentored by musicians who were both educators and active performers, so there was always a pathway to professionalism that we could see in action. The peers I had then, are the peers I have now, as so many of us are working musicians, composers, and producers. There is an ethos of discipline, love, and family that we share because it’s the culture of Oakland, it’s the culture of jazz, and it’s the culture Oaktown has upheld for 30 years. I’m grateful and proud to be part of this family.”
Savannah Harris
“I grew up in life and in music in Oaktown Jazz Workshops. With the support of all the wonderful musicians who so generously give their time to mentor the youngsters that attend OJW, they are able to experiment with what works and find their voice in the world. The skills that I learned in OJW go way beyond music and will continue to be invaluable to me in my life as a musician and a human being.”
Jesse Levit
“My time with Oaktown Jazz was beneficial beyond measure. Outside of learning to be the best musician I can be, I was taught valuable life lessons that I continue to implement today. One is the importance of using creativity and being able to improvise to problem solve in certain professional settings. Another is the value of continually practicing to hone and perfect my skills in order to deliver high quality results. Lastly, Oaktown Jazz taught me to find the joy in activities that challenge me.”
Aubrey Love
“The impact of Oaktown Jazz Workshops on me has gone far beyond jazz music. While my time with Oaktown made me a lifelong lover of jazz and an even more avid listener of all kinds of music, I also learned how to work well on teams, and what good collaboration feels like. I learned how to fully immerse myself in learning a new skill, and fully embrace the mistakes made on the way. At Oaktown Jazz I learned to be more confident in myself and my talents.”
Oumou Ly
“To me, Oaktown is the last bastion of the time honored tradition of education through performance practice and mentorship. The kids at Oaktown aren’t force fed ‘licks’ or scales: they’re taught by observing, listening, and reacting. This is how the greats of this art form learned and I am eternally grateful for everything this program did for me.”
Tim McKay
“I consider the Oaktown Jazz Workshops to be a very special educational and community-building program, and am constantly reminded of how fortunate I was to have been able to participate in it. It is a nurturing environment in which all participating young musicians are encouraged to delve into the substantiality of jazz while matter-of-factly experiencing the many ways of enjoying it.”
Hitomi Oba
“Oaktown Jazz Workshops saved my life by providing an outlet for me and other young musicians.”
Ruthie PricE
“Oaktown Jazz taught me so much. It gave me an appreciation of jazz music that will be with me for the rest of my life. It gave me lifelong friends that I still talk to even though we live across the country from each other. It also gave me a lot of leadership and teamwork skills. At Oaktown, you’re taught the importance of listening to others as you pick up cues and gauge when to jump in for a solo or with a background line. You’re also taught to step up to the plate and lead the group when you need to (and when it’s appropriate). These skills have been really relevant to my life even outside of music—whether it’s knowing when, as Chief Justice of UC Berkeley’s Supreme Court, I’m missing a voice and need to make sure all my fellow Justices have shared their interpretations and opinions, or in an internship, being able to see an opportunity to step up and take on a new project or assignment.”
Maureen Ochi Sides
“OJW gave me the opportunity to explore the possibilities of improvising in a jazz setting. I learned so much from playing on a regular basis with Khalil and the other youngsters that were hungry for more knowledge about the music. I learned countless songs and met kids that I’m still making music with today as adults 15 years later. I’m very fortunate for those years being a part of Oaktown Jazz.”
Dayna Stephens
“Oaktown Jazz workshops and founder Khalil Shaheed are the two entities most responsible for not only my being a musician but also for the success of that endeavor. Paramount to monetary success and notoriety are the inner feelings of joy, satisfaction, and the sense of ‘calling’ that Oaktown has instilled in me through the teaching of not only technical skill and theoretical knowledge but of musicianship and self-worth. The true gem that is the Oaktown Jazz Workshops cannot better be seen than by looking into the hearts of its students past and present.”
Josiah Woodson