El Paso Jazz Girls
Over the past decade, we have celebrated creativity, confidence and collaboration in over 400 girls from across El Paso by providing cost free music education, creating a support system, and making direct measurable change towards gender equity in El Paso. ***This year your impact goes twice as far thanks for matching funds from the Melinda and Meyer Marcus Family Foundation!***

Causes: Arts and Culture, Children and Youth, Education

El Paso Jazz Girls has served over 400 young female and gender expansive musicians since 2018. Participants learn about jazz, write their own music, play together, and create a support system. Our mission is to empower girls in a supportive community that fosters self-expression, confidence, and collaboration through music education and performance - 100% cost free for participants!

“This program is the reason why I believe in myself!” - Chantal, El Paso Jazz Girl 2018 - 2021

Our program is cost-free for participants! It’s important for us to ensure that El Paso Jazz Girls is free because many of our participants cannot afford costly music camps, do not own their own instruments, and should be able to receive this educational experience regardless of their socio-economic status.

All of our teaching artists are professional female musicians from El Paso! Our local teaching artists are award-winning composers, teachers-of-the-year, full-time performers, business owners, and military service members sharing their knowledge with participants. It’s eye opening for participants to be able to ask questions, see various career opportunities, and know that a life in music is attainable as a girl from El Paso.

The skills learned from jazz composition are essential in any career! Jazz music instills skills such as problem solving in real time, leadership, collaboration, communication, improvisation, creative thought, flexible mindsets, and practice habits. These are skills that serve our participants in whatever they decide to pursue.

First year of El Paso Jazz Girls in 2018!
Learning piano voicings with GRAMMY Nominated artist Amanda Eker
Introducing a new original song and the process behind writing
Meeting Oscar Nominated composer Germaine Franco after learning about film composition from her!
Belting out an original composition
El Paso Jazz Girls 2025