Summer JAMMS is a unique performance opportunity for high school and college aged youth to work with professional musicians and producers. The program kicks off with aJAMMS workshop in which participants work together to write and record a song and create a music video. JAMMS is a cultural immersion program that brings together diverse groups of people and communities in conflict as a way to deepen understanding between them. To date, Music in Common has produced nearly forty-five JAMMS programs across the US and Middle East, working with the communities listed above and others.
Following their JAMMS workshop, Summer JAMMS participants learn and rehearse a dozensongs written by youth in other JAMMS programs around the world. In the process, participants learn about the faiths, cultures, and narratives of the youth who wrote the songs, thereby connecting them to peers whose backgrounds may vastly differ from their own. Summer JAMMS concludes with a concert of these songs, amplifying their messages to new and wider audiences.
In addition to valuable diversity training and leadership development, Summer JAMMS participants learn the importance of teamwork, gain self-confidence, and develop strong communication and collaborative skills – tools to help them succeed in school and in life.