Julian has a genuine and energetic commitment to educational projects, regularly working with students of all ages in masterclasses and workshops. He was central to the launch of the Associated Board's jazz syllabus (which includes one of his own compositions, "Allfarthing Blues"), and in January 2013 opened his own Jazz Academy (JJJA).
Julian is a patron of The World Heart Beat Music Academy, providing performance opportunities and a variety of musical experiences for Julian Joseph Jazz Academy students as well as for WHBA students at JJJA. Julian is also currently a patron of The Firebird Trust and the Pembroke Academy of Music, an Ambassador for Youth Music and a member of Yamaha's Jazz Experience team. From 1998-2009 he was a patron of the Jazz Development Trust.
Julian regularly builds into his concert touring schedule time to work with local students and teachers. He has worked with children in schools across the UK, as well as in South Africa and India. He has also hosted masterclasses for jazz students at the Royal Academy of Music and the Wigmore Hall, and since 2014 has been on the judging panel for BBC Music's Young Jazz Musician competition.
THE JULIAN JOSEPH JAZZ ACADEMY
JJJA offers talented young instrumentalists and vocalists an amazing opportunity to work with some of the world’s top jazz musicians to develop their creative talents and performance skills, through exploring the American roots of Jazz.
The Academy also operates a JJJA Essentials course for students who demonstrate during audition that they have the potential to succeed at JJJA, but need additional nurturing before they are ready for the full programme.
Click here for more info and to apply.
SHADOWBALL
Shadowball, Julian's jazz opera for children, was premiered in 2010. It tells the fast-paced story of Negro League baseball players and their jazz compatriots struggling to achieve their dreams in a time of segregation.
Inspired by the era of Ellington and Armstrong, Joseph’s swinging score offers a lively evening of home runs, peanuts and Cracker Jack.
For more info, educational packs and events, go to the Hackney Music Development Trust site.
TRENCH BROTHERS
The award-winning HMDT commission brings the First World War to life for primary school children through the experiences and personal stories of Indian Army, British West Indies Regiment and black British soldiers. Trench Brothers commemorates their contributions using puppetry, music, artefacts and cross-curricular learning and culminates in performances of a new music theatre work by composers Julian Joseph and Richard Taylor and librettist Tertia Sefton-Green, enabling students to develop a creative, artistic response to the stories and immortalise the deeds of these forgotten soldiers.
For more info and educational tools, click here.
For more on the Brighton Dome performance, click here.