“I demand a lot from my students, but I also supplement them with love and care,” said Jefferson, Southeast associate professor of trombone/euphonium and director of Jazz Studies.

“My objective is to give my students top-rated learning experiences and playing opportunities comparable to bigger music programs,” he said. “This way, they can be challenged and ultimately learn, grow and improve while being proud of the musical training they are receiving at Southeast. Experiential learning and teaching are keys to their success. These experiences are very important to their growth and development as well-rounded musicians, future music educators, and shaping themselves into overall good humans.”

International Women’s Brass Conference

For those who accept the challenge, and this summer there were several, the experiences began May 24-28 when two of Jefferson’s students --Ashleigh Green, a sophomore music education major from St. Charles, Missouri, trombone, and Bailey Jennings, a music education major, from Springfield, Illinois, trumpet – were selected as student workers for the International Women’s Brass Conference at the University of North Texas. The conference educates, develops, supports and promotes women brass musicians while inspiring continued excellence and opportunities in the broader musical world. Membership is open to all who support this effort.

While at the conference, Jefferson also presented his research “Shout Bands: An African American Musical Tradition.”

“Being selected by peers in the field to present research, perform, and teach on this international and national platform is truly amazing and humbling,” he said.

International Trombone Festival

The educational journey for Jefferson and his students continued when he took two Southeast students to the International Trombone Festival (ITF) at the University of Central Arkansas at Conway, Arkansas, July 13-16.

“This is a huge opportunity for students to get connected with ITF and start building relationships in the trombone community as well as meet and assist national and international artists and pedagogues,” Jefferson said. “These experiences allow our students to view different pedagogical perspectives and see and understand how diverse and inclusive the trombone and women's brass communities are as a whole. Additionally, our students get a first-hand opportunity to see what other students are learning and performing at other universities from across the world.”

Southeast students selected to participate as ITF student workers, following a competitive application process, were Green and Brendan Iverson, a sophomore music education major, trombone, from St. Charles, Missouri. They also participated in a Student Worker Trombone Choir. Additionally, incoming freshman, Isaac Thorn of O’Fallon, Missouri, attended ITF as a participant.

Green said Jefferson encouraged students to consider applying for this world-class experience.

“He told us that it would be a great way for us to attend the festival, and it would allow for us to network with many professionals and students from all over the world,” she said.

“One of the best things about ITF for me was being able to see some of my idols perform and teach. There were a lot of people there that I look up to, and I was able to attend their sessions and learn from them,” Green said. “My favorite session there was a recital by Brittany Lasch. She played a recital of entirely woman composers. She played phenomenally, and it was inspiring for me.”

Attending the International Trombone Festival helped Green connect and collaborate with music majors from other schools.

“It was an inspiring opportunity to learn from so many amazing trombonists and teachers,” she said, as she watched them warm up, practice and perform. “I can't wait to go again.”

Iverson said he first learned about the International Trombone Festival from his private teacher and band director while a high school sophomore in 2018 in St. Louis. After arriving at Southeast, Jefferson told him about the ITF student worker program. He called his summer experience “educational, fun and life-changing.”

Iverson highlighted two performances at ITF, the “Lift Every Voice Trombone Choir” and a performance of Resurgence by Christopher Evan Hass – showcasing the musician’s experience with Bell's palsy.

“The Lift Every Voice Trombone Choir” performance inspired me as it was made up of some of the African American community at ITF, with a very emotional and empowering theme,” he said. “The Bell’s palsy performance covered one of my biggest fears -- being unable to play trombone.”

The performing artist had Bell's palsy, and the piece was a mixture of his recovery story as well as a performance of music starting simply and growing in difficulty as he relearned the instrument, Iverson said.

He said participating in the ITF also offered him “connections in my field, and an array of knowledge, a rekindling to my passion, and the chance to experience something outside of our studio.” He also earned some lessons from international artists.

“It has changed my mindset on many interactions and choices in my daily life, which may sound small, but these choices shape a player from being great to being the best,” he said.

“I was very happy to represent SEMO, as in most cases we seemed relatively well prepared,” he said. “I was never stuck in a conversation not knowing about my field, and often found out we were at the forefront in most cases.”

Jefferson said, “Our students represented themselves and Southeast Missouri State University very well.”

The same can be said for Jefferson. There, he performed with the ITF All-Stars, ITF Jazz All-Stars Big Band, and the Inaugural “Lift Every Voice Trombone Ensemble” comprised of all African American members. He also was selected to serve as a judge for the George Roberts Bass Trombone International Competition.

“As a faculty member at Southeast, it is crucial for me to attend, present and perform at these types of events so I can continue to learn and improve,” Jefferson said. “These experiences continue to sharpen my pedagogical and performance practices. In turn, the skills learned can be brought back and implemented into my teaching here at Southeast! I cannot expect my students to do things that I am not actively modeling.”

Jazz at Lincoln Center - Summer Jazz Academy

After leaving Conway, Arkansas, Jefferson next headed to the Jazz at Lincoln Center – Summer Jazz Academy at Bard College Conservatory of Music, where he spent one week, July 17-24, as a trombone faculty member at a residential high school summer institute for advanced study in jazz performance.

“I worked with a talented group of students from across the country,” Jefferson said, adding, “I was very fortunate to serve as faculty alongside Victor Goines, Marcus Printup, James Chirllo, Jeff Hamilton, Roxy Coss, Rodney Whitaker and Steven Feifke.

“Being selected as trombone faculty for Jazz at Lincoln Center – Summer Jazz Academy at Bard College was pretty amazing!” he said. “These opportunities provided me with a chance to collaborate with my heroes, build new relationships with other faculty and artists, and work with some pretty amazing students. I look forward to sharing what I learned with my trombone/euphonium studio as well as the students involved in Jazz at Southeast!”