The Jazz Lab™ Mobile Pilot, powered by Battelle, provides a cutting-edge STEM experience for elementary and middle school students aged 9–14. By using music as a gateway to explore science, this program brings STEM education to life in an engaging, out-of-school setting. Designed to bridge the gap in STEM access, Jazz Lab™ Mobile focuses on reaching historically underserved and marginalized communities and areas with limited STEM resources. Our program ignites curiosity and discovery through hands-on activities, unveiling the interconnectedness of music, science, and the world around us.
Our bold interdisciplinary approach engages diverse learning styles and meets children where they are, ensuring accessibility and inclusion for all learning levels. From live jazz performances (arts), music-inspired physics stations (science), to pattern-making with synths (math), virtual reality experiences (tech), and 3D printed instrument assembly (engineering), Jazz Lab™ Mobile challenges students to expand their horizons and discover new possibilities.
Rooted in cultural appreciation, Jazz Lab™ Mobile fosters essential 21st-century skills and social-emotional growth, preparing students for future opportunities while exposing them to the rich heritage and vibrant world of jazz music. Students develop the tools and confidence to think creatively, collaborate effectively, adapt to change, and take risks—all key to building resilience. By equipping youth with these skills, we are shaping the workforce of tomorrow in a truly innovative and meaningful way.
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Session One
SOUND SCIENCE
Every Jazz Lab™ engagement begins and ends with live music, setting the stage for an exciting learning experience! In this first session, our Jazz Lab Techs (JLTs) dive into sound science—exploring vibration, pitch, frequency, resonance, and timbre through a guided look at instrument anatomy. This is followed by hands-on STEM activities, culminating in a fun, movement-based activity where they organize sounds and rhythms together.
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Session Two
WAVE FORMS & SYNTHESIZERS
After a brief recap of Session One, JLTs are introduced to waveforms and synthesized sounds in this engaging, interactive session. Our Jazz Lab™ Sound Engineer explains fundamental electronic concepts like ADSR, envelopes, oscillators, and filters. The JLTs then break into groups to explore patterns on Roland S-1 synthesizers and share their creations with the group.
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Session Three
VIRTUAL REALITY
In this session, students bridge the physical and virtual worlds of sound. In partnership with COSI VR Education, Jazz Lab™ Techs rotate through various stations—exploring VR artifacts, experiencing a curated virtual jazz jam session featuring professional musicians, and experimenting with instruments and music-making on a cosmic stage.
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Session Four
3D INSTRUMENT ASSEMBLY
In the final session, students unleash their inner engineers! Each JLT receives a Jazz Lab™ Portable Innovation Lab (PIL) powered by Battelle—a unique STEM product co-created by A Tribe for Jazz and the PAST Foundation. Guided by educators, JLTs construct and customize their own instruments using 3D-printed materials. This hands-on activity fosters problem-solving, teamwork, creativity, and resilience, marking the culmination of their journey.
Our Partners
Our Vision
To be the global leader in Jazz + STEM education, inspiring a generation of curious, creative, and collaborative thinkers who see the world as a web of interconnected possibilities. Through the transformative power of music and hands-on STEM exploration, we aim to bridge cultural divides, spark lifelong learning, and empower future innovators and changemakers.
“A Tribe for Jazz is taking an innovative approach to recruiting historically underrepresented groups to the STEM talent pool, while inspiring younger generations’ interest in the cultural phenomenon that is jazz music.”
— U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty
News Spotlight.
Spectrum News visited Jazz Lab™ Mobile to show how music and virtual reality merge to inspire the next generation of innovators.
Behind the Scenes.
Amene Alshaer goes behind the scenes to show the creation of the Jazz Lab VR Experience with COSI (Center of Science and Industry).
Statement of Innovation
Research shows that jazz music plays a vital role in fostering creative thinking and problem-solving in everyday life. Studies also highlight the cognitive and developmental benefits of music, especially when integrated with STEM education. Most importantly, the Jazz Lab Mobile Pilot also leads with equity to ensure that all students have the opportunity to experience STEM in a fresh and engaging way. We have worked closely with our strategic partner, Azuka MuMin of AimSmart Consulting, to ensure that from ideation to implementation, the Jazz Lab Mobile pilot is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
Our approach in leading with equity required us to recognize all the ways in which perspectives and practices needed to shift in order to support more equitable outcomes for students. In leading with equity, we considered all aspects of education from the delivery of content, criteria for selection of teaching artists, level of competitiveness in games, colors, etc. We were mindful of gender roles, racial stereotypes, and any aspects that ‘others’ a person or group and excludes them from bringing their authentic self to the program. These values are the cornerstones of the Jazz Lab Mobile pilot, to celebrate the history, social, and cultural diversity found in jazz and science and to inspire students to think differently between two seemingly disparate disciplines.
By incorporating music into STEM topics and leveraging cutting-edge technology like Virtual Reality (VR), along with Portable Innovation Lab kits (PILs) from the PAST Foundation, we inspire creativity, encouraging students to explore new ideas, experiment with solutions, and think innovatively. The integration of arts enhances critical thinking by helping students recognize connections between subjects through analysis, interpretation, and evaluation. Incorporating arts into STEM also improves communication skills—verbal, written, and nonverbal—which are crucial in both academic and real-world contexts.
Additionally, arts celebrate diverse perspectives, cultures, and experiences, fostering more inclusive learning environments that honor students' backgrounds and talents. In today’s fast-changing world, creativity, collaboration, and adaptability—skills nurtured by arts integration—are highly valued by employers.
Jazz Lab™ Mobile Pilot News
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Pilot program in city schools explores jazz, STEM education connection
The Columbus Dispatch
Both STEM education and involvement in the arts support the social and emotional learning needs of students equipping them with skills such as collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving.
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Virtual reality inspires youth through music and STEM
Spectrum News
Arts and the sciences don’t always go hand-in-hand, but one after-school program is merging the two to inspire the next generation of innovators.
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A Tribe for Jazz and COSI Break New Ground with Mobile Jazz Lab Pilot Program
PR Undergeround
A Tribe for Jazz and COSI Partner to Launch Jazz Lab™ Mobile Pilot Program, Fusing Jazz Music, STEM, and VR for an Innovative Student Learning Experience.
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Mobile Jazz Lab™ Program to Revolutionize After-School Learning for Columbus Students
PR Underground
Hands-on Learning Experience Integrates Jazz, Science, and Technology Through Innovative Sessions on Sound Physics, Virtual Reality, and Portable Innovation Labs
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A Tribe for Jazz Launches Innovative Educational Pilot through Mobile Jazz Lab Program
PR Underground
One-of-a-kind pilot program combines Jazz and STEM for after-school students in Columbus City Schools, with support from the Battelle Central Ohio STEM Grant.
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A Tribe for Jazz Awarded Battelle Central Ohio STEM Grant for Groundbreaking Jazz Lab Mobile Pilot
PR Underground
Innovating Education: Integrating Jazz with STEM in Partnership with Columbus Recreation and Parks, COSI, and the PAST Foundation
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Battelle Sets New Funding Record with 2024 STEM Education Grants for Innovative Central Ohio Programs
Battelle
As a leading nonprofit philanthropic organization, Battelle dedicates a significant portion of its resources to STEM initiatives to equip students with the necessary skills to become future leaders and innovators.
From Scratch:
Creating the Jazz Lab™ Mobile Pilot Program
Collaboration is at the heart of Jazz Lab™ Mobile, guiding every step of its development. We lived out this core value through our partnerships with educators, organizations, and the community. Together, we’ve created a unique program that inspires young minds to think both creatively and critically while fostering authentic engagement around new ideas. We invite you to take a closer look at our journey bringing this wonderful educational program to life.
Deeper Insights
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"Afterschool STEM To Improve STEM Equity Issues"
Read the article at STEM Next Opportunity Fund
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"What Jazz Music Can Do for the Brain"
Read the article at Psychology Today
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"Music and STEM Combine to Create Perfect Harmony
Read the article at Hardrock, South Dakota Mines
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"Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration ...for the Future of Work and Education"
Read the paper at the Journal of Intelligence, Branden Thornhill-Miller
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"Why Education Investors Shouldn't Ignore Afterschool STEM"
Read the article at Forbes Magazine, Ron Ottinger
