WHO WE ARE
A FEATURE HIGHLIGHTING THE ‘OUTSIDE’ LIVES OF THE MANY VARIED AND INTERESTING MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION.

—by Lois Chazen

Laura Johnson, a prime mover in the world of music education, designed, organized and distributed education programs for Jazz at Lincoln Center for more than ten years. Recruited in its third season when it separated from Lincoln Center management, she was the fifth employee of the fledgling independent organization. Uniquely experienced for the task she immediately increased the number of programs offered and made them markedly original and effective. As Vice President of Education, she designed numerous programs and publications, and produced films and workshops for both, improving instrumental skills and musical appreciation for different age groups from pre-school to adult. As the budget grew from $200,000 to $2.1 million, she was enabled to hire more staff and increase her output of innovative programs. She had eight people on her staff, as well as a cadre of interns and volunteers and communicated regularly with regional representatives. Laura worked closely with Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis on
	Laura Johnson
programming and long range planning. Laura’s management and fund raising skills were such that in 2000-2001, she was invited to assume the responsibilities of General Manager and Director while the Board searched for a new President/CEO. Among the many programs Laura initiated for Jazz at Lincoln Center, was the Essentially Ellington High School Band Competition & Festival. Original arrangements of Duke Ellington scores were distributed to 3,500 high schools nationwide. Another product of Laura’s imagination and keen sense of pedagogy was the Jazz for Young People Curriculum for elementary and middle schools available throughout the United States. Laura was the idea source and made publishing arrangements for a book aimed at an adult audience: Understanding Jazz: Ways to Listen published in 2005 by Random House. One of her projects for the New York City schools was titled “Jazz in the Schools.” WeBop is a series of introductory jazz classes for preschoolers and their parents. She established the Jazz at Lincoln Center Archives and planned the Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame. Ahmet Ertegün, recently deceased, was President of Atlantic Records and an ardent jazz enthusiast. Laura was a key strategic planner and highly successful fundraiser for the spectacular Frederick P. Rose Hall in the Time Warner building, where concerts, awards and other programs take place. During her career at Jazz At Lincoln Center, she spoke before many groups such as school and college faculty, musicians, students, administrators, Board members, government agencies and jazz audiences. Frequently, she toured with the musicians to execute educational programs and to provide tour management. Laura graduated Magna cum Laude from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. Her major was Music Education with Voice, Theater and Business as subsidiary interests. Armed with her degree, she moved to Minneapolis where she gave private voice and piano lessons as well as classes in musical theater. She worked long hours to realize her childhood ambition to sing in Broadway shows. To this end, she performed as soloist and member of the chorus in many musical theater performances from 1980 to 1994. To fund the ability to do this and for additional experience in theater management, she accepted an internship at the Minnesota Opera Company and was soon hired as a half-time administrative assistant. Within a few years and at a very early age, she was named Director of Touring and Education. Now a full-time employee, she designed educational and community outreach programs for students, educators and singers. She planned national tours, educational workshops, residencies, and youth concerts. While the Opera Company was a half-time commitment from 1982-84, Laura took on another part-time job in the music field, office manager for the Minnesota Chorale. There, she was involved in programming, fundraising, public relations and negotiations with artists. In 1991, after ten years at the Opera Company, Laura accepted a position as Director of Education and Audience Development for the Ordway Performing Arts Center. Simultaneously, she continued her active performing career. All Souls at Sundown produced by Laura. Laura was introduced to All Souls when she came to New York in 1995 at the invitation of an actor friend. Although she attended rather regularly, she did not become a member of All Souls until six years ago. When the Rev. Dr. Galen Guengerich learned her credentials, he drafted her immediately to produce the jazz portion of his monthly Sunday event, All Souls at Sundown, the jazz and poetry series which attracts a large audience beyond the All Souls congregation. Laura was introduced to All Souls when she came to New York in 1995 at the invitation of an actor friend. Although she attended rather regularly, she did not become a member of All Souls until six years ago. When the Rev. Dr. Galen Guengerich learned her credentials, he drafted her immediately to produce the jazz portion of his monthly Sunday event, All Souls at Sundown, the jazz and poetry series which attracts a large audience beyond the All Souls congregation. Laura has always been interested in music—all kinds, from opera to rhythm and blues. Although she plays several reed instruments and piano, she prefers singing. She began singing in school and church choirs. Beautiful, blonde and vivacious, she dreamed of appearing on the Broadway stage. She recalls her childhood in a small Iowa farming community where her family has farmed since the 1880s. Her paternal relatives were of Danish and Swedish ancestry and had a long history as farmers. Some of her maternal relatives were Dutch and arrived earlier, in the 1600s, and settled along the Hudson River. As a child, she confided that she was charmed by all kinds of music from classical to contemporary. However, she spent as much time as possible listening to recordings of Broadway shows over and over again.   Laura in Barcelona outside the famou artists’ haunt, El Quatre Gats restaurant. Travel and architecture are two of Laura’s passions. She recently was in Barcelona to explore Gaudi’s extraordinary, distinctive architecture. A trip to Florence was another great pleasure for Laura. She prepared by reading Dante twice and studying art books, particularly works of art by Michelangelo. Following a well-earned six month sabbatical in which she traveled abroad extensively and did a lot of reading, she returned to work as a consultant in music education. Among her clients are Jazz At Lincoln Center, the New York City Center for Arts Education, and the Wallace Foundation Arts Learning Initiative for New York City Public Schools. She monitors progress and communications between several New York City agencies including the Departments of Education and of Cultural Affairs. Recently, she was consultant to the Wharton Center for the Arts at Michigan State University. Laura said that in educating and training children, access to resources and quality instruction are basic essentials. She believes in and practices interaction with family and teachers to give support to the students and to confirm teaching methodology and goals. This communication puts everyone on the same page and strengthens student performance. Besides her work as a consultant, Laura is a professor at Teachers College in New York City. She is the Louis Armstrong Distinguished Professor of Jazz Studies at Columbia University. Her course is titled “Understanding Jazz in Context: Jazz in the K-12 Classroom,” a subject she knows well and has practiced for many years. Laura requires her students to keep a journal and to attend at least four jazz events during the semester that they review. “It is alarming how weak the writing skills of some of these masters and doctoral candidates are,” Laura said. A believer in physical fitness, Laura jogs every day and practices Yoga. When we last spoke, she had just baked dozens of Christmas cookies for friends and family, although she rarely eats them. Baking is a long held family tradition. Happily, she inherited all of her grandmother’s highly regarded Danish recipes. She hasn’t much interest in sports except for football, but relishes visiting new museum exhibitions. When she travels, she writes a list of galleries and museums to check out. Laura enjoys dance, drama and musical theater, reads widely and loves all kinds of music with the exception of some popular music one hears on the radio that assaults the listener’s ear or is prurient. “Music is more than entertainment,” Laura said. “It is a global language, an ambassador, that needs no translation to be understood. No matter what the form—opera, a symphony, a piano concerto, jazz or folk songs—it is the best way to make geographic, cultural and economic disparities vanish. Music brings people around the world together and recognizes their common interests not their differences,” she added. “‘Jazz is an impeccably beautiful mongrel which requires a precise imprecision,’ I quote Duke Ellington, ‘If it sounds good, it is good.’”