The Fall of IAJE

I'm a little behind the times but it is with great sadness that I mark the demise of the IAJE.  Since becoming a member if the International Association of Jazz Educators by attending their conference this past January I have been receiving email updates from Chuck Owen, President of the IAJE Board, about the comings and goings of the association. I was quite surprised when a month ago or so I received an emergency request of a $25 donation from every member in order to keep the association afloat.  $25?  Really?  That will solve financial woes?  In the end they received $12,000 from 250 generous members but it wasn't enough to keep the IAJE from filing for bankruptcy on April 19th.  I have no personal insight to share on this happening but I can lead to you several bloggers who do:

Darcy James Argue reflects on his past conference involvement and links to several online writers sharing their opinions

Philip Booth's thoughts on Oprah saving IAJE and Philip Booth's suggestion on who should take over the IAJE

Howard Mandel makes some good points in his blog Jazz Beyond Jazz

As much as I wish jazz could survive without associations and thrive on the sheer beauty and power of the music I recognize that support is required to increase music appreciation in our schools.  I do hope somehow IAJE will rise from the ashes of it's financial debacle - hopefully with a stronger business model.  Maybe the old adage "you don't know what you're missing until it's gone" will come into play and we'll see smaller organizations or individuals gather to fill the void left by the IAJE.