The 35 minute block in between second and third period every Friday is known as Crew – a designated advisory period every Friday that sees groups of students across grades come together in a certain room at Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA). 

This block holds all sorts of different activities. Before 2023, crew groups were based solely on grade and not department. But after changes this year, the meetings are strictly departmental, with students meeting in their respective homeroom locations.

Each week the department leaders are up to something new. Some weeks it’s a study hall, others it’s making origami butterflies or filling out online survey forms every few months for reasons unknown. 

Junior vocalist Amanda Alston, who is the Music Department representative in the Student Government Association, decided to rejuvenate the idea of crew with a little bit of creativity.

After spending a summer in Boston doing an intensive at Berklee College of Music, she was inspired by students putting on “jam sessions” and exploring music through community and collaboration.

Alston brought this seedling back to BSA and planted it in the Music Department’s Recital Hall, which is the venue used for jam sessions.

“I feel like students don’t get much of an opportunity to explore their instrument as much as they need to, and as far as freshmen and sophomores, I wanted to create a space where they could feel comfortable in a performance setting,” elaborated Alston.

One factor that plays a key role in jam sessions is rooted in the inclusion of the entire department. For underclassmen, it can give them a chance to branch out and get a sense of what it’s like to be on stage in real time performing for an audience.

For upperclassmen, it provides not only another chance to perform, but an opportunity to branch out from the types of music learned in their classes, play with peers, or simply find some time to take a breather at the end of a long week.

Although BSA students are able to observe their peers in a performance or showcase other times in the school year, jam sessions offer a unique opportunity for music students to observe the work of their fellow classmates in a different light.

Freshman cellist Rachel Eversley enjoyed being an audience member at a jam session and seeing other students on stage. “You can see so much more of their character. Recitals are more classical, but jam sessions include jazz and pop songs and people play instruments that they don’t go here for, so you really learn a lot about them,” said Eversley.

In a department focused particularly on the classical side of music, that is not the limit of what the music students are capable of.

Jam sessions give students an opportunity to explore other genres and experiment with different musical mediums to hone in their skills that can be later applied in the classroom, or even in a recital.

Dr. Mark Hardy, coordinator of vocal music and music theory at BSA, affirmed the importance of branching out to different genres. “That’s always been part of the culture here, a majority of our students have a musical life outside of BSA,” said Hardy.

Artistic engagement outside of BSA is always encouraged, but those special Fridays leave an opening for students to apply what they have learned in outside experiences and go to even higher understandings of music and performance.

“Students have always been doing outside projects, whether that’s musical theater, jazz, a rock band and things like that, which gives them a chance to talk about how the skills we’re working on here relate and what kinds of things they can use regardless of the music style,” continued Hardy.

Amongst the inclusive nature of the jam session lies a distinctive teacher-student relationship that is cultivated in this environment.

In every crew, teachers and faculty members are involved in some way, shape, or form, but during jam sessions, they are found as an audience member, fan, or even host. 

Mx. Rahzé Sinclair, a Music and Theatre Department faculty member, has been a recurring host at jam sessions. “I am very fortunate to enjoy a certain amount of deference from students, I host a lot of events professionally, but this is an opportunity where I get to relax too,” said Sinclair.

In this low pressure environment that is cultivated by the music community, teachers and students alike can have a shared experience of enjoyment and relaxation. 

“I really enjoy having the opportunity to connect with the students outside of the classroom, so I can be someone who they can trust and ask questions to, and being someone who supports them,” Sinclair continued.

Jam sessions have evolved throughout the course of this year as a community building endeavor that lays fertile ground for collaboration, support, and a better understanding of music during crew time.

In recent months, jam sessions have gained heavy traction and have been the source of a multitude of innovative performances from music students. It has created a buzzing creative environment that fills the halls of BSA with the familiar sounds of friendly cheers and catchy tunes for every student to enjoy.

Editor’s Note: Amanda Alston, who was interviewed in this article, is a staff writer for The Muse.

To contact this writer, email Muse Newspaper at musebsa@bsfa.org.

Featured photo by Ronan Goeke for The Muse.