Educational Programs Testimonials

"Judy Carmichael is a joy to present. Her warm personality and commitment to her art translate into uplifting and memorable performances. Judy glows when she is onstage. Her tremendous technical ability allows her to present her music in an intimate, relaxed way that breaks down the barrier between performer and audience. She is truly a natural performer."
– Ruth Felt, San Francisco Performances

"This past year Judy Carmichael mesmerized several hundred Sag Harbor middle and high school students and their teachers with an assembly program and classroom presentation about the development of jazz through the 20th century. Ms. Carmichael is a world-renowned jazz piano player who received a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts to present early jazz greats performing from films and to discuss the history and development of this uniquely American musical genre. Sag Harbor students were enthralled by the film clips that were interspersed with demonstrations and upbeat performances on piano by Ms. Carmichael."
– Robert Schneider 

"Judy Carmichael's talent is great. She dazzled our audiences with her smooth and accomplished performances. Judy's extroverted personality, poise, knowledge of jazz and fine-honed communication skills, make her an excellent representative of the United States and of jazz piano."
– United States Information Agency sponsored tour of Portugal 1991.
St. Luiz Municipal Theater, Lisbon 

"I had the great, good fortune to be able to see Judy Carmichael interact with a jazz band class at Pacifica High School. She was a marvel! Easy to work with, down to earth, and completely focused on our students. Her presentation was excellent. She is a natural teacher. Of course, her piano skills are wonderful and very unique. I was most impressed with her ability to relate to our students. It is always difficult to get kids to open up and ask questions. She had no problem in getting very good questions from this group. Her answers were meaningful, resourceful, and encouraging. I wish all of our departments could have had exposure to this outstanding talent. Again, thank you for organizing and promoting this great program."
– Bernard M. Jones, Jr., Coordinator, Fine Arts, Garden Grove Unified School District 

"The purpose of this letter is to explain not only the wonderful work of Judy Carmichael during her residency at Radford University, but also how she exceeded all our expectations. In February 2001, Radford University and WVRU-FM invited Ms. Carmichael to perform a recital and speak to a few classes as a part of our artist in residence program. Our first pleasant surprise was the nature of Judy's recital. She presented the music as a lesson in the Stride style of jazz. In the following days, Ms. Carmichael spoke to several music classes, theatre and media courses and held a master class open to members of the community as well as the students, faculty, and staff. 

Each class presentation was perfectly suited into the curriculum. Jazz appreciation classes learned about the history of music, the artists, what their lives were like, and the social impact of the music. In the media classes, Ms. Carmichael was the subject of a press conference. Her visit became a part of the curriculum when students crafted media reports from their interview. In the theatre class, Ms. Carmichael spoke about the life of a performing artist, how to stay on top of your craft and not get discouraged by the rejection any artist will face. Her style is engaging and captivating, and the students were truly excited to learn.  

Ms. Carmichael also has an uncanny knack for quickly assessing a complicated situation and maximizing her role. This was best demonstrated at an Educators Luncheon our station hosted during Ms. Carmichael's visit. We assembled our radio staff, University officials and supervisors from surrounding localities. Our station hoped to show educators how public radio is a wonderful education tool, using Ms. Carmichael's program, Judy Carmichael's Jazz Inspired, as an example. We intended for Ms. Carmichael to simply impress the attendees with her musical talent. However, Judy stole the show when she spoke of her passion for educating, the importance of public radio and how the two, when combined, form a powerful learning instrument. Our station has partnered two projects with area educators as a direct result of that luncheon. I honestly feel Ms. Carmichael's words, even more than her music, were instrumental in the success of that meeting. 

I cannot say enough about the professionalism, enthusiasm and innovation of Judy Carmichael. Her efforts are tireless and extremely effective. Don't pass on an opportunity to partner with Judy Carmichael, she will enhance your project in ways you never considered."
– Ashlee B. Claud, Director of Radio-WVRU, Radford University  

"I have been given this opportunity to recommend Judy Carmichael to you as an outstanding educator. Given the fact, Judy is a world renowned jazz piano player, has her own public radio program, and can totally mesmerize large and/or small groups of middle school students, doesn't get in her way of cherishing the creative process for all children. Judy is a breath of cool, fresh air in the valley of stale, humid and sticky provincial thinking. A natural teacher, she brings an "enlightened cherishing" of music and the music process into the very heart of content-based curriculum. As an educator, I am always looking for a fresh and thoughtful approach to learning and creative process. Judy is that approach, working within the framework of fine arts to expose that different point of view or way of thinking. Judy is a true artist, committed to sharing her love for learning through those eyes. I hope you will experience what that picture looks and sounds like."
– Timothy C. Frazier, Principal, Southampton Public Schools 

"It's just after midnight here in Springfield, IL, and I just finished listening to your interview with Steve Turre. Both of you are so articulate and honest. I really learned a lot tonight about jazz and the struggle of jazz musicians to maintain its place in the music world in general. I had never before looked at jazz as our own classical music here in the United States, yet now I do since having my consciousness raised during Jazz Inspired. I'll continue listening and learning throughout 2007."
– V.King, Springfield, IL