Member Spotlight: Chad Green's Musical Journey

Discover the transformative power of music through Chad Green's inspiring journey from a young saxophonist to an accomplished musician at The Jazz Workshop. Chad shares how his passion for jazz was ignited in childhood and rekindled through our workshop community.

I grew up in Salt Lake City where my parents bought me my first Selmer Bundy II Alto Saxophone in the fifth grade. In our school district, we were very fortunate to have a middle school band teacher that was revered for his coolness and ability to connect with students. Everyone wanted to be in the Jazz Band. They came and performed at my elementary school and when the lead alto stood up to play his solo on "Harlem Nocturne", I thought that was the coolest thing ever and I decided I wanted to do the same thing. Mr. Watson inspired me to stick with music my whole life. I played in college as long as I could while also majoring in engineering.

Eventually, engineering won the battle for my attention and I had to box up the saxophone for a while. I moved to the DC area in 2008 to work as a contractor for the Department of Defense. I joined a big band in 2011 for fun and to dust off the old axe. I realized at that time that a part of me had been missing for about a decade. It felt good to be back. I met Paul Pieper in 2013 and did my first session at the Jazz Workshop in January that year. Since then, I have played in various sessions at the workshop and continue to enjoy doing so as it forces me out of the engineering mindset and challenges me to create and experiment in areas of my brain that had become complacent. I believe that playing Jazz makes me more creative in all the other things I try to do. The Jazz Workshop has also given me opportunities to meet other like-minded people.

I treasure the relationships I've made there. Jazz Improvisation is hard, but Paul makes it accessible. He is a great teacher and an excellent musician. His depth and breadth of knowledge are unmatched, in my opinion. I've learned so much by listening to his solos and working on my ear-training exercises, like singing the root motion and playing through the changes on the piano to hear the chords better. I would recommend The Jazz Workshop to anyone!

Want to experience the same musical revival and community that Chad found? Visit our website to learn more about The Jazz Workshop sessions and how you can join our creative community of musicians. Whether you're dusting off an old instrument or looking to sharpen your skills, we have a place for you!