- Will you consider this?

No matter what notes you play or hear around central Illinois, no matter the visual arts, there's a good chance our next guest had a hand in it, and her outreach has spanned the U.S. in every state and 44 countries.

(intro music plays) When you were 10 years old, did you know what you wanted to do when you grew up?

It was the dream of Mary Jo Papich, who is a co-founder and first president of the Jazz Education Network.

And if I listed all of her achievements and awards, we wouldn't have time to interview her, so welcome Mary Jo.

- Thank you, Christine, thank you.

- You have done pretty much everything.

So you started out, how did you get interested in music?

- My sisters sang and we still do, you know, at all the family weddings and funerals, big brother played a jazz trumpet, but you know, we didn't have a lot of money.

I was youngest of seven.

Dad died when I was one.

So there was, and there were no private lessons in a town of 650.

- In Iowa.

- In Iowa, Southern Iowa.

And I just always loved music, and I loved people.

I worked in my dad's drug store.

All of us kids did, dad and mom's drug store, making change and visiting with people.

And then I was influenced by music teachers all along the way.

We have that power as music teachers to influence these wonderful kids that come our direction.

- Amazing, so when you were 10 years old, you wrote, you found it after your mother's passing?

- No, actually, when she was moving from the little town to the county seat from Lovilia to Albea, we were going through things.

There was my 4H book and, and I found this piece of paper.

I started reading and I, it was just, it was amazing that I wanted to, I knew what I wanted to be.

- Yeah, a music teacher.

- Yeah.

- Well then you came to Peoria because you were in love at that time, that didn't work out, but it worked out for Peoria that's for sure.

And you started where?

- When I moved here, I was actually at Harrison, Calvin Coolidge, Keller, and Tyng teaching elementary band.

And Dave Barnwell was the principal there at Tyng with me and I had just great administrators and great experience in 150, and he was named the new principal at Woodruff, and he said, "I think you need to come along with me."

And, - Then you taught jazz band there?

- Oh yes, oh yes.

We had a jazz band.

We took Sharon Reed with her, with her wonderful swing choir and my jazz band.

We took a trip after, I think my second or third year we went to Nashville, you know, on a tour and, and worked hard on the marching band piece of it.

And we were a competitive, you know, marching band and jazz band, which they haven't had here in Peoria, in 150 for awhile.

And we just had so much fun.

- And you took the kids, you traveled everywhere.

- All over, yeah.

- What's the most exciting, or there's no way to compare?

- Well, they're all exciting, when you travel with kids and you see travel through, through the kids' eyes.

And I think so many of them, when I see them around today, that it was the highlight of their life in many ways.

And of course they learned so many life skills in, in playing in an ensemble.

But when I became coordinator of fine arts, then in the early nineties, I was at Roosevelt and I started the Peoria Jazz AllStars, probably the biggest musical memories are with that group and performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival several times, the Umbria Jazz Festival, Ed Griffith was the principal then, he said, or superintendent, he said, "I want you to perform at the, you know, National School Board Convention."

I'm like, "Okay."

I get online, I see it's going to be in New Orleans.

That's worth a trip to jazz city.

So we went down there and you know, what, we performed for 16,000 people.

And they gave us a standing ovation before our tune was done.

- Incredible.

- And those kids have got to have that memory of that.

And, you know, all kinds of things like that.

The bowls, we went to the Citrus Bowl, the Peach Bowl, hopefully lots of memories.

We played for many of the dedications around town here, when I go by statues and openings, and they've got to have those memories and hopefully that transfers into some volunteering into community service.

- Right.

So some of them have gone on to be really renowned musicians and, you know, they're still making a lifestyle out of it.

- Yeah.

As hard as it was last year, with COVID.

- Right.

- But there are many, you know, Greg Ward and Brianna Thomas and Doug stone and Alex Austin, and there's so many.

And then I'm just as proud as the many students when I come back that yell "Hey Miss Papich" and they're playing in a rock band or a jazz band or a bluegrass or acoustic, and they're still performing.

And for those students who aren't performing, I just, I'm hoping that my influence was great enough that they're supporting the arts, whether it be donations or attending live events.

- And that's plenty of what you do.

So the Jazz Education Network, you started that- - 2008.

- Okay, describe that.

So you're in 44 countries in every state.

- Yes, yes.

Yes.

It's just been exciting.

And, and my life has changed since June 1st, 2008.

It's just been exciting.

I don't want to say worrisome, but you know, there's stress related with starting anything.

But I gathered a group together, Dr. Lou Fisher and I together, he was at Capitol State in Columbus, and we put ourselves in a room and worked all weekend.

We had a set of draft bylaws coming in, four pages of names to go over possible missions, and we walked out with a website, and I was the first president.

And our mission is three-fold: To advance jazz education, promote performance, and develop new audiences.

And we produced the largest jazz conference.

They'd prefer to call it "The Hang," but it's very educational.

There's, you know, five stages and four clinic rooms.

And there's a student stage continually.

There's open jams for students and pros at night.

- Is it held someplace different every year?

- Every year, every year, and we'll be in Dallas next, it's always the first week of January.

People come from all over the world.

It's amazing.

This gentleman from Kazakhstan comes every year, and brings me a gift.

He's so sweet.

And now he's bringing his family and- - That's a nice gift.

- It's amazing.

- It really is.

It's so exciting and, you know, I can go to any state in the country and know someone, and it's just fun.

- And you have been traveling a lot, a lot, a lot.

- Well, I've started again, you know, I traveled an awful lot when I started the organization.

And then for a lot of years, I did a lot of adjudication and clinic-ing with jazz groups, but, you know, I'm somewhat limited there.

I was a high school person.

My focus was then administration, and there's more collegiate people that are better than I am at that, but they know they can always count on me for a boost of enthusiasm and a positive, you know, shot in the arm.

- Reinforcement, yeah, exactly.

Exactly.

You've received countless awards and countless, you, you even had a banner with your name on it and your picture at McCormick place.

Yeah.

So, and that was for?

- I am so blessed.

I received the medal of honor, it's called Midwest Clinic, but it's an international conference and it has about 20,000 in attendance.

And that was very humbling and it was just pretty amazing, and yes, I have a big metal and a plaque.

And then just recently the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic honored me with a beautiful treble clef, hand-blown piece that is just amazing.

And part of that is not just for starting JEN, and spending 37 years in public education.

But I started an outreach program, which we now call community engagement.

And with the help of the Herb Alpert foundation, we've reached over a hundred thousand people with jazz.

And that means we pay the musicians, because we want to support them, especially lately.

And then we go to underserved schools, or hospitals or community centers, so it helps both.

And it's a wonderful thing.

It's just very great.

- That's just incredible.

Now you also, again, I can't name all your awards, but what is your involvement with the Grammys?

- Oh, that's fun.

Yeah.

I'm on the panel selection committee for selecting the music educator of the year.

So each year I get them when they're trimmed down a little bit, and then we watch the complete, individually there's a team of judges and there's two of us from Illinois, which is kinda cool.

And, you know, you'll watch a video of their teaching and testimonials and their resumes - And how they measure up to you.

- Oh no, listen, I take notes on the side to share with the teachers here.

- Yeah, it's like "Why didn't I do that?"

- I wish I would have known this, you know, this is great.

And so that is, it's fun.

It's fun, and- - What an honor.

- It's an honor.

It's an honor.

It's a lot of work in the spring and in June too, but it's, it's really a wonderful thing.

- Well, but you started your career here and then you were pirated away to Highland Park, Illinois.

- Well, I have to tell you, I did teach a few years in Iowa before here.

I was at Multhorn Udell, a little rural community, and Ottumwa, Iowa, and I fell in love at that Midwest clinic, And that's what brought me to Peoria, so, but to a drummer, but yeah, they pulled me away.

I didn't apply for a job.

They had seen me in Europe and- - At Montreux?

- Yes, yes.

- Okay, interesting.

- Someone that had taught there and they were in their final selection phase and they didn't care for any of their candidates, And I said, well, I'm not looking for a job, but let me come up and look.

And I went up and it was pretty impressive.

- Well you said it's the Nirvana of the arts world.

- Amazing, it's amazing.

You know, for the first concert, I was like, oh, I didn't do any PR for this.

I didn't put it.

You know, in the newspaper journal star was always so good to me.

I was on the radio.

It, everybody was so good.

And, and I didn't do any of that.

And I went to the first concert and it was packed without even having to do one, to get the word out.

And so, but it was nice to work with big budgets.

But my first reaction, when I got up there was this isn't fair.

Our Peoria kids deserve all this too.

And the whole property tax thing in our state is, needs to be worked out because it's not fair.

- Right.

Right.

And yeah, you're seeing it from both sides now, but you were up there in the area.

So you were at Highland park and then.

- I then retired to work on my organization more full-time.

And because we had no CEO, we had no executive director for several years.

So that meant that Lou and I fielded the emails, wrote that responses did everything and, and recruited members and all, but it's just, you do all that.

And then Skokie called me district Niles district 2, 1 9, and the superintendent left a message saying, I need you to guide our fine arts director just left us.

I need you to just come take care of us.

And they had just won like the top fine arts program in the country, really.

And at Kennedy Senator and center.

And I said, sure, why not?

And they, they paid me well to come.

And I ended up staying three years.

Right.

And it was fun to have a whole nother, you know, I can't imagine my career now without that family.

- Right.

Well, they develop a family.

Exactly.

Exactly.

Well then, then why did you come back here?

- It's always been home.

It's just always been home.

And as we were talking earlier, periods opened their arms to me and I'm like, I wasn't gone.

And it feels right.

All the exciting things going on coming back to think, do I want to move back here?

Cause you know, I have a sister here and her family and then I'm close to and I saw I'd still come back and friends of course.

And I think, I think I'm going to come back.

And so.

- What made it right to make the move?

I mean, that's, you're, you're leaving all of that.

All of big city and you're coming back to Peoria and we have a lot to offer.

And I've talked to a lot of people who have recently relocated or located here from California, Colorado, and we have a lot to it.

- You do Peoria has a lot to offer and I, it's a pretty happening art scene.

And, and the jazz scene is, is good.

I mean, and then when I came downtown and, and you know, this, this museum, riverfront museum is fabulous.

The river Plex activities, the riverfront festivals were going on.

And so seeing friends, seeing family, being with family, it just felt like the right thing to do.

And friends, that was the pull.

That was the hook.

- So you said an art scene, you are the precedent of arts partners.

A lot of people have heard of it, but really have no idea what it is.

Well.

- Arts Partners and there's really was envisioned by a group of us back in the nineties, headed by Rebecca Borland, the one and only Rebecca Borland.

And we felt there was a need for an organization that was tax supported.

Like several other states have cities have.

That could be the umbrella organization for the nonprofit arts organizations.

And that's what we are.

So we advance the arts while improving the economic conditions of the community and exposing more people from all over the area, central Illinois, to the arts and our executive directors, Jennifer Gordon.

And it's been an existence now since like, well, since the early two thousands, and we do the sky art that the billboards of art that you see up that are so wonderful.

We do an ignite Peoria at the civic center.

We have the wonderful sculpture walk program on Washington street, bring your guests and visit that.

The billboards actually that art, which is local artists that we choose from to put their art up.

It is seen by an estimated 20 million plus in a year.

Yes.

How is that?

They drive by, they drive by, we keep, we keep counts.

We, you know, and the there's so many, there's an art of business program.

It's just doing a lot of good things.

And during this hard year, when most of the nonprofits literally had to, you know, when the whole world stopped in the arts, we were doing round tables and administrator leader round trade via round tables via zoom Christine.

It was so Jennifer Gordon was keeping them all up to date on the PPPs, on various grants, the, the shuttered venue program.

And now she just did a session on Biden's wonderful rescue America plan.

And it's all putting some money back into the pockets of the arts organizations so they can remain in business and, and thrive once again.

And we really think the arts are starting to come back as you know, and I went to a jazz concert on the riverfront last night.

It's FQ stage sponsored by the central Illinois jazz society and our wonderful park district.

And we really feel the arts are going to come back everywhere, stronger than ever good.

- Because people missed them.

They long for.

- Them.

I need the arts to enrich the soul that, that cultural spirit I'm always in couraging my friends to take a cultural bath every day.

Picasso said the arts wash away the dust of everyday life.

So get your cultural bath in whether it's singing with the radio and the shower and are looking at your favorite pieces of art are watching a really good movie or whatever, going to a muni band concert, coming down here, doing something, dancing, something that enriches your spirit and you'll feel revived.

- It's the desktop.

Well now, so your outfit today, w w what we look like bookends.

Well, but you have a lot of this funky stuff going on, too.

And, and you said that, yes, you're, you are a musician, but you also have been a judge for some juried art shows.

I.

- Have, it's crazy.

I started doing it up north when I learned so much more about visual arts and the techniques and, and the, I, I, there's just so much to know, but I became involved and I was on several boards up there.

And I said, when they would call me, I said, the first time I said, you know, I know I'm fine arts director, but I'm a musician.

I'm not, I'm an educator.

I'm not a visual artists other than making a little jewelry.

- Or a stick figure.

- And they said, we don't care.

We have, we heard you have a great eye and you know how to judge.

And, and so I started doing it and I actually did the fine arts fair here for the art Guild, be the last real one.

And that's one of our shining stars of Peoria.

Of course, art Guild.

- Brings a lot of people end of September.

And we just need good weather every time you need.

- Good weather every time and we need people to come down and shop.

- Right.

And that's a cultural bath.

- You know, you'd go to it.

Just seeing the art is just a wonderful inspiration.

- It is.

It is.

And sometimes, you know, I'll look at something and go it's, it's just not me.

And that's very interesting.

Not everybody can, like that thing made out of animal bones or whatever.

It might be something for everybody.

But somebody would be attracted to that.

It's just crazy.

- Yeah, absolutely.

I can look at pictures and this is the nicest, a nice, this one.

It just, it is becoming a trance.

And I could sit and look at it for hours.

- Right.

And you trade out some of the things cause your apartment, your condo is, is pretty enlightening and it's very colorful.

You do not live in the gray area.

So out of all of the things that you've done in the people that you've met, who's the most exciting, or what has been the most exciting.

You've been really pretty much around the world.

You know.

- Whatever was most recent, you know, I just did a jazz global women presentation to an organization and Pretoria South Africa.

And, and of course they were zooming all over and there were a few from our country and they were so wonderful.

And so any way I feel I can help them become more empowered in a man's world to keep performing or form organizations.

That's what I like to do in those are my favorite moments I I'm on and excited.

And it's memorable to me when I'm making a difference.

And when it's in the arts, cause that's what I'm passionate about.

They have so many, so many moments and, and even when working with kids and lately, I've been teaching Olli classes at Bradley university Bradley for jazz.

And they've asked me to do one again.

I said, if you can give me a little breather here and I'll, and we had full classes and having a great time.

And I thought, oh, I forgot.

Got it.

How much I missed this?

Do.

- You expose them to all different types of jazz?

I mean, structured unstructured.

That can.

- Absolutely.

Yeah.

The last, the first class I did was how American history and jazz mere jazz mirrors, American history.

And so, yes, we've started with the, you know, the, the old trad, jazz blues on up to Ornette Coleman and the, and the Vietnam war and free jazz and onto fusion.

And, and we covered a hundred years and, and those classes, and it was moving fast, but you know, was fun.

And that's why teaching jazz is fun.

I encourage all music teachers that don't teach jazz.

I don't care if they're string or elementary music or vocal to teach a little bit of it because it's, I found it a way to recruit and retain students in the program.

But it's exciting.

It's fun.

And it's American history.

It is definitely American.

You teach the diversity.

If that's possible, you expose you, you know, when you don't just do so up by miles Davis should talk about miles Davis.

You know, you don't just do some sat and all by duke Ellington, but you'd give a history lesson on where he came from and what he went through and Nina Simone and her, you know, antiwar.

So it's, it's a wonderful thing.

So they can all join my organization, jazz education network, jazz ed, net.org.

Okay.

All right.

And.

- Because you want members and, and that will also generate some funding for some of the underserved.

- Absolutely.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Did.

- You ever, I mean, yes.

You wanted to be a music teacher, but did you ever know that you would be recognized worldwide?

- Absolutely not that little 10 year old, that wrote that theme didn't know that.

And I'm continually humbled and blessed the, these invitations keep growing in like this one today.

I'm just happy to be here.

I got an invitation yesterday to speak at the inaugural conference of the women basis association.

Hmm.

Didn't know there was such a, well, I'm sure they just formed it because they felt a need to, and, and to speak at their June 20, 22.

So they're boiling planning ahead, you know, but.

- And where will that be?

Do you know.

- You know, they're going to do it zoom.

They're going to do it virtually, even though it'll probably be much healthier than, but, you know, teaching and connecting virtually has opened the doors in so many ways to make it beneficial, to so many more people, because they don't have to pay for a flight and lodging and, and they get experienced that isn't as great in person.

I'm not quite, is it better than nothing?

- Absolutely.

Absolutely.

So what, one thing do you still think that you want to do that you haven't done yet?

- If I died tomorrow, I would die.

Happy.

- Well, don't do that, but, but you have too many things on your plate.

There's.

- Still a few countries I haven't been to.

So right.

I wanna, I want to, I haven't been to Greece yet, and I want to spend more time in our Slovenia and Croatia, the routes that we share exactly.

- We do.

And you have to definitely make petite or Povich pizza this year with us.

This is, this is a wonderful Eastern European nut roll that we do have to get on that together, for sure.

Okay.

I would love that.

Well, you can probably make that happen.

Somebody will probably be calling you, you know, as soon as you get out of this studio and hooking you up with something in Eastern Europe.

So thank you.

Ma'am for being here for telling us part of your story.

I'm sure that we'll have to bring you back and get more of your stories and talk about more of your awards and things too.

- Thank you so much, Christine, for supporting the arts and bringing it to life by having me on, sorry.

There's a lot of people here, a lot of great educators, a lot of people that are doing it.

Yes.

- All right.

Well, thank you again and enjoy and thank you for joining us.

Stay safe and healthy.