KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON
jazz education outreach
Shot over the course of 5 years, KEEP ON KEEPIN’ ON was one of the most critically acclaimed documentaries of 2014, landing on the short list for an Academy Award by first-time director, Al Hicks.
The Film depicts the friendship of music legend and teacher Clark Terry, 89 and Justin Kauflin, a 23-year-old, blind piano prodigy. Kauflin, who suffers from debilitating stage fright, is invited to compete in an elite Jazz competition, just as Terry’s health takes a turn for the worse. As the clock ticks, we see two friends confront the toughest challenges of their lives.
Terry was also Quincy Jones’ first teacher, and mentor to Miles Davis. He is among the few performers ever to have played in both Count Basie’s and Duke Ellington’s bands. In the ‘60s Terry broke the color barrier as the first African-American staff musician at NBC – on "The Tonight Show."
One of Clark Terry's greatest passions was jazz education. In the spirit of Clark, the team of KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON is committed to sharing his positive messages through education screenings, jazz masterclasses and workshops, student jam sessions and Justin Kauflin solo or trio concert.
"These two men, 70 years apart, inspired each other, and that inspiration can be infectious."
"Kauflin's story is one that falls into what I like to call the 'perspective documentary genre.' If you think you’re having a rough day or can’t escape from whatever hole life has dug for you, Kauflin’s worldview should give you a little perspective. He simply never lets his situation get him down (at least on film). His ringtone is 'Don’t Worry, Be Happy' for God’s sake." -RogerEbert.com
EDUCATIONAL SCREENINGS
jazz clinic TESTIMONIALS
".... It was clear from the start that Justin had goals to accomplish within the session, offering performance and dialogue that he blieved would be most effective with university-age students; and he targeted perfectly ... they made our band room seem like the center of the jazz universe for those 90 minutes" -Antonio Garcia, Director VCU Jazz
"Trinity students often have the benefit of witnessing music-making at the highest level by visiting professional musicians like Kauflin. It's valuable that students get to interact with the artists so that they realize they are regular people ... an artist like Justin, who is only a few years older than the students, has a particular resonance" - Trinity Episcopal IB Music Program
"Justin did a fabulous job with the students and I couldn't have been more pleased with the Master Class! He is a natural teacher with his honesty, sensitivity, temperament and ability to inspire. They appreciated the thoughtful comments and practical advice, and felt so inspired after the clinic"
-Liz Barnes, Director Governor's School for the Arts
To bring the film and workshops to your community, please contact Early Hour or Justin Kauflin
"Being blind is only a part of who we are ...
it should never be something that defines us" -jk
Justin Kauflin was born with a condition that affected both eyes called proliferative exudative retinopathy, rendering him totally blind by age 11.
In his transition from 'low-vision' to total blindness, Justin received adaptive services provided by the Virginia Beach public school system. From elementary through high school, itinerant vision teachers enabled his attendance alongside his sighted peers in classes ranging from Japanese to AP Physics as well as 3 forms of Braille (literary, math and music), O & M (orientation & mobility) skills with the white cane, and vocational rehabilitation provided by the DBVI (VA Dept. for the Blind and Vision Impaired).
The NJ Commission for the Blind provided a few days of O&M to navigate the campus of William Paterson University. Throughout his years there, the National Library Service of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC sent brailled classical music scores upon request, free of charge. Justin utilized Dancing Dots and Avid Sibelius to write and score music for assignments and provide charts to his Trio.
Programs such as the Kennedy Center VSA advocates disability awareness around the world, and continues to promote artists with disabilities. They, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of State, sent Justin as a Jazz Ambassador to share his experiences as well as perform for Jazz Week in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) enables travel by providing assistance between airport gates, ADA-abiding car services, allowances for a PCA (Personal Care Assistant), and most recently, the Hampton Roads Para Transit service to and from work. The ADA also opened the door to restaurant- and movie-going with braille menus, allowances for guide dogs, and DVS (Descriptive Video Services). And, at The Seeing Eye in Morristown, NJ, Justin was matched and trained for a month 24/7 with Candy, his sweet guide dog for an incredible 12 years.
Advancements in assistive technology has allowed vision-impaired/blind individuals to be on slightly more even ground with their sighted colleagues. The Apple iPhone has built-in accessibility features such as screen readers, voice-to-text capabilities and GPS, which are extremely useful, if not life-saving! Recent tech innovations, specifically with Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol allows Justin to finally utilize software he has owned for over a decade, launching a whole new world to explore producing sound designs, film scores and music to professional standards.
AWARENESS & ACCESSIBILITY
Website Accessibility Statement
www.JustinKauflin.com is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability. We aim to adhere as closely as possible to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0, Level AA), published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines explain how to make Web content more accessible for people with disabilities. Conformance with these guidelines will help make the web more user friendly to everyone. Whilst www.JustinKauflin.com strives to adhere to the guidelines and standards for accessibility, it is not always possible to do so in all areas of the website and we are currently working to achieve this. Be aware that due to the dynamic nature of the website, minor issues may occasionally occur as it is updated regularly. We are continually seeking out solutions that will bring all areas of the site up to the same level of overall web accessibility.