Jazz Education & Outreach
"Your sound is you and what you really feel inside"
CLARK TERRY
Justin Kauflin brings a rare combination of world-class performance experience and deeply personal storytelling to every educational setting he visits. As a faculty member at the Governor's School for the Arts in Virginia and a U.S. Department of State Jazz Ambassador — a title once held by his mentor Quincy Jones — Justin has led clinics, master classes, and residencies for students from high school through university level across the United States and around the world.
His connection to jazz's living tradition is direct and extraordinary. At William Paterson University, Justin studied under the legendary trumpeter Clark Terry, whose first student was a young Quincy Jones. That lineage — Terry to Jones to Kauflin — shapes everything he brings into the classroom: a deep respect for mentorship, an emphasis on listening, and the belief that jazz is ultimately about human connection.
What Justin Offers
Jazz Clinics & Master Classes
Interactive sessions on jazz improvisation, jazz vocabulary, ear training, technique, and performance practice - tailored to your ensembles levels and goals
Student Jam Sessions
Hands-on playing experience with Justin alongside your students, putting the lessons into immediate practice
School Residencies
Multi-day visits that go deeper - combining coaching, performance, and conversation about life as a working jazz musician.
Keep On Keepin' On Screenings
Community and school screenings of the Tribeca award-winning, Oscar short-listed documentary -- followed by a Q&A and jazz workshops with Justin
Jazz Concert Series
Justin curates and produces a jazz concert series at The Governor's School for the Arts - free of charge. GSA Jazz Nights >
Disability Awareness & Accessibility
Justin lost his sight at age eleven and went on to graduate summa cum laude, tour the world with Quincy Jones, and score an Oscar-shortlisted documentary — a journey he shares openly with students. As a Kennedy Center VSA International Young Soloist Award recipient, he advocates for accessibility in music education and champions tools that empower blind and visually impaired musicians and producers, including Native Instruments' Komplete Kontrol, Microsoft's Seeing AI, and resources from the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired.
His story isn't a sidebar — it's central to what he teaches. Students leave his clinics with not just stronger jazz skills, but a broader sense of what's possible.
Resource Links
SEEING AI - A visual assistant for the blind, utilizing AI to audibly narrate the world. Free
BE MY EYES - Be My Eyes is a free app that connects users to volunteers and companies worldwide.
THE SEEING EYE GUIDE DOGS - Harnessing Freedom Video
NATIVE INSTRUMENTS - Accessibility guide for Komplete Kontrol software users.
VA DEPT. BLIND & VISUALLY IMPAIRED - (DBVI) provides services and resources for employment, education & independence.
DANCING DOT TECHNOLOGY - Serves visually-impaired musicians & their educators through technology and training.
AVID MUSIC NOTATION - Sibelius Tutorial for screen reader users. Assistive Music Technology Lab at Berklee College.
NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE FOR THE BLIND - (NLS) offers a catalog of large-print & brailled scores and books.
NLS CONVERSATION WITH JUSTIN - Video
AUDIBLE BOOKS - Stories brought to life by captivating voices.
HR PARATRANSIT - Hampton Roads transportation solutions that are reliable, safe, efficient, and sustainable.
RAYBAN META GLASSES - AI glasses that blend cutting-edge technology with iconic style.
Testimonials
Justin's clinics and masterclasses aren't about technique alone - they're about what music asks of us. Educators and students consistently describe something that goes beyond instruction: a shift in how young musicians hear themselves and what they believe is possible.
"It was clear from the start that Justin had goals to accomplish within the session, offering performance and dialogue that he believed would be most effective with university-aged students - and he targeted perfectly. They made our band room seem like the center of the jazz universe in those 90 minutes.
ANTONIO GARCIA
Director, VCU Jazz
"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
Governor's School for the Arts, Director, Jazz Dept.
"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 that they are regular people. An artist like Justin, who is only a few years older than the studetns - has a particular resonance"
TRINITY EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
IB Music Director
Scheduling & Availability
Justin is based in Norfolk, Virginia and available for educational engagements throughout the academic year, with the most flexibility for travel and extended residencies during summer and school holiday breaks.
Please inquire at least 6-8 weeks in advance. Summer and holiday periods book quickly -- early outreach is encouraged for those dates.
To inquire about a clinic, residency, or screening:
Contact Justin directly at justin.kauflin@gmail.com or reach out through the Contact page.