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Trombone Shorty Foundation Gives Back
Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews is from a neighborhood in New Orleans called Tremé. At a very young age he discovered his love of music and got his first trombone at the age of four, by the age of six he was leading his very own band. His 2016 Caldecott and Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Honor-recognized book
Trombone Shorty wanted to create his own musical gumbo. He was inspired by the Mardi Gras parades and bands that would march down his block, and by his brother James who played the trumpet. He and his friends decided to create their own band with musical instruments they made themselves. One day he found a broken trombone that was twice his size. From there on his brother nicknamed him Trombone Shorty because his trombone was bigger than he was!
Troy took his trombone everywhere and practiced day and night. He even slept with his trombone. One day his mom surprised him with tickets to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival where Bo Diddley heard him playing in the crowd and invited him on stage. Troy credits his success to hard work and practicing daily. At the age of 19 he joined the horn section of Lenny Kravitz band.
Troy formed his own band called Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue dedicated to where he grew up. He developed his own musical style called “SupaFunkRock.” His band has released three studio albums and has played at the Grammy Awards.
Troy launched the Trombone Shorty Foundation to make sure that the music & culture of New Orleans stays alive. Their mission is to preserve the rick musical history of New Orleans. Together, The Trombone Shorty Foundation and Tulane University partnered to create the Trombone Shorty Music Academy to provide music and business education, instruction, and mentorship experience to disadvantaged & musically gifted New Orleans High School students. They have already helped over 500 kids so far, and they hope to keep this number growing.
Here’s how you can help give kids in New Orleans a chance:
Today I’m excited to be giving away a copy of the children’s book
Enter Below!
5 comments
Chalis
April 14, 2016 at 5:18 pmI think my children would be inspired by the dedication. He practiced daily and this is a lesson they can be reinforced thru their love of reading (even tho we are reading to them).
Shaun
April 14, 2016 at 6:00 pmI gave my son now 3 years old and at the time 15 months old a mini trombone and he hasn’t put the trombone down since. It was only befitting after months of begging we bought him his first real trombone for his 3rd birthday and lessons. We love Trombone Shorty and my little guy tries very hard to play along side him when watching him on TV. This is an awesome foundation and the book is beautifully written and illustrated. We read it several times a week! Great blog post Ashley!!!
Jenny Q.
April 15, 2016 at 6:26 pmI think my son would be inspired while reading this. He loves music.
Roxanne DeBord
April 15, 2016 at 11:21 pmMy son loves music and art. One day he wants to be just like Vincent Van Gogh. I think this book will show him how someone’s love of music can make anything possible. It’s a beautifully illustrated book, too, and I think will inspire hims future drawings! Maybe one day he’ll illustrate a book, too!
Yahya
April 18, 2016 at 12:57 amIt’s such a blessing to be up close and personal with such a rich, rich culture as we have here in New Orleans. Our boys are always amazed by the many brass bands you can always find playing on a French quarter corner. My middle son loves the tuba but my oldest is a huge fan of Trombone Shorty and the late Trumpet Black. Thanks for getting involved with this cause sis! Our youths need it more than we know.