Resources for Artists and Others
These are trying times for all of us, and for those who make their living presenting or performing live jazz, we know this is a challenge that may seem overwhelming. There are many organizations that are working to help, and we want to make sure all of our readers have all the resources they need. Below is a list of some of the resources we are aware of – if you know of others that we’ve missed, please share them with us!
- Baltimore Artist Emergency Relief Fund
- Howard County Artist Relief Fund
- Jazz Foundation of America’s COVID-19 MUSICIANS’ EMERGENCY FUND
- Jazz Road’s Quick Assist Fund
- MSAC COVID-19 State of Emergency Statement & Resources
- GBCA’s List of Resources for Individual Artists/ Creators
- MusiCares® COVID-19 Relief Fund
- Baltimore County’s Individual Artist Grants
Meanwhile, if you are looking for musical relief, you can find live performances being streamed online (e.g., by An die Musik, and by many individual artists), and great recordings being posted from earlier times. We will try to post some of these on our calendar right here at baltimorejazz.com, but they are coming up often with little notice, so the best bet is to stay in touch, keep your ears open, and try to get involved by social media and word of mouth. Most of these online performances are free, but musicians are generally accepting tips via PayPal, Venmo, and other payment apps — if you can afford to help them out, this is a great way to keep a little bit of cash flowing through the jazz economy.
Finally, if you are stuck at home — working or otherwise — and not sure what to do with yourself; here’s an idea: maybe it’s time for music lessons! Many of the area’s great musicians also teach, and right now, many of them are teaching remotely by Skype, Zoom, or other technologies. They can certainly use the extra income right now, and this could be your chance to learn something new, or work on some skills you’ve been developing. Again, the best way to find these resources right now may be social media, but by all means, if you are looking for instruction and unable to find it, please contact us and we can help connect you with someone.
We hope we’ll all be able to safely enjoy live jazz soon. Until then, stay safe, keep cool, and take some time to enjoy Baltimore’s jazz scene any way you can!