Meet Jackson

"Through being on the Jazz Empowers Student Advisory Council, we've really gotten the chance to learn and hear these difficult but important truths about playing music. We're the next generation - we have to know what we're facing in life. As many of us know, 2026 is the Centennial year of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. They shaped the sounds that define our lives and embody what it means to be a great thinker, and that is to believe and explore our authentic self. I haven't really lived long enough to define what success is for Jackson. I've often asked myself if I'm worthy of being held up and praised as much as other musicians. I say all of this to let myself and any other people feeling how I might feel that the lessons I've learned through recognizing how tiring it is to chase approval have helped me understand why I'm worthy of playing this music. The journeys we take through jazz usually aren't the prettiest, but all of these trials are deeply educational. My band director, the great Dr. Ollie Liddell, helps us look past results and focus on our musical journeys. He doesn't care what happens - he just cares that we work for it."

Jackson Hankins, Jazz Empowers Student Advisory Council Member - Central High School, Memphis, TN