Philly High Schooler Plays the Grammys
How cool is it to be Tyler Tritt this week?
The 18-year-old senior at Philly's Julia R. Masterman High School is one of only 30 high-school musicians from across the country selected to participate in this week's Grammy Jazz Camp. Held in Los Angeles in the week preceding the annual Grammy awards (the 2012 telecast is this Sunday, Feb.12th), the camp is hosted by the Grammy in the Schools Foundation, which promotes music education and performance.
Tyler and his fellow campers comprise a 30-piece jazz band – he plays lead trumpet – that has formed for this week only. So they've been rehearsing like crazy since they arrived in L.A. last Friday. They will perform with past Grammy winners and nominees, at jazz venues and at Grammy Week events – including the official Post-Grammy Celebration. Before returning home on the 13th, the group will also record an album for Capitol Records and, yes, attend the Grammy Awards.
All at a very affordable price: Free!
"The kids might get chance to play on stage at the actual Grammy's," says Tyler's Fairmount dad, Jeff Tritt (he and wife Pat also have two other kids, Jackson and Annemarie). "Two years ago, Bruce Springsteen performed and he had the band come on stage with him. So you never know."
Best bonus, from a parent's point of view: Tyler and his camp-mates will be eligible for more than $2 million in scholarships awarded each year by the foundation's college partners including Berklee College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, New School University Jazz Program and the University of Southern California's (USC) Thornton School of Music. They meet with recruiters today.
The uber-talented Tyler is a member of Pennsylvania's All State High School Jazz Band and Philly's All City High School Jazz Band. His own group, the Tyler Tritt Trio, has performed at Chris' Jazz House in Center City, at World Cafe Live on Penn's campus and at private events around town.
So far, what's been the best part of camp so far, besides missing a week of school?
"Tyler's a quiet kid, so he doesn't say much," says Jeff. "But he noticed how clean L.A. is."
Anyway, break a leg, Tyler. And - hey - we hear that Bruce Springsteen has just been added to the bill of performers Sunday night. Here's hoping he pulls a deja-vu move and invites you all to sit in with the E Street Band. Wouldn't that be Boss?