Preservation Hall Foundation

The Preservation Hall Foundation works to protect, preserve and perpetuate New Orleans musical traditions through education, archival preservation, community engagement, and support programs for musicians and culture bearers. These programmatic pillars help foster inter-generational engagement in New Orleans music and culture.

EDUCATION:
Preservation Hall Foundation education programs include Kids in the Hall field trips, which we are proud to offer free-of-charge to local, Title I school groups in Orleans, St. Bernard and Jefferson Parishes. These field trips are led by master musicians who perform regularly at Preservation Hall, and include a performance, context of New Orleans music and the historic building, as well as a question and answer session. We also offer these field trips to out-of-town school groups of all ages on a sliding fee scale.

In 2021, the Foundation launched Preservation Hall Lessons, a FREE online music education resource for K-12 teachers nationwide. It includes complete lesson plans of classroom-ready content focused on introductory and advanced techniques for the range of instruments in a traditional jazz band, stylistic tips, as well as the cultural and historical context of New Orleans music, as told through videos with Preservation Hall musicians themselves. The collection of 40+ lessons continues to expand, with new content on Jazz Funerals, Musical Heritage, Congo Square, African Drumming, Improvisation, and more topics in the works or have recently launched.

COMMUNITY

Testimonials

"The Kids in the Hall experience is a great way to connect students with the deep history of Black American Music and the elders who are keeping it alive. Our kids left with a deeper appreciation of traditional New Orleans music, and a deeper sense of responsibility for keeping this music alive."
- The Living School

"We warmed up with a lesson or two from Preservation Hall back at school. But nothing compared to the thrill of hearing live music! As a teacher, I was humbled with how natural and welcoming the amazing musicians were with our first graders."
- Beth, Homer Plessy Community School

"For the Foundation to come into play and to be a part of our lives as we get older means a lot."